Marine Protected Areas Security & Biodiversity
Protection of Marine Areas is not only about conservation of aquatic species but also defending a state’s territory against marine intruders. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) maritime zones were chalked out to depict sea borders yet whether it’s the territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or the high seas decades of coastal conflicts have gone unnoticed. Instances of submarines venturing beyond national jurisdiction are a regular occurrence and Soviet submarines have been routinely intruding in the Nordic Sea as sonar detection is difficult as these gigantic vessels take cover by camouflaging owing to convergence of fresh and salt water. There is blatant violation of EEZ’s which raises the question as to whether Laws of the Sea framed by UNCLOS are abided. As per UNCLOS, article 19 indicates that Submarines merely pass by whereas article 21 allows a coastal state to adopt laws and regulations with respect to innocent passage. Article 20 provides that in territorial sea submarines and underwater vessels are required to navigate on the surface and display their flags otherwise in lieu of articles 21 and 25 respectively upon detection of a mysterious submarine, a coastal state has the license to act in self defense which may give rise to a maritime crisis
Feeble Coastal States
China regularly receives flak for illegal fishing activities beyond its maritime jurisdiction especially in coastal states with limited enforcement policies and capacities in regards to protection of Marine areas . At times maritime borders are not distinguishable for common fisherman .Breaching of maritime borders takes place through sophisticated vessels equipped with fully fledged lights at night to attract squids and advanced trawling nets . Despite Article 25 of UNCLOS allowing vulnerable coastal states to take necessary actions should any states maritime activities be deemed to be “threatening” many coastal states are too feeble to respond with an effective policing response.
Call for Revision of UNCLOS Articles
Revamping of Articles 3-16 would enable Article 17 to be more effective as articles 3-16 broadly focus on distinguishing between zones in a sequential order beginning from territorial sea, contagious zone, exclusive economic zone and high seas. It also needs to be understood that as one navigates from the beginning of the sequential order drawn by UNCLOS, simultaneously authority of a coastal state diminishes to the point that “High Seas” does not collide with any of the other zones hence is considered to be beyond the jurisdiction of the state. Sovereignty of coastal states requires precise and prominent geographical coordinates .Any legitimacy of mapping of geographical coordinates needs to be accompanied by UNCLOS ensuring that revised articles are applicable for all member states regardless of economic and military status.
MPA’s and Biodiversity
Marine ecosystems are immensely varied both in type and geographical extent. They encompass oceans, seas, salt marshes, intertidal zones, estuaries, lagoons, mangroves, coral reefs, the deep sea and the sea floor .Covering about 70% of the earth’s surface, these ecosystems play a crucial role in human welfare by providing social, economic and environmental benefits to the world’s population. In addition to being an important source of food, income and employment marine ecosystems provide a variety of other services that are critical for human wellbeing. These include coastal protection, marine biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Mangroves and coral reefs for example provide valuable protection against extreme weather events such as storms and floods and the oceans have absorbed one third of the carbon dioxide resulting from human activities .The pressures on marine ecosystems from human activities however are multiple and rising. These pressures can also re-enforce each other by exerting cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
Policy Instrument for Sustainability
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an effective and sustainable policy instrument to combat pressures on marine biodiversity in particular over-fishing , exploitation and marine habitat destruction. These MPAs protect rare and threatened species and their habitats and other areas of ecological importance and at the same time ensure sustainable provision of multiple other ecosystem services fundamental for fisheries, coastal protection by buffering against storms and erosion , tourism and recreation. While there is no single universally agreed definition the IUCN defines MPAs as “a clearly defined geographical space, recognized , dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values”. According to this definition MPAs cover about 4.12% of the total marine environment . Under both the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , Parties have agreed to conserve 10% of marine and coastal areas by 2020. MPAs can provide a wide variety of benefits ranging from the conservation of areas home to biodiversity, serving as nursery grounds for fisheries and enhancing fish stocks, protecting habitats that buffer the impact of storms and waves and removing excess nutrients and pollutants from the water. These MPAs support sustainable tourism and recreational benefits as well as enhance other non-use values such as cultural and heritage values. The total ecosystem service benefits of achieving 10% coverage of MPAs have been estimated at USD 622-923 billion over the period 2015-2050 .
Astola Island as MPA
Astola Island has been designated as Pakistan’s first Marine Protected Area by the federal and provincial governments in the year 2017. The island is located approximately 25 km off the coast of Balochistan province and is Pakistan’s largest offshore island spanning 6.7 km2. The island is ecologically important as its beaches provide a nesting ground for the endangered green turtle and hawksbill turtle, while also supporting a large variety of migratory birds. The Astola saw-scaled viper is endemic to the island. The island’s marine ecology supports a variety of corals creating a breeding ground for a vast range of marine species. The target 11 of Aichi Biodiversity Targets agreed by all Parties to the CBD in 2010 specifies that each Party has to declare at least 10% of its coastal and marine areas as Marine Protected Area, especially the areas of biodiversity significance and ecosystem services. Further SDG 14 agreed by UN General Assembly in the year 2015 call for conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development .
Authored by Razeen Ahmed
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