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This paper is presented for consideration by CCAMLR and may contain unpublished data, analyses, and/or conclusions subject to change. Data in this paper shall not be cited or used for purposes other than the work of the CAMLR Commission, Scientific Committee or their subsidiary bodies without the permission of the originators and/or owners of the data.

Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living ResourcesCommission pour la conservation de la faune et la flore marines de l’Antarctique

Комиссия по cохранению морских живых pесурсов АнтарктикиComisión para la Conservación de los Recursos Vivos Marinos Antárticos

CCAMLR-XXXVI/BG/25

16 September 2017

Original: English

A representative system of CCAMLR MPAs: taking stock and movingforward

Submitted by ASOC

1

A Representative System of CCAMLR MPAs: Taking Stock and Moving Forward

Submitted by ASOC1

Abstract

The adoption of the Ross Sea MPA in 2016 marked "the end of the beginning" of the CCAMLR MPA designation process started over a decade earlier. Additional MPAs will demonstrate that the Ross Sea MPA designation was not a one-off for CCAMLR, but rather one important step in establishing a representative system of MPAs in the Convention Area. This paper provides an overview of the progress made by CCAMLR toward establishing a representative system of MPAs in the Southern Ocean, including spatial gaps. To achieve further progress on MPAs, Members should adopt a pragmatic approach that prioritises meeting the ecosystem protection, scientific and climate change objectives of CM 91-04, and also realises the potential of MPAs to enhance science and governance in Antarctica, including with respect to implementing the objectives of Article II (iii) of the CAMLR Convention.

Overview

For over a decade the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has been discussing the adoption of a representative system of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the CAMLR Convention Area.2 This is one of the most significant issues discussed by Antarctic Treaty System bodies in recent years.

In 2009 CCAMLR set itself the target of 2012 to achieve a representative system of MPAs within the Convention Area.3 Concurrently, CCAMLR adopted the South Orkney Islands Southern Shelf MPA (SOISSMPA) (CM 91-03, 2009), the first high seas MPA worldwide, and subsequently in 2011 a General Framework for the Establishment of CCAMLR MPAs (CM 91-04, 2011).

CM 91-04 establishes six objectives concerning the protection of representative or otherwise significant marine ecosystem areas and features of various kinds (objectives i-ii and iv-v); the establishment of scientific reference areas for monitoring natural variability or the effects of harvesting (iii), and the protection of areas for maintaining resilience or the ability to adapt to the effects of climate change (vi).

After earlier progress by CCAMLR toward establishing an MPA network, two proposals for MPAs in Domain 7 (Eastern Antarctica) and Domain 8 (Ross Sea) were in virtual gridlock from 2012. This ended in October 2016 when CCAMLR reached consensus on the adoption of the Ross Sea region marine protected area (RSRMPA) (CM 91-05, 2016), which will come into force on December 1st 2017.

This paper provides an overview of the progress made by CCAMLR toward establishing a representative system of MPAs in the Southern Ocean, primarily in the area south of 60 degrees south where the adoption of MPAs requires consensus within CCAMLR. The paper makes some practical recommendations to advance this process.

1Lead authors Dr. Ricardo Roura and Claire Christian with contributions from Chris Johnson, Rob Nicoll, Mike Walker, Barry Weeber, Dr. Rodolfo Werner and Bob Zuur. 2This document refers to the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources as "CAMLR Convention" or "Convention" and to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources as "CCAMLR" or "Commission". 3 CCAMLR XXVIII (2009) paragraph 7.19 "The Commission endorsed the milestones agreed by the Scientific Committee to guide its work towards the achievement of a representative system of MPAs within the Convention Area by 2012 (SC-CAMLR-XXVIII, paragraph 3.27)." CCAMLR XXVIII (2009). 7.19, p23.

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Taking stock...

As part of a systematic conservation planning strategy by CCAMLR and related bodies, in 2011 the Convention Area was divided into nine planning domains. Activities supporting the development of further MPAs in the Convention Area are ongoing in most Domains.4

MPAs have already been adopted in Domain 8 (RSRMPA) and parts of Domain 1 (SOISSMPA). In addition to the SOISSMPA, MPA development is advanced in parts of Domain 1 (Antarctic Peninsula) with scientific work led by Argentina and Chile and contributions from other Member states.

