20 February 2012: The Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) has announced that, following the approval by the Standing Committee of the draft resolutions for consideration by the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP 11), the Secretariat is finalizing and translating the draft resolutions into the three Convention languages (English, French and Spanish).
17 February 2012: The Josephine Seamount, located in the Horse-shoe Seamount Group of the Atlantic Ocean, has been added to the prototype online repository that scientifically describes ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
February 2012: The European Commission's Environment Directorate-General has released new pages on its website on the marine environment and coasts, with links to information on the EU's coastal and marine policies, good environmental status and international cooperation through Regional Seas Conventions.
20 February 2012: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has released the Global Environment Outlook-5 (GEO-5) Summary for Policy Makers, which was negotiated and endorsed by governments on 31 January 2012. The summary was released as a prelude to the full report, which will be released in June, in advance of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
9 February 2012: The Secretariat of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Commonwealth Secretariat co-hosted a workshop to launch a public dialogue on formulating an OECS common ocean management policy framework.
The first session of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) in charge of advising member countries in the implementation of the Protocol on Marine Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol) will take place in Aruba. The LBS Protocol is one of several to the Cartagena Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR). Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, France, Guyana, Panama, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US are Parties to the Protocol. The UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU) provides the secretariat services for the Convention, its Protocols and its associated bodies such as the STAC. The first session of the STAC will discuss, inter alia: emerging pollution issues for the WCR; state of the WCR coastal and marine environment; implementation of the LBS Protocol; and new projects/needs.
The International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise (IDBHP) aims to promote public support through various events and exhibitions at museums and scientific institutions around the Baltic Sea riparian states. The aim is that IDBHP will be observed by at least one notable institution in every country around the Baltic Sea. The IDBHP offers an opportunity to highlight the critical status of the Baltic population of the harbour porpoise and the threats to its survival.
Organized jointly by ASCOBANS, the Mediterranean sister-Agreement ACCOBAMS and the European Cetacean Society (ECS), this workshop on the “EU Habitats Directive and its implementation in relation to cetaceans” will review the implementation of the Habitats Directive and discuss ways to address some of its challenges. The workshop will focus on the legal framework and consider methods for assessing favourable conservation status of cetaceans, progress with the establishment of the Natura 2000 protected area network, and implementation of strict protection measures throughout EU waters.
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (CMS/ASCOBANS) Advisory Committee will address, inter alia: priorities in the implementation of the Triennium Work Plan (2010-2012); the Baltic Recovery Plan (Jastarnia Plan); the Report and Recommendations of the 8th Meeting of the Jastarnia Group; Coverage of the Western Baltic, Inner Danish Waters and Kattegat/Skagerrak Area; and the Conservation Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea.
7 February 2012: A first-ever eco-audit of the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) system off the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico has found that, despite some positive steps, much more needs to be done to protect Latin America's largest reef system.
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