WCMC Biodiversity Series No. 4 The Diversity of the Seas: a regional approach by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre Editors B. Groombridge and M.D. Jenkins World Conservation Press December 1996 Prepared and published by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre with funding from the United Nations Environment Programme, IUCN - The World Conservation Union, and the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee, within the funding arrangements made by IUCN, WWF and UNEP in support of the Centre. This support is gratefully acknowledged. The World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), based in Cambridge, UK is a joint-venture between the three partners in the World Conservation Strategy and its successor Caring For The Earth: IUCN - The World Conservation Union, UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme, and WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature. The Centre provides information services on the conservation and sustainable use of living resources and helps others to develop information systems of their own. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established in 1972 on the basis of the UN Conference on the Environment: The Stockholm Conference. UNEP's role is that of a secretariat within the United Nations which has been charged with the responsibility of working with governments to promote environmentally sound forms of development, and to co-ordinate global action for development without destruction of the environment. Significant information programmes coordinated by UNEP include EARTHWATCH, the Environment Assessment Programme (ERS), the International Environment Information System (INFOTERRA), and the International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals (IRPTC). Published by: World Conservation Press, Cambridge, UK. ISBN: 1 - 899628 - 03 - 7 Copyright: (1996) World Conservation Monitoring Centre Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior permission from the copyright holder. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purpose is prohibited without the prior written permission of the copyright holders. The designations of geographical entities in this report and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WCMC or UNEP or other participating organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Citation:World Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1996. The Diversity of the Seas: a regional approach. Groombridge, B. and Jenkins, M.D. (Eds), World Conservation Press, Cambridge, UK. 132pp. Cover Design: Michael Edwards Printed by: Staples Printers Rochester. A member of the Martins Printing Group Available from: IUCN Publications Services Unit, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, UK. Tel : +44 1223 277314 Fax: +44 1223 277136 e-mail - [email protected] The Diversity of the Seas: a regional approach CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 MARINE BIODIVERSITY 3 THE MARINE BIOSPHERE 3 DIVERSITY IN THE SEAS 6 PRESSURES ON MARINE RESOURCES 14 REGIONAL ACCOUNTS 28 REVIEW OF REGIONAL DATA 28 NOTES & SOURCES 32 Black Sea 35 Mediterranean 39 North Atlantic 43 Caribbean 51 Southwest Atlantic 57 West & Central Africa 61 South Africa 67 East Africa 71 Red Sea & Gulf of Aden 75 Kuwait 79 South Asia 81 East Asian Seas 85 Northwest Pacific 89 Northeast Pacific 95 Southeast Pacific 101 South Pacific 105 Southwest Australia 111 Antarctica 115 Arctic 119 ANNEX I. The rôle of UNEP in Conservation of Marine Biodiversity 121 ANNEX II. FAO fishery areas 125 ANNEX III. Acronyms 127 REFERENCES 129 i This document This report has its origin in a compilation of country-level coastal and marine biodiversity data prepared under contract to UNEP in 1995. The structure of the material was revised in late 1995 to give an overview of biodiversity in sea areas covered by the UNEP Regional Seas programme. New information was added in 1996, and additional support to allow the document to be completed in its present format was provided by IUCN, the UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and WCMC. Acknowledgements WCMC is very grateful to a number of collaborators, especially the following: Monica Borobia for providing information on marine biodiversity activities of UNEP Water Branch (including the former Oceans and Coastal Areas/Programme Activity Centre or OCA/PAC) and for continuing commitment to this project, and to Ian Dight of the Water Branch for review comments. Kenneth Sherman of NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service for encouragement, providing information on Large Marine Ecosystems, and suggesting several improvements to the draft text. Magnus Ngoile, Coordinator, Marine and Coastal Programme at IUCN - The World Conservation Union, for interest and support. Clare Eno, UK Joint Nature Conservation Committee, for helpful review comments. Particular thanks to Alessandra Vanzella-Khouri (UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme, Regional Coordinating Unit) and Sue Miller (South Pacific Regional Environment Programme) for valuable review; thanks also to Jack Sobel (Centre for Marine Conservation, Washington D.C.) for remarks on an early draft, and to Teresa Mulliken (TRAFFIC International) for kindly allowing access to documentation on fisheries. While the above have contributed to this document in various ways, they do not necessarily endorse its content, for which WCMC is responsible. Credits Project concept: Richard Luxmoore (WCMC) and Monica Borobia (UNEP). Project team: Angela Barden, Neil Cox, Belinda Gray, Brian Groombridge, Martin Jenkins, Tim Johnson, Julie Reay (Production), Jamie Tratalos. Maps 1-3: Simon Blyth. Other assistance: Ian Barnes, Esther Byford, Rachel Cook, Mary Cordiner, Jeremy Eade, Rosalie Gardiner, Jonathan Rhind, Tim Inskipp, Richard Peck, Mark Spalding, Jo Taylor. ii INTRODUCTION Purpose The marine component of biological diversity is of immense importance to humankind. Despite this, information on the status of marine living resources and ecosystems remains much less complete, or less readily available, than that for terrestrial ecosystems. Clearly there is a need for far more attention to be paid to marine systems in order to improve our current state of knowledge; indeed this issue has been given explicit emphasis by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Second Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD identified the need for a comprehensive ecosystem- based approach to marine and coastal biodiversity (Annex II to decision II/10) (CBD, 1996). We seek here to present information in a format that begins to meet the need for an integrated approach as identified by the CBD, and which is capable of modification or further elaboration as appropriate. It is not the purpose of this document to review systematically the principal issues involved in conservation and management of marine biodiversity. Several such reviews exist, among them: Committee on Biological Diversity in Marine Systems (CBDMS) (1995), Norse (1993), Thorne-Miller and Catena (1991). Numerous research, planning and management activities are currently being developed in relation to the focus provided by the CBD, its Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and the International Waters portfolio of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Contents The major part of this document consists of a region by region presentation of information on different themes central to marine biodiversity management. The regional framework adopted is based on the UNEP Regional Seas programme (see Annex I). Within each regional setting we have assembled information on Large Marine Ecosystems, biodiversity and fisheries issues. Please consult Notes and Sources (p 32) for details of information quality and sources. In further developing this approach it will be desirable to integrate these classes of information more explicitly and more fully, and to consider additional data sets, eg. coastal settlement patterns, cultural factors, non-fishery use of marine resources, other elements of biodiversity, and so on. The regional material is prefaced by a brief introduction in which key aspects of marine biodiversity are outlined and information on forces for change presented. Coverage Map 1 shows the approximate geographic area covered by each Regional Seas agreement (note that this is not an official UNEP representation of these areas and it implies no expression of opinion in respect of national boundaries). The map distinguishes those regions to which a formal Convention applies from those covered by an Action Plan (or where such a plan is under discussion). The exact geographic coverage of each Regional Seas area is not precisely delineated. The map is based on the assumption that Regional Seas in general extend to the limit of the maritime boundary of each state concerned. There remains a number of countries or regions that either are not associated with a UNEP Regional Sea or have parts of the coast thus associated, but not all parts (eg. Australia). Such areas have been here defined as 'regions' for the purposes of this document, and are also indicated on the map. The regions so defined are: North Atlantic, South Africa, Northeast Pacific, Southwest Australia. The map does not 1 The Diversity of the Seas represent the Arctic and Antarctic regions used herein and which also are not formally part of the Regional Seas programme. 2 MARINE BIODIVERSITY THE MARINE BIOSPHERE Oceans cover 71% of the world's