Asia-Pacific Fishery Commission

The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) Programme is a multinational cross-sectoral initiative by Angola, Namibia and South Africa to manage the living marine resources of the Benguela Current LME in an integrated and sustainable manner and to protect the marine environment. It is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under its International Waters portfolio and is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the United Nations Office of Programme Services (UNOPS) as an executing agency. The three member countries provide financial and in-kind contributions.

One of the main goals of the BCLME Programme is to create a Benguela Current Commission (BCC) whose functions and responsibilities include the production of annual assessments, annual ecosystem reports, the provision of advice on harvesting marine resources and other matters related to sustainable resource use, particularly fisheries and the management of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem as a whole.

This site contains the presentations and papers of presented at the International Conference on Implementing the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries held in Bergen, Norway from 26 to 28 September 2006.
An ecosystem approach for sustainable use is central to the implementation of international agreements such as the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Its principles are also embodied in the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and in binding law such as the UN Fish Stocks Agreement. A political commitment to implementing the ecosystem approach by incorporating ecosystem considerations into fisheries management resulted from the 2001 Reykjavik Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem. The need to incorporate the ecosystem approach in responsible fisheries was reaffirmed and consolidated at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg 2002, where a target year of 2010 were set for its achievement.

Consistent with the above commitments, many nations and regional and international governmental and non-governmental organizations have embraced the ecosystem approach and a number are progressing towards actual implementation. Experience has been gained at various scales, including the local, national and regional (e.g. the Large Marine Ecosystems-LMEs) scales, in both developing and developed parts of the World. Despite some progress made, there is still widespread uncertainty as regards the scientific and governance requirements, and the possible social and economic consequences of implementing an ecosystem approach.

The aims of the conference were to review concepts and address implementation issues related to applying the ecosystem approach to fisheries, to exchange experiences made and constraints encountered so far, and to identify strategies and best practices that will facilitate further implementation in practical fisheries management.

This project seeks to formalize the experiences, lessons learned from previous GEF projects, as well as major non-GEF initiatives, involving coral reefs and associated ecosystems. One of the aims of the project is that the products are implemented in future coral reef management projects. Itis hoped to develop a network of coral reef managers and researchers who can share their experiences and add to the knowledgebase.

The GEF LL Toolkit is a place to find information about how to design and implement coral reef management strategies. The tools provided on this website are also available through an interactive CD-ROM. This toolkit is a "living knowledgebase" - as knowledge of the issues surrounding coral reef management and how best to approach them improves, revisions of this information can be anticipated. The GEF LL Toolkit is designed to comprise of eight extensive issue streams, each of which is a high priority in coral reef management:

The EAFnet has been developed to facilitate access to the information and resources that are available at FAO on the application of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF).

This includes background information about EAF, the EAF toolbox to assist with EAF management planning and implementation, plus links to all the various EAF projects being undertaken by FAO.

About EAF (http://www.fao.org/fishery/eaf-net/topic/166236/en)
EAF toolbox (http://www.fao.org/fishery/eaf-net/topic/166272/en)
EAF projects (http://www.fao.org/fishery/eaf-net/topic/166265/en)