CSIRO, through its work with the NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub, is supporting Australia’s regional interests and the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biodiversity (SCBD) by helping to lay the groundwork for marine conservation in the South Pacific.

A team of CSIRO scientists helped to identify ecologically and biologically significant areas (EBSAs) of the Western South Pacific at a workshop hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Fiji last November. Marine Hub Principal Investigator Professor Nic Bax attended the workshop as a representative of the Global Oceans Biodiversity Initiative, of which CSIRO is a founding member.

In his welcoming address, director of the Division of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Stuart Chape, said that sustainable management in the south-west Pacific was particularly urgent in open ocean areas. These areas provide connectivity and habitat for key fishery species, and are migration corridors and habitats for threatened species such as turtles, marine mammals, sharks and birds: while ecologically still being one of the least known regions on the planet.

Dr Chape said the workshop was an important part of the process in implementing the Pacific Oceanscape Framework adopted by Pacific Island Leaders, and a positive example of utilising available scientific data to guide policy and management decision making. In preparation for the workshop, a data synthesis team led by Piers Dunstan of CSIRO worked for six months to prepare a comprehensive database for the region, and maps highlighting key oceanic features. The data compilation was based on the experience gained in supporting Australian marine bioregional planning through the Marine Biodiversity Hub.

Workshop participants made good use of the data from Hub partners Geoscience Australia and CSIRO, and associated international programs, including the Census of Marine Life. Provided data included physical oceanography, seafloor geology, and predicted distributions of cold water coral communities. Fisheries data were provided by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, seabird breeding and foraging areas were provided by BirdLife International, and the Oceans Biogeographic Information System outlined species diversity.

Experts from 13 member nations of the SPREP and nine international organisations identified 26 potential EBSAs in marine areas greater than 100m deep, in and outside of national jurisdiction. The workshop also identified an urgent need to facilitate capacity building in developing countries and fostered international partnerships and networks vital to enhancing  marine management and conservation in EBSAs.

CSIRO was funded by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities to support the SCBD in running this workshop and is now working with the SCBD to develop a similar workshop for the southern Indian Ocean. Ideally, this will  be held  together with a  UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) workshop to identify  Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs)  being developed by FAO to manage the impacts of high seas fishing, as from a scientific perspective EBSAs are defined similarly to the VMEs. The workshops provide a good example of how knowledge and expertise gained during Australia’s Marine Bioregional Planning can be used to assist regional partners developing improved environmental management.

Photos:
A comprehensive database and maps prepared by CSIRO assisted the identification of 26 potential ecologically and biologically significant areas in the Western South Pacific.

Experts from thirteen member nations of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and nine international organisations attended the Fiji workshop.

Related links:
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biodiversity (SCBD)