There are advanced MPA proposals for Domain 7 (East Antarctica MPA, submitted by Australia, France and the European Union and its member states) and for Domain 3 and parts of Domain 4 (Weddell Sea region MPA, also proposed by the European Union and member states under German leadership). Draft Conservation Measures for these proposals have been under discussion since 2012 and 2016, respectively.

While there has been substantial activity in most domains, some gaps remain. South of 60 degrees south, there are no MPA proposals under development in Domain 9 (88.2B-H and parts of 88.3). Data availability for this area was compiled during the 2012 Circumpolar Gap Analysis, but to ASOC's knowledge this has not been taken further to the early stages of developing a MPA proposal. The area is of interest as it includes some of the greatest melting in Antarctica (such as the Pine Island Bay/Thwaites ice tongue and the Amundsen Sea polynya region). Also, some Members are looking at expanding exploratory fishing to 88.3 and there is great uncertainty over the relationship of toothfish found in this area with the Ross Sea fishery.

Other parts of the Antarctic Treaty Area not included in MPA proposals under consideration include the southern part of Domain 1 (48.1), the south-eastern part of Domain 4 (48.6), and southern parts of Domains 5 (58.4.4a and 58.4.4b), and 6 (58.4.3a and 58.4.3b). Of note also are parts of Domain 7 that were initially included in the EARSMPA proposal and have since been set aside.

As a whole, CCAMLR has done a significant amount of work to advance its 2009 promise, and although it missed its 2012 self-imposed target it has made important progress in some planning domains. Now CCAMLR needs to maintain the momentum to be able to complete this work within a reasonable time frame. This includes adopting well-developed MPA proposals currently under discussion, completing work on other proposals, and filling the gaps that exist in various domains. We contend that by 2020 the basic architecture of the MPA network should be completed, at least within the Antarctic Treaty Area.

MPAs should add conservation value to, and be in harmony with, other existing and future conservation measures applicable to each domain. No-take areas have been found to be an essential component of successful MPAs,5 and thus ASOC hopes that future proposals will also include large no-take areas when adopted. Also, ASOC hopes that the MPAs will be in place indefinitely to ensure meeting conservation objectives.

...and moving forward

To achieve further progress on MPAs, we suggest that CCAMLR should adopt an outcome-oriented approach that prioritises meeting the ecosystem protection, scientific and climate change objectives of CM 91-04, and also realise the potential of MPAs to enhance science and governance in Antarctica. This includes the role of MPAs with respect to implementing the objectives of Art. II (iii) of the CAMLR Convention.

4SC-CAMLR XXXV, 2016, Table 9. 5 Edgar, G. J., Stuart-Smith, R. D., Willis, T. J., Kininmonth, S., Baker, S. C., Banks, S., … Thomson, R. J. (2014). “Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features”. Nature, 506(7487), 216–220. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13022.

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Enhancing Antarctic science and governance through MPAs6

MPAs should be used purposefully to enhance science and governance, as well as marine conservation. Under the Convention's Art. II (iii) there are strict criteria for allowing "any harvesting and associated activities" in the CAMLR Convention area to ensure the well-being of both fished species and the ecosystem. Protected areas can help provide the scientific information necessary for CCAMLR to ensure that these objectives are being met.

This is in line with current scientific thinking. The 2014 SCAR Horizon Scan recently identified a number of priority questions for Antarctic research.7 These were grouped into six themes.8 With respect to recognizing and mitigating human influences, the Horizon Scan’s authors explained,

“Forecasts of human activities and their impacts on the region are required for effective Antarctic governance and regulation. Natural and human impacts at different scales must be disentangled. How effective are current regulations in controlling access and the use of marine living resources? How do global policies affect people's motivations to visit the region? How will humans and pathogens affect and adapt to Antarctic environments? What is the current and potential value of Antarctic ecosystem services and how can they be preserved?”

Strengthened environmental protection, including MPAs with no take zones and reference areas, can help to answer these and related questions. We suggest that the MPA process is also used as an opportunity to assess the state of knowledge in various planning domains (notwithstanding work already done in this regard), and the effectiveness of current regulations in controlling access to and use of marine living organisms.

For instance, a structured review of literature applicable to proposed MPAs and related domains could be conducted by interested Members or SC-CAMLR, using defined methods and parameters to analyse relevant evidence (which can be done in different ways with different degrees of complexity and sources). This type of review may help to highlight gaps in knowledge that MPAs will help to fill, and generally to design and bring into focus, and research and monitoring plans for current and proposed MPAs.

