In November 2019, in the City of Chiba, Japan, a group of marine scientists from the Northwest Pacific region agreed on a roadmap to develop the Regional Action Plan on Marine and Coastal Marine Biodiversity.
At the Chiba meeting, the experts reviewed previous work on marine and coastal biodiversity and identified gaps in the current knowledge, particularly, in the following areas:
- status, trends and future potential of the marine and coastal ecosystem services
- geographical scope and health of major marine and coastal habitats
- effectiveness of current conservation measures
The meeting also reviewed relevant existing regional strategies, action plans, major policy frameworks, as well as interventions addressing marine and coastal biodiversity. The meeting participants exchanged opinions on how to scale up and synergize the current actions taken by the countries.
The experts have introduced national strategies on biological diversity in their countries. All four Member States of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan, namely: China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation, prioritize biodiversity conservation and have adopted national strategies and action plans to streamline the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The proposed Regional Action Plan on Marine and Coastal Marine Biodiversity is sought to support the Member States in their conservation work, such as strengthening international cooperation, addressing the transboundary nature of the marine biodiversity and demonstrating positive outcomes of the actions taken.
According to the agreement reached, the design and development of the Regional Action Plan on Marine and Coastal Marine Biodiversity will have a robust participatory nature, with the engagement of multiple stakeholders. Only this way, the Plan will support the environmentally friendly socio-economic development of the Northwest Pacific region.
The meeting recommended presenting a revised roadmap for the development of the Regional Action Plan on Marine and Coastal Marine Biodiversity for approval to the 24th Intergovernmental Meeting of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan in early 2020. The second expert meeting on the Regional Action Plan on Marine and Coastal Marine Biodiversity will be held in September 2020 to finalize the Plan and ensure adoption by the Member States by the end of 2021, in line with resolutions of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan and Convention of Biological Diversity. (Writer: Ning Liu; Editor: Anna Manikowska D.G. Reviewer: Yegor Volovik)
