In connection with the 9th Summit of the Americas held in Los Angeles, CA, the United States and Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, and Peru today signed a Joint Declaration on “Americas for the Protection of the Ocean.”
Among other things, the Declaration cites the need to achieve “effective global ocean protection and conservation,” including protecting or conserving at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, and calls out the benefits provided by Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs).
Additionally, the signatories commit to establishing the “Americas for the Protection of the Ocean Coalition,” with a primary objective of supporting collaboration, cooperation, and coordination on MPAs and OECMs in the Pacific.
Specific work plan initiatives and actions are intended to in part (1) identify opportunities to create and effectively implement MPAs and OECMs in underrepresented or unrepresented marine and coastal ecosystems, and for national, regional, and global networks and initiatives of MPAs and OECMs, (2) strengthen MPA and OECM governance, and (3) work together to achieve 30% ocean protection or conservation by 2030, including through the declaration and implementation of a network of MPAs and OECMs.
