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Protect the oceans to prevent commercial fisheries collapse by 2050

> 18 April 07

Berlin conference on marine protected areas in European waters and high seas (18-20 April) will chart way forward for marine conservation

18 April 2007, Brussels, Belgium. With the ongoing dramatic decline of the world’s fish stocks, commercial fishing will not be possible by 2050. To save the world’s fisheries, the oceans need to be protected and managed better.

The Berlin conference “Countdown 2010 for Marine Ecosystems” (18-20 April), the German EU presidency and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) want to improve the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity.

The conference will cover the designation and management of marine protected areas – in particular Natura 2000 sites –, consult on European Union marine policies and a UN-led implementation agreement for a global network of high seas protected areas. Around 100 experts from European member states, UN organizations and regional conventions will attend.

“Marine protected areas have been proven to be of utmost importance for the recovery of depleted fish stocks and increasing catches in adjacent areas,” highlights Tamás Marghescu, IUCN Regional Director for Europe, “Five years after the establishment of marine reserves in the Egyptian Red Sea for example, fishing has increased by 66 % in neighbouring areas.” This has also been shown for marine protected areas in EU waters.

Marine ecosystems and their biodiversity provide people’s with a wide range of resources and services. Fish makes up 16% of animal protein and is particularly important as a protein source for developing countries. Marine ecosystems also play a key role in global nutrient recycling, oxygen production and climate regulation.

Despite their importance for both nature and human well-being, only about 0.6% of the world’s oceans are protected; the high seas benefit from no permanent protection at all. “In the EU, the establishment of the marine Natura 2000 network has been significantly delayed and needs to be accelerated urgently,” says Tamás Marghescu.

The high seas are particularly threatened: “Entire ecosystems in the high seas are being damaged and lost before we have even started to protect them,” stresses Tamás Marghescu quoting the closing statement of IUCN’s Marine Protected Area Summit held in Washington from 10-12 April 2007: “It is high time for governments to act.”

The German Government regards marine and maritime issues as a priority and will host two high-level events. The conference in Berlin is part of Germany’s contributions to the Countdown 2010 initiative. A European conference on the future Maritime Policy will be held in Bremen 2-4 May 2007.

As host of the next Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in May 2008 and with its current EU and G8 Presidencies, Germany plays an important role in developing solutions to problems of marine conservation. Together with the upcoming EU Presidencies Portugal and Slovenia, it will promote its implementation during the triple EU Presidency.

European governments have promised to halt the loss of biological diversity on land and in the seas by 2010. Governments worldwide have committed to create a global network of marine protected areas by 2012. The initiative Countdown 2010 – hosted by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) – supports these and other ambitious conservation targets in collaboration with governments and civil society.