European Union Overseas Coastal and Marine Protected Areas Overview of coastal and marine conservation efforts in the European Union’s Overseas Countries and Territories and Outermost Regions Carole Martinez, Sylvie Rockel, Caroline Vieux IUCN GLOBAL MARINE AND POLAR PROGRAMME European Union Overseas Coastal and Marine Protected Areas Overview of coastal and marine conservation efforts in the European Union’s Overseas Countries and Territories and Outermost Regions Carole Martinez, Sylvie Rockel, Caroline Vieux This publication has been made possible by funding from the French Development Agency (AFD). The designation of geographical entities in this document and the presentation of the materials do neither imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2017 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Martinez, C., Rockel, S., Vieux, C. European Overseas coastal and marine protected areas - overview of coastal and marine conservation efforts in the European Union’s Overseas Countries and Territories and Outermost Regions (2017). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN, xxvii + 182 pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1866-8 DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.CH.2017.13.en Cover photos: 1 Kids looking at leatherback turtle on French Guiana’s beach © WWF, photo by Thierry Montford 2 Reefs in the British Indian Ocean Territory © Rohan Holt 1 4 7 2 5 8 3 Humpback whale in the North Atlantic © Joël Detcheverry 3 6 9 4 Sustainable tourism at Fakarava Man and Biosphere reserve, French Polynesia © Carole Martinez 5 Fisherwomen in Mayotte © Agnes Poiret 6 Kelp in the South Atlantic waters © Falkland Islands SMSG 7 Adélie penguins in the Antarctic © TAAF, photo by Nelly Gravier 8 Rays and sharks in the shallow waters of French Polynesia © Lauric Thiault 9 Mangrove conservation work in St Martin © Romain Renoux Back cover photos: 10 Traditional fishermen in French Polynesia © Carole Martinez 11 Angel shark in the Canary Islands © Carlos Suarez 12 Walrus in the Arctic © Florian Ledoux Layout by: Imre Sebestyén jr. / UNITgraphics.com GIS and cartography: Michael Vollmar (IUCN) Available from: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Regional Seas and European Union Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories Programme www.iucn.org/euoverseas www.iucn.org/resources/publications This report presents information available until August 2017. The authors of this report are aware that information on this topic changes quickly and the complexity of the issues and diversity of situations can never be fully reflected in an overview report. About IUCN IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, is a membership Union composed of both governments and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development. Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being. www.iucn.org http://twitter.com/IUCN/ Have your say Join email/web-based Europe Overseas Forum to advance biodiversity and climate change action in Europe overseas entities and their regions. You can share knowledge, experiences, news and updates, ask questions and exchange opinions. www.iucn.org/euoverseas http://www.iucn.org/euoverseas EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword vi Acknowledgements vii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations viii Useful definitions and how to use the data in this report x Executive Summary xv Introduction 1 1 Current status ofmarine and coastal conservation efforts 14 1 1 Amazonian region 17 1 2 Caribbean region 24 1 3 Arctic and subarctic region 41 1 4 North Atlantic region 49 1 4 1 Sargasso Sea region 52 1 4 2 Macaronesian region 58 1 5 South Atlantic region 68 1 6 Antarctic and Subantarctic region 75 1 7 Indian Ocean region 85 1 8 Pacific region 92 2 Governance of EU Overseas MPAs 101 3 Representativeness of current EU Overseas MPAs and MPA networks 104 3 1 What can be called a network? 104 3 2 Are existing EU Overseas MPAs and MPA networks representative? 107 3 3 Learning and MPA management support networks 117 4 EU Overseas MPAs and MPA networks in the face of climate change 120 4 1 EU Overseas at the frontline of climate change 120 4 2 Resilience to be better integrated in EU Overseas MPAs & MPA networks 131 5 Marine Invasive Species 136 5 1 The threat of invasive lionfish in the Caribbean waters 136 5 2 Other marine invasive species in the EU Overseas 138 iv European Union Overseas Coastal and Marine Protected Areas EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6 EU Overseas progress towards achieving international marine conservation objectives 140 6 1 Aichi targets 141 6 2 Programme of Work on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity 144 Conclusion & Recommendations 146 References 151 Annexes 157 Annex 1: Marine and coastal protected areas in the EU Overseas Amazonian region 157 Annex 2: Marine and coastal protected areas in the EU Overseas Caribbean region 158 Annex 3: Marine and coastal protected areas in the EU Overseas Arctic and subarctic region 163 Annex 4: Marine and coastal protected areas in the EU Overseas North Atlantic region 164 Annex 6: Marine and coastal protected areas in the EU Overseas Antarctic and Subantarctic region 171 Annex 7: Marine and coastal protected areas in the EU Overseas Indian Ocean region 172 Annex 8: Marine and coastal protected areas in the EU Overseas Pacific region 174 Annex 9: Assessment of EU Overseas MPAs and MPA networks 179 v European Union Overseas Coastal and Marine Protected Areas FOREWORD FOREWORD Far-flung yet closely linked to Europe, the EU The important contribution of the EU Overseas to- Overseas are often overlooked at the Europe- wards Europe’s obligations under the Convention an, regional and global levels and seldom suf- on Biological Diversity (CBD) Aichi Targets and ficiently acknowledged as key players in global Sustainable Development Goal 14 of protecting marine conservation Yet sit for a moment and 10% of its marine areas needs to be better ac- locate these 34 entities on a map - scattered knowledged along with the significant role they across our entire planet’s oceans - and you can can play in Europe’s agenda for better ocean start to comprehend their strategic importance governance Add the fact that their combined marine area is the largest in the world and their full significance Taking account of their geographical spread, becomes apparent the EU Overseas represent key partners at the regional and global level Recognising that ef- In recent years efforts to protect the marine and fective protection of the vast marine environment coastal environment have gained significant mo- can only be achieved through an interconnect- mentum as the urgency of the threats becomes ed system and not one separated by political increasingly clear and there is growing political boundaries Collaborative approaches and plan- awareness of the multiple benefits that marine ning are required to ensure connectivity within protected areas (MPAs) can deliver This has led operational, well-managed networks of marine to a proliferation of ambitious new MPA declara- protected areas to ensure the resilience of the tions Nowhere is this ambition more clearly evi- ecosystems they protect dent than in the EU Overseas Recognizing that a healthy marine environment is fundamental for The achievements of the EU Overseas should their economies, particularly the fisheries and rightly be praised and used to encourage further tourism sector, and the well-being of their citi- action as well as being an inspiration to others zens, collectively they protect more than 30% of EU Overseas are in many ways global marine their marine area including a number of the larg- leaders in this field and this report helps to put est MPAs in the world However, the EU Overseas this on the map I am proud that IUCN’s work has are largely missing in the global debate and pre- contributed to the promotion of the EU Overseas vious assessments