Implementing area-based management of vulnerable marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction: A South Pacific case study

A landmark agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) was adopted in 2023 (the BBNJ Agreement). One of the major achievements of the BBNJ Agreement is the creation of a new global regime to facilitate the establishment of area-based management tools, including marine protected areas in the ABNJ. Despite the well-recognised importance of protected area networks to conserve biodiversity in the marine environment, there are few examples of their implementation in the ABNJ to act as useful models for their future application under the BBNJ Agreement. The objective of this paper is to examine a recent example of the development, implementation, management, and subsequent monitoring and enforcement of area-based management tools in relation to biodiversity conservation and fishing in the ABNJ. The biodiversity-related focus of our case study is the spatial protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems from the impacts of fishing, undertaken by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, which is responsible for managing an area covering about a quarter of the ABNJ. Overall, the case study provides an example of “win-win” area-based management for the ABNJ (based on objective and quantified metrics), which is consistent with the objectives of the BBNJ Agreement. We identify six lessons learnt from the case study that are relevant for future efforts to develop and implement area-based management tools in the ABNJ. More widely, we note that relevant global, regional, subregional, and sectoral bodies operating in the ABNJ will need to establish specific mechanisms for cooperation and coordination, to achieve the objectives of the BBNJ Agreement.