Ocean ecosystem-based management (EBM) mandates & implementation across the North Atlantic- an exploration of the mandate coverage of sectors, activities and pressures related to ocean health in the North Atlantic.

1. WP4 Ecosystem Approach to Ocean Health & Stressors

2. Is it already covered?
Ocean ecosystem-based management (EBM)
mandates & implementation across the North
Atlantic.
Dickey-Collas, Rudd, Ferretti,
Johannesen, Macdonald,
Laughlin, Rae, Thiele, Link
@DickeyCollas
@AtlanticAll

3. Key question
Considering the common understanding of the need for
EBM at the national & international level, & the lack of
sector cohesion in its implementation,
what is the current context of mandates
for implementation of EBM within &
across jurisdictions of US, Canada,
and EU?

4. Workshop on mandates for ecosystem-based ocean
governance across Canada, EU, & US
Task group to explore the mandate/s for ecosystem based
management (EBM) in the North Atlantic; an interdisciplinary mix of
lawyers, social scientists, & natural scientists.
https://www.atlanticresource.org/aora/site-area/publications/ea2ohs-wg/mandates-
ecosystem-based-ocean-governance-across-canada-eu-and-us

5. The talk in a nutshell…

6. Conceptual panorama; depicting political mandate, legislative structure, &
non-regulatory implementing policy.
Rudd, et al., 2018 Frontiers in Marine Science

7. Conceptual panorama; depicting political mandate, legislative structure, &
non-regulatory implementing policy.
Rudd, et al., 2018 Frontiers in Marine Science

8. Conceptual panorama; depicting political mandate, legislative structure, &
non-regulatory implementing policy.
Rudd, et al., 2018 Frontiers in Marine Science

9. Considered CBD & FAO guidance
on principles of EBM

10. Scanned USA, Canada, EU & ABNJ for coverage
by mandate of the EBM principles
Rudd, et al., 2018 Frontiers in Marine Science
e.g.
Management objectives – are societal choices
Canada ✔ EU ✔
USA ✔ ABNJ ✔
Manage ecosystem in social context
Canada ❌ EU ❌ (but emerging Canada & EU)
USA ❌ ABNJ ?
Maintain productivity of ecosystems for present & future
generations
Canada ✔ EU ✔
USA ❌ ABNJ ?

11. Next step…tabulate for each jurisdiction the legislation
relative to ocean stressors/environment & human activity
Rudd, et al., 2018 Frontiers in Marine Science
Legislation/ Coverage
agreement ocean stressor/ human activity
environment & governance
For Canada, EU, USA & ABNJ

12. Findings
Irrespective of detailed requirements of legislation
or policy across jurisdictions, or efficacy of
implementation,
most major ocean pressures & uses posing
threats to sustainability have some form of
coverage by national or regional
legislation.

13. Key challenges to implementing EBM were identified
• Conflicting interpretations of laws & mandates
• Administrative practices & routines including organization &
power dynamics across government departments
• Imbalance across sectors
• Challenges of stakeholder involvement
• Conceptualizing EBM is context-specific
• Crises swamp longer-term priorities
• Operating across maritime boundaries
• Absence of good practices
showcasing the merits of EBM
Link et al., 2019 ICES J Mar Sci

14. Build a stronger

15. Recommendations
1. Facilitate further institutionalization of EBM by realignment of funding
from project to base budget to ensure sustained & long-term capacity.
2. Revisit & consider effectiveness & impact of existing overarching,
integrative mandates (e.g. EU integrated maritime policy).
3. Mitigation of implementation barriers (by identifying & acknowledging
challenges, then by articulating political, economic, & social benefits).
4. Realignment of calls for research - cross-disciplinary to address both
institutionalization & implementation barriers of EBM.

16. Chairing this workshop was a learning experience
writing text journals
definitions
use of language
debate style
consensus
evidence base
my most multi-disciplinary ever!

17. THANK YOU!
Sponsored by the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance, organised by Work Package
4 of the AORA-CSA. AORA-CSA funded from the European Union’s Horizon
2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement # 652677.
NOAA and DFO funded the participation of North American researchers.
@DickeyCollas
@AtlanticAll