European Union Overseas Marine Conservation Efforts

InternatIonal UnIon for ConservatIon of natUre

S a r g a s s o S e a

Amazonia

Antarc�c and Sub-Antarc�c

18 MPAs758,366 km2

45.6 % of EEZ

5 MPAs453,836 km2

21.6 % of EEZ72 MPAs2,150,614 km2

28.1 % of EEZ

Pacific

Indian Ocean

2 MPAs2,732,766 km2

94.5 % of EEZ1 high-seas MPA in ABNJ: 94,000 km2

South Atlantic

3 MPAs746 km2

0.6% of EEZ

(Part of Pacific region)

107 MPAs146,979 km2

21.7 % of EEZ

Caribbean Macaronesia(Part of North Atlan�c)

98 MPAs173,597 km2

9.3 % of EEZ

North Atlantic146 MPAs

268,758 km2

5.7 % of EEZ5 high-seas MPAs

in ABNJ: 120,112 km2

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% of Overseas waters protected (by Member State)UK 52.5 %France 33.1 %Netherlands 3.4 %Spain 5.5 %Portugal 10.5 % Denmark 4 %

2009 20162010 20162010 2017 2017 202060%?33%17%5%Protection

level

2012 2014 2016South Orkney Islands Southern Shelf First high seas MPA: 94,000 km2 - Antarctic (in areas beyond national jurisdiction)

Pitcairn Islands no-take marine reserve: 834,000 km2 - (100% of EEZ) - Pacific

Chagos Archipelago no-take MPA (British Indian Ocean Territory): 640,000 km2 – (100% of EEZ) - Indian Ocean

St Helena MPA: 450,224 km2 - (100% of St Helena's waters) - South Atlantic

Mayotte Natural Marine Park: 68,381 km2 – (100% of EEZ) - Indian Ocean

National Nature Reserve of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF)* protection zone extended to full EEZ: 1.66 million km2 - Antarctic

Martinique: 47,340 km2 - Caribbean (100 % of EEZ)

Glorioso Islands Natural Marine Park: 43,614 km2 - (100% of Glorioso waters) - Indian Ocean

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: 1.07 million km2 - (87% of EEZ) - Sub-Antarctic

Natural Park of the Coral Sea, New Caledonia: 1.3 million km2- (100% of EEZ) - Pacific

Marine and coastal conservation efforts in the EU Overseas marine and coastal

areas under protection

including 39 coastal Ramsar Wetland sites under protectionfrom strictly no-take to multiple-use MPA

of MPA coverage since 2014

of EU Overseas waters

6.5 million km2

350 MPAs

90% increase

33%Over 4x the size of their 6 Member States & 3x the area of their surrounding waters

Contributing to 1/3 of global waters protected (18.5 million km2) (Status: December 2016)

* French: Terres australes et antarctiques françaises - TAAF

Map: IUCN

protected areas in the world are in EU Overseas waters

• 1.66 million km2 French Southern and Antarctic Territories National Nature Reserve (FR)• 1.3 million km2 Natural Park of the Coral Sea multiple-use MPA, New Caledonia (FR)• 1.07 million km2 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands multiple-use MPA (UK)• 834,000 km2 Pitcairn Marine Reserve (UK)• 640,000 km2 British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos, UK) MPA (UK)• 450,224 km2 St Helena multiple-use MPA (UK)

Marine mammals are

protected in 50% of EU Overseas

waters – almost 10 million km2

7 shark sanctuaries: almost 1/3 of EU Overseas waters – over 6 million km2

Together almost6 million km2 = 90% of total EU Overseas MPA coverage

Humpback whale with calf in the marine mammal sanctuary of the Caribbean waters

© Laurent Bouveret, OMMAG

Fisherman in New Caledonia © Conservation International / Lily Clarke

French Polynesian waters - a hotspot for marine biodiversity and one of the healthiest ecosystems © Lauric Thiault

6 of the 10 largest

Other notable commitments• “Blue Belt pledge” by the UK Government: Establishment of large MPAs spanning 4

million km2 of UK overseas waters • Designation of full EEZ MPA around Tristan da Cunha (>750,000 km2) by 2020 • Permanent closure of at least half the waters surrounding Ascension Island by

2019 – no commercial fishing in an area almost the size of terrestrial UK• £ 20 million until 2020 to support management and enforcement of new MPAs

• French Polynesia: almost 5 million km2 to become a world’s largest Marine Managed Area (MMA), including traditional community-based resource management and educational marine managed areas

Over 60% of EU Overseas waters could be protected by 2020

7 regions in 5 major oceansfrom the poles to the tropics

150 islands, many remote and uninhabited

€ 300 billion from ecosystem services Marine and coastal services: up to

€ 320 million/year to each EU Overseas entity

34 political entities – 6 Member States of the European Union (EU)25 Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs)9 Outermost Regions (ORs)

World’s largest maritime area: combined exclusive economic zone (EEZ) >19 million km2

5% of the global ocean 2x size of US waters or 4x the EUOver 20% of world’s coral reefs and atolls

International recognitions for ocean and marine wildlife protection in EU Overseas:

4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites + 7 tentative

14Man and Biosphere Reserves – nearly 100,000 km2 are marine and coastal

62Ramsar sites, 39 with a marine/coastal connection

KBAs are places with vital habitats for species requiring enhanced protection; identified for their vulnerability and irreplaceability

4.3 million km2

marine or coastal Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)

EU Overseas are home to

EU Overseas global importance

19 EBSAs (ecologically and biologically significant marine areas)

Over 200 special places in the world’s oceans as identified by 7 scientific criteria, adopted by the CBD COP*

4 biodiversity hotspots Earth’s 36 most biologically rich and threatened areas as defined by 2 criteria

5 Hope Spots Globally 85 special places that are critical to the health of the ocean, recognized by Mission Blue

* Convention for Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties

Ouvea, New Caledonia © Conservation International / Mael Imirizaldu

Ascencion Island © Dan Laffoley

EU Overseas - champions in marine and coastal protection yet with uneven efforts…• Mostly coastal (within 3 nautical miles from shore), very few offshore MPAs • Only 10 out of 34 EU Overseas entities protect >10% of their waters

• accounting for 95% of protection in EU Overseas• meeting international conservation targets (CBD Aichi Targets & Sustainable Development Goal 14)

• only 3 operating ecological MPA networks across European ORs and OCTs• 4.3 million km2 marine or coastal Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) identified under the BEST Initiative, KBA

protection ranges from <5% to 100% per EU Overseas entity - http://ec.europa.eu/best/.

EU Overseas – progress needed in:• Improving representativeness, resilience, connectivity and functionalities of MPAs

• Establishing large, well-managed MPAs protecting coastal and offshore waters with key habitats• Advancing regional cooperation and European Overseas MPA networks• Efforts towards designating high seas MPAs in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ)• Improving data availability and use

• Mainstreaming climate change and ocean acidification impacts into marine conservation activities and planning efforts

• Improving awareness and control of marine invasive species• Support and acknowledgement from EU: Developing comprehensive and strategic approach of the EU

marine dimension

Contact: Carole Martinez carole.martinez@iucn.org

Mangroves, Wallis and Futuna © Chloé Desmots

New Caledonia © Conservation International / Photo Rodolphe Holler Des

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