CBD Distr. GENERAL UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/14/INF/10 29 April 2010 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH SUBSIDIARY BODY ON SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE Fourteenth meeting Nairobi, 10-21 May 2010 Item 3.1.3 of the provisional agenda * GLOBAL OPEN OCEANS AND DEEP SEABED (GOODS) - BIOGEOGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION Note by the Executive Secretary 1. The Executive Secretary is circulating herewith, for the information of participants in the fourteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, IOC Technical Series No.84 on Global Open Oceans and Deep Seabed (GOODS) - Biogeographic Classification, submitted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, pursuant to paragraph 6of decision IX/20. 2. This report was also considered by the CBD Expert Workshop on Scientific and Technical Guidance on the Use of Biogeographic Classification Systems and Identification of Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction in Need of Protection, held in Ottawa, from 29 September to 2 October 2009. 3. The document is circulated in the form and language in which it was received by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. * UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/14/1 /... In order to minimize the environmental impacts of the Secretariat’s processes, and to contribute to the Secretary-General’s initiative f or a C-Neutral UN, this document is printed in limited numbers. Delegates are kindly requested to bring their copies to meetings and not to request additional copies. Global Open Oceans and Deep Seabed (GOODS) biogeographic classification Global Open Oceans and Deep Seabed (GOODS) biogeographic classification Edited by: Marjo Vierros (UNU-IAS), Ian Cresswell (Australia), Elva Escobar Briones (Mexico), Jake Rice (Canada), and Jeff Ardron (Germany) UNESCO 2009 goods inside 2.indd 1 24/03/09 14:55:52 Global Open Oceans and Deep Seabed (GOODS) biogeographic classification Authors Contributors Vera N. Agostini (USA) (Conceptual issues, pelagic systems) Eddy Carmack (Canada), Wolfgang Dinter (Germany), Robert Y. George Salvatore Arico (UNESCO) (Implications for policy, gaps in scientific (USA), Susie Grant (United Kingdom), Tony Koslow (USA), Vladimir knowledge and further research needed) E. Kostylev (Canada), Leanne C. Mason (United Kingdom), Luis Medrano Elva Escobar Briones (Mexico) (Background, introduction, gaps in (Mexico), Tina N. Molodtsova (Russia), Carlos Mortera-Gutiérrez (Mexico), scientific knowledge and further research needed, benthic systems) Elliott Norse (USA), David Salas de León (Mexico), Ricardo Serrão Santos Malcolm Clark (New Zealand) (Benthic systems) (Portugal), George Shillinger (USA), Craig R. Smith (USA), Elizabeth Tyler Ian Cresswell (Australia) (Gaps in scientific knowledge and further (UNEP-WCMC), Cindy Lee Van Dover (USA) research needed, background, introduction) Kristina Gjerde (IUCN) (Implications for policy) Citation Susie Grant (UK) (Pelagic systems) UNESCO. 2009. Global Open Oceans and Deep Seabed (GOODS) – Biogeo- Deborah J.A. Niewijk (USA) (Review of deep sea benthic biogeography) graphic Classification. Paris, UNESCO-IOC. (IOC Technical Series, 84.) Arianna Polacheck (Australia) (Maps) Jake Rice (Canada) (Conceptual issues, pelagic systems, strategy for nesting with other existing classification systems) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS John Roff (Canada) (Conceptual issues – lead author) Steering Committee: Salvatore Arico, Julian Barbiere, Malcolm Clark, Kathryn M. Scanlon (USA) (Benthic classification, maps) Ian Cresswell, Elva Escobar, Kristina Gjerde, and Jake Rice. Craig Smith (USA) (Benthic systems) Mark Spalding (United Kingdom) (Pelagic systems – lead author, The sponsorship of: strategy for nesting with other existing classification systems) The Australian Government through the Australian Department of the Ellyn Tong (USA) (Maps) Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts; Marjo Vierros (UNU-IAS) (Background, introduction) The Canadian Government through Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Les Watling (USA) (Benthic systems – lead author, maps) Fisheries and Oceans Canada; The JM Kaplan Fund; Editors Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM); Marjo Vierros (UNU-IAS), Ian Cresswell (Australia), Elva Escobar Briones Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (Mexico), Jake Rice (Canada), and Jeff Ardron (Germany) (CONABIO); The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO’s Division on Ecological and Earth Sciences; (IOC/2009/TS/84) The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). ii goods inside 2.indd 2 26/03/09 14:52:14 Global Open Oceans and Deep Seabed (GOODS) biogeographic classification The sponsorship for the advancement and conclusion of the report: Dedication