Promoting CCAMLR's ownership of MPAs

Different CCAMLR Members tend to operate in specific parts of the Convention Area, and generally the process of proposing MPAs reflects this engagement. However, all Members have a stake in the MPA process, and once adopted MPAs belong to CCAMLR, a point that has been made repeatedly during MPA discussions of the past several years.

Usual venues for Members' participation in MPAs include dedicated workshops and periodic reviews, but there are complementary approaches. For instance, in the case of the Weddell Sea MPA, the proponents have offered to involve other Members' scientists to research expeditions in the area, by offering a number of berths in the research cruises organised by Germany that will take place to support the MPA.9 In the case of the Antarctic Peninsula MPA, a multinational Expert Group has been proposed by the Members leading in the development of the MPA proposal (Argentina and Chile) to engage all interested Members in the discussion and development of a research and monitoring plan.10

6 Based on: Claire Christian and Ricardo Roura, "Protected areas: Enhancing science and Antarctic governance," (oral presentation), In: Anton Van de Putte (Ed.). 2017. Book of abstracts: XIIth SCAR Biology Symposium. Leuven, Belgium, 10-14 July 2017. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), Cambridge, United Kingdom. 512 pp., p. 438. 7Mahlon C Kennicutt et al., “Polar Research: Six Priorities for Antarctic Science.,” Nature 512, no. 7512 (2014): 23–25, doi:10.1038/512023a. 8The six SCAR Horizon Scan themes are: define the global reach of the Antarctic atmosphere and Southern Ocean; understand how, where and why ice sheets lose mass; reveal Antarctica's history; learn how Antarctic life evolved and survived; observe space and the universe; recognize and mitigate human influences. 9CCAMLR-XXXV/18, Appendix 2. 10SC-CAMLR-XXXVI/19.

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In the broader context of the Antarctic Treaty System, most of the active Antarctic Specially Managed Areas (ASMAs) designated under Annex V of the Protocol have an "ASMA management group" that includes Antarctic Treaty Parties active, or interested, in the area. Observes and experts such as the tourism industry and eNGOs are involved too. These groups perform a number of functions such as:11 to facilitate and ensure effective communication among those active in the area; to provide a forum to resolve any actual or potential conflicts in use; to maintain a record of activities and, where practical, impacts in the area; to develop strategies to detect and address cumulative impacts; to review past, existing, and future activities and evaluate the effectiveness of management measures; and to make recommendations on the implementation of the Management Plan.

Typically the members meet annually and communicate regularly. ASMA management groups are essentially informal, and each Party retains full control of its own implementation of the ASMA management plans, which are adopted or modified by the ATCM.

Based on the examples above, we recommend that CCAMLR create "MPA management groups" or informal fora that provide regular opportunities for interested Members to contribute to the design or implementation of MPAs and their research and monitoring plans. These would facilitate the usual work of CCAMLR and its working groups as well as the practical implementation of MPAs. Other practical initiatives to facilitate the involvement of Members would also be useful. We contend that the more and the earlier that these opportunities are open to Members, and the more Members commit to taking advantage of them, the more efficient MPA discussions will be and the quicker MPAs would be adopted.

Closing remarks

The adoption of the Ross Sea MPA in 2016 marked "the end of the beginning" of the CCAMLR MPA designation process started over a decade earlier. Additional MPAs will demonstrate that the Ross Sea MPA designation was not a one-off for CCAMLR, but rather one important step toward the establishment and consolidation of a representative system of MPAs in the Convention Area.

However, any MPA should be designed and implemented to provide tangible conservation benefits to marine living organisms - such as incorporating no-take zones and long-term duration - in accordance to the ecosystem protection, scientific and climate change objectives of CM 91-04.

Recommendations

We recommend CCAMLR and/or its Members:

• Suggest practical mechanisms that encourage international participation in the design, research and monitoring, and management of MPAs, including the establishment of "MPA management groups", and interested Members make use of these opportunities.

• Conduct a structured review of literature applicable to proposed MPAs and/or related domains, using defined methods and parameters to analyse relevant evidence. This review may help to assess conservation needs, gaps in knowledge, compliance with Art. II (iii) in particular areas, and generally to design and bring into focus research and monitoring plans for current or proposed MPAs.

11 See for instance: McMurdo Dry Valleys (http://www.mcmurdodryvalleys.aq/management/management-group).