Ecosystems and habitats

The most effective conservation prevents habitat destruction in the first place, through identification of the key natural ecosystems at risk and ways of effectively managing and protecting them. Thus many of the Regional Seas have set up programmes for 'specially-protected areas', with associated Protocols, in particular the Mediterranean, Wider Caribbean, South-East Pacific and Eastern Africa.

Coral reefs
In response to the growing signs of coral devastation, the International Community responded to in early 1990 with several initiatives. Among them is the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. UNEP is also developing regional agreements on methdologies for the rapid assessment of coral reefs for coastal ecosystem management; developing a global framework for the protection, restoration and sustainable use of coral reefs, and providing support to the International Coral Reef Symposium.

Species
UNEP is currently helping to produce management plans for species in several regions, notably the Wider Caribbean, South-East Pacific and Mediterranean. It addresses species conservation on a global scale through global instruments such as CITES, CMS, and the other biodiversity conventions.

Marine mammals have received special attention. Several global agreements developed and/or administered by UNEP are playing an important role in species conservation in the regions, including the 1973 Washington Convention (CITES), the 1979 Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and other biodiversity conventions.

Certain regional sub-agreements have been concluded under the Bonn Convention, dealing with the protection of harbour seals in the Wadden Sea (1990), and of small cetaceans in the Baltic and North Sea (1991). (SAND) oca85