German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Ministry for the Environ- Dedicated to the memory of our colleague and dear friend, Wolfgang ment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Dinter, 1962-2008. Valuable advice and support from: Disclaimer Veronica Aguilar and Mariana Bellot CONABIO; The designation of geographical entities in this report and the presenta- Adolfo Gracia Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología UNAM; tion of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatso- Porfirio Alvarez, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of ever on the part of authors, sponsors or associated organizations concern- Mexico (SEMARNAT); ing the legal status of any country, territory or area, or of its authorities, Daniella Sánchez Mercado, UNAM; or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Any views Conn Nugent, JM Kaplan Fund. expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsors or associated organizations. The workshop participants (see Annex F) The reviewers of the GOODS biogeographic classification report: Brad Barr, NOAA, USA; Andrew Constable, Australian Antarctic Division & University of Tasmania; Peter Harris, Geoscience Australia; Kelly Milton (on behalf of the Government of the USA); Vincent Lyne, CSIRO, Australia; Page Valentine, NOAA, USA. iii goods inside 2.indd 3 24/03/09 14:55:57 Global Open Oceans and Deep Seabed (GOODS) biogeographic classification foreword The draft version of the present report was initially presented COP decision IX/20 took note of the revised document, and to the 13th meeting of the CBD Subsidiary Body on Scientific, requested the Executive Secretary to make it available for This report presents a biogeo- Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) in February 2008 information at a future meeting of the SBSTTA prior to the graphic classification for global as information document UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/13/1NF/19. In tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. open ocean and deep sea areas the resulting recommendation XIII/3, SBSTTA took note of (GOODS). It has been compiled the draft report; encouraged Parties to contribute to its peer- Many governments in several policy fora have requested by an international expert group review; and requested the Executive Secretary to make avail- this biogeographic classification to assist their governments initiated at a workshop held in able the report for the information of participants in the ninth in further identifying ways to safeguard marine biodiversity Mexico City, Mexico, in January meeting of the Conference of the Parties. in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction and in support 2007, and is based on the input of ocean management measures, including marine pro- of many scientists and manag- The report was also presented to the second meeting of tected areas. This biogeographic classification can provide ers. It has been made available the UN Working Group (New York, 28 April – 2 May 2008) a planning tool to assimilate multiple layers of information to meetings of the Convention both in the form of a scientific presentation given to the and extrapolation of existing data into large “bioregions” on Biological Diversity and the plenary and a side event dedicated to the GOODS biogeo- or provinces (assemblages of flora, fauna and the support- UN Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal graphic classification. The progress made was noted in the ing environmental factors contained within distinct but Working Group to study issues outcomes of the Working Group meeting and several del- dynamic spatial boundaries). egations suggested the need for further work on the use relating to the conservation and of biogeographical classification in respect of areas beyond It should be noted that the boundaries of the biogeo- sustainable use of marine bio- national jurisdiction. graphic classification could be further refined as improved logical diversity beyond areas data, particularly biological data, become available. How- of national jurisdiction (the UN In accordance with the request of SBSTTA, a revised ver- ever, the major open ocean pelagic and deep sea benthic Working Group). sion of the report incorporating peer review comments zones presented in this report are considered a reasonable received from CBD Parties and other governments, scien- basis for progressing efforts towards the conservation and tific experts associated with various research institutions, sustainable use of biodiversity in marine areas beyond the and participants at the second meeting of the UN Working limits of national jurisdiction in line with a precautionary Group, was presented to the ninth meeting of the Confer- approach. ence of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity in May 2008 as information document UNEP/ It is hoped that the document