The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is calling for the nomination of experts and the submission of scientific information to support the objectives of the upcoming workshop on the development of a regional environmental management plan (REMP) for the Area of the Northwest Pacific. The workshop will be organized in Tokyo, Japan, from 19 to 23 February 2024, in collaboration with Japan.
The workshop aims to:
- review and synthesize newly available scientific data and information related to the biological, oceanographical and geological aspects of the marine environment in the Northwest Pacific Ocean;
- validate and refine the design of potential area-based management tools (ABMTs) identified in the previous online workshop,[1] and review and further improve the scientific rationale for the identification of such potential ABMTs based on agreed scientific criteria;
- drawing on the results from the quantitative modeling of cumulative impacts from the previous online workshop,[2] determine ecosystem components, which may be at a high risk from future potential exploitation activities and cumulative impacts, and on this basis, appropriate management approaches for addressing such impacts, including non-spatial measures; and
- discuss priorities for future, regional-scale monitoring and research.
The terms of reference for the workshop can be found here. The results of this workshop will contribute to the future development of the REMP for this region. This may include another policy and management workshop to inform the Legal and Technical Commission in its consideration and drafting of the REMP for this region. The combined results from the expert workshops held for this region[3] will inform the Legal and Technical Commission in its development of a REMP for this region.
A detailed workshop programme, information for participants and other meeting documents will be available on the workshop webpage in due course.
Submission of nominations of experts to participate in the workshop
Members of ISA, particularly sponsoring States, ISA contractors, international and regional organizations, projects/programmes and initiatives, and academic institutions/scientific groups, are invited to nominate experts to participate in the workshop.
For full nomination and selection criteria details, please visit the Call for Nomination and Information. Nominations should be sent as soon as possible, but no later than 15 September 2023, via e-mail to oemmr-secretariat@isa.org.jm.
The list of participants will be posted on the workshop webpage by 15 October 2023.
Submission of scientific information to support the objectives of the workshop
Members of ISA, in particular sponsoring States, ISA contractors, international and regional organizations, projects/programmes and initiatives, and academic institutions/scientific groups, are also invited to provide relevant information in support of the objectives of the workshop.
For full details on the submission of scientific information, please visit the Call for Nomination and Information. Information should be submitted as soon as possible, but no later than 15 October 2023, via e-mail to oemmr-secretariat@isa.org.jm.
For enquiries, please contact:
Office of Environmental Management and Mineral Resources, International Seabed Authority (oemmr-secretariat@isa.org.jm)
[1] See Annex V of the report from the online workshop held in 2020 NWP_REMP_workshop_report.pdf (isa.org.jm)
[2] See Annex IV of the report from the online workshop held in 2020 NWP_REMP_workshop_report.pdf (isa.org.jm)
[3] Including this and previous workshops held in Qingdao, China, in 2018 and the online workshop in 2020.