111. Hundreds of millions of people rely on marine areas for food, livelihoods, recreation, culture and economic opportunities. World fisheries support 170 million jobs, and more than 1.5 billion people rely on marine resources for their protein intake. Fisheries, marine and coastal tourism, transport, aquaculture and other uses of coastal and marine environments provide livelihoods for millions of people. Key habitats such as coral reefs, islands, mangroves and other wetlands provide ecosystem services such as protection from extreme weather events, reproduction areas for fisheries and the interface between fresh and salt water. Coasts and oceans are integral to the culture and way of life for many countries and peoples.

112. Marine and coastal ecosystems around the world are in decline, and with that comes a decline in the capacity of oceans to provide the full extent of ecosystem services. Key ecosystems, such as coral reefs and mangroves, might have reached or may soon reach critical thresholds, disproportionately impacting the people and communities that are most vulnerable.

113. Existing ocean-related sustainable development commitments, such as those contained in Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, capture well what needs to be done. However, the decline in marine and coastal ecosystems is continuing because economies, industries, communities and livelihoods are in many cases structured around unsustainable approaches to the use of marine resources, owing to issues such as lack of capacity and information, and perceived competition between environment and development concerns. Such approaches frequently lead to the degradation of the marine ecosystems that the users rely upon.

114. Cooperating to manage oceans on a regional, integrated, long-term and ecosystem scale would give all users a stake in the sustainable management of marine resources. It would also serve to pool resources and expertise and promote compatibility of measures across borders and economic sectors. Examples exist already, such as the Pacific Oceanscape Framework, the Coral Triangle Initiative, the Caribbean Sea Commission, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Coastal Management Centre, the South Asia-wide coastal cooperation initiative and others. But these have yet to be fully implemented, and there are many regions of the globe where such an approach has yet to be designed.

Recommendation 18
115. Governments should commit to the establishment of regional oceans and coastal management frameworks in major marine ecosystems, including through:

(a)    Enhanced cooperation in oceans and coastal management involving relevant stakeholders;
(b)    Marine and coastal planning by countries in regional areas, taking into account the specific needs, ecosystems and users in their area and supported by solid funding mechanisms to develop and implement these plans;
(c) Building the capacity of marine managers, policymakers and scientists in developing countries, especially small island developing countries and other coastal States;
(d)    Enhanced monitoring and surveillance systems.

Recommendation 19
116. Where regional fisheries management organizations are operating they should seek to make their policies and practices consistent with and support coordinated regional oceans management. Regional fisheries management organizations, Governments and marine managers should focus on an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management in order to deliver improved economic and environmental benefits.