NOAA Staff Emphasize Marine Conservation at World Conservation Congress

Annie Hillary
National Ocean Service
International Program Office

December 22, 2008 — Eighteen NOAA experts from around NOAA recently joined thousands of the world's leading sustainable development decision-makers in Barcelona, Spain, for the World Conservation Congress.  

The Congress, hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, was perhaps the most marine-oriented gathering in the organization’s history. NOAA programs were central to the visibility of the marine agenda, including marine protected area management planning, socio-economic assessments, coral reefs, and land-based sources of pollution.

In collaboration with many partners, NOAA’s contribution to ocean and coastal management was well integrated into the various sessions through exhibits, trainings and seminar offerings.

Sheila McKenna, a U.S. expert on marine habitat issues, summarized the value of the Congress:

”Many issues such as global climate change and natural disasters require multidisciplinary approaches,” said McKenna, an expert on marine habitat issues. "In addition to allowing for an exchange of ideas and discussion on conservation issues, the Congress provided a series of learning opportunities and knowledge 'cafes' whereby participants could expand their knowledge and be engaged across disciplines.”

A few of the NOAA-sponsored highlights at the event included:

• The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management played a key role in the launch of socioeconomic guidelines for the Pacific Islands and South Asia.
• The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and OCRM's Marine Protected Area Center supported "Protect Planet Ocean," an initiative to provide new tools for conservation experts around the world and raise public awareness through an interactive map of marine protected areas.
• ONMS collaborated on a pre-Congress workshop that gathered 15 Marine Protected Area practitioners from 11 countries to begin generating ideas for new case studies to include in a forthcoming updated guidebook on managing marine protected areas.
• NOAA’s International Program Office led a session that discussed the current status of countries in meeting global commitments to establish marine protected area networks in collaboration with IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas-Marine, Conservation International, and other international partners. The session also launched the guidebook for MPA planners, managers, and conservation practitioners entitled, “Establishing Resilient Marine Protected Areas Networks – Making it Happen."

Carlo Franzosini of Italy’s Miramare Marine Protected Area spoke about the meeting’s benefit following his participation in an ONMS training session:

"The Congress provided me with an updated vision of many regional and national efforts in developing marine protected areas,” said Franzosini."

IUCN convenes the World Conservation Congress every four years. IUCN is the oldest and largest global environmental network with more than 1,000 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 nations.