Side Event

Meeting the CBD targets 11: state of play of Marine Reserves globally and role of India

Organizer
Greenpeace International

Date and Time
8 October 2012 13:15 - 14:45

Meeting
Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 11)

Marine species are in decline, habitats are being destroyed and degraded by unsustainable activities, and progress towards meeting the CBD target of 10% marine protected areas by 2020 is seriously lagging behind that on land. According to the World Database on Protected Areas (2011), 12.7% of the world’s terrestrial surface is protected; 7.2% of coastal waters (within 12 nautical miles), and only 3.5% within 200 nautical miles are under some form of protection. At less than 1% of protection, the high seas, those areas beyond the national jurisdiction of countries, are the least protected part of the planet. The 11th Conference on the Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD COP11) provides the opportunity for India to champion the protection of marine biodiversity, through taking urgent measures to conserve its own waters rich in biodiversity, as well as becoming a strong global advocate for the protection of the high seas.