OSPAR end of year news 2018

The approach of the New Year is the moment when, by tradition, we feel the need to reconsider life’s priorities and define future plans.

For OSPAR this deep reflection started already in 2018, with work to address guidelines for a new North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy after 2020. Well aware that the future must learn from the past, OSPAR also put the focus on the assessment of progress against common goals, which is an equally important strand of work to deliver in 2019.

The coherent definition of our collective plans, especially taking into account the ambitious OSPAR agenda and deliverables in the run-up to 2020, has involved the entire organisation whilst requiring additional efforts and work from all OSPAR’s subsidiary bodies.

Although considerable work is to continue throughout a very busy 2019, one thing we can be certain of: The internal challenges that the new year will bring, in conjunction with the international agenda on ocean governance, will allow OSPAR to show itself to be a regional cooperation mechanism taking effective action on the protection and sustainability of the North-East Atlantic.

We look forward to this productive work!

Susana Salvador

Executive Secretary

Marine Strategy Framework Directive 7th meeting of the Technical Group on Marine Data

A busy 2 days of presentations on WISE-Marine developments, New INSPIRE geoportal, Marine Reporting Units and discussions on joining the regional catalogues with the European geoportal

OSPAR meets in Norway to discuss noise

OSPAR's group of underwater noise experts met in Norway on 29-30 November

Monitoring and assessing the state of marine biodiversity

Experts on monitoring the marine environment and assessing the status of biodiversity in the North East Atlantic came together in Madrid, Spain 27-29 November 2018.

Human activities strategy group

OSPAR's Environmental Impact of Human Activities strategy group meet in Madrid

Working Group on Monitoring and on Trends and Effects of Substances in the Marine Environment (MIME)

OSPAR's Working Group on Monitoring and on Trends and Effects of Substances in the Marine Environment (MIME) meets in Copenhagen

Capacity Building in Ghana

The OSPAR Secretariat, the IMO Office for the London Convention and Protocol & Ocean Affairs, Norway’s Oil for Development Programme and the Abidjan Convention Secretariat held a Joint Regional Capacity Building Workshop in Ghana, Africa, to support implementation of the London Protocol and development of the Abidjan Convention Offshore Protocol.

North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission

The close ties and good collaboration between OSPAR and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) was again highlighted during the NEAFC Annual Meeting 13-16 November 2018.

OSPAR discusses marine litter in Edinburgh

OSPAR's marine litter group met in Edinburgh from 12-14 November 2018

OSPAR and the Cartagena Convention

The Secretariat reported to OSPAR 18 on the voluntary commitment with the Cartagena Convention registered at the Ocean Conference (#oceanaction number 17198), June 2017.

BONUS-HELCOM Conference 2018

The “Joint BONUS-HELCOM Conference 2018: research and innovation for sustainability” was held on 6 November.

OSPAR Marine Protected Areas group meets in Sweden

OSPAR's intersessional coordination group on Marine Protected Areas (ICG-MPA) 30 October – 1 November 2018 in Marstand, Sweden.

JMP-EUNOSAT

JMP-EUNOSAT (Joint Monitoring Programme of the Eutrophication of the North Sea with Satellite data) met in the Netherlands in October

Arctic Environment Ministers’ meeting

The OSPAR Secretariat attended the Arctic Environment Ministers’ meeting, 11-12 October 2018, Rovaniemi, Finland

Harmonising Marine Litter Monitoring for plastic free oceans

Marine litter experts from the Caribbean and OSPAR regions gathered on 18 and 19 October 2018 to discuss marine litter monitoring during a two-day workshop in Miami, Florida, USA.

Synergies in ongoing OSPAR biodiversity assessment work

The SHABAM meeting took place 11-12 October 2018 during which participants from OSPAR's different biodiversity groups came together to discuss possible synergies in ongoing OSPAR biodiversity assessment work.

2ND COORDINATION MEETING OF THE OCEANWISE PROJECT

OSPAR attended the 2nd coordination meeting of the OceanWise project, which took place in in Brest (France), from 9 to 11 of October

Protection of Species and Habitats

Experts on OSPAR listed threatened and or declining species and habitats came together in Paris, France 9-11 October 2018 to discuss how to halt the loss of biodiversity

OSPAR presents its Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter at European Parliament briefing

On 27 September OSPAR contributed towards the revision of the EU’s proposed new Port Reception Facilities (PRF) Directive by providing an information briefing on the OSPAR marine litter Regional Action Plan to the European Parliament.

JERICO-NEXT General Assembly

OSPAR joined JERICO-NEXT in Galway, Ireland, for the project’s 2nd General Assembly in September 2018.

Use of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction

OSPAR participated at the first session of the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction

United Nations Regular Process

The United Nations Regular Process held a workshop in Malta in preparation of its second World Ocean Assessment

VIEWS SOUGHT ON NEW MARINE PROTECTED AREA FOR SEABIRDS

A new Marine Protected Area proposal for seabirds crossing the Atlantic is being developed by the OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic

OSPAR Commission
https://www.ospar.org/ | [email protected]
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