First workshop on Particularly Sensitive Sea areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction

Two ocean regions located in areas that fall within and beyond National Jurisdiction have been examined at a recent workshop. The aim was to discuss how the Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) concept could be applied in these areas - the so-called Thermal Dome in the eastern Pacific off the coast of Central America and the Sargasso Sea in the north Atlantic.

A PSSA is an area identified by IMO Member States as in need of special protection for ecological, socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities.

The aim of the workshop, held in San José, Costa Rica (13-15 November), was to provide participants with an in-depth understanding of the PSSA concept and how it can apply to areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) such as the Thermal Dome and Sargasso Sea. The event also looked at IMO guidelines for the identification of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area, along with the process for submitting a proposal to IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee.

The MarViva Foundation is, through an initiative known as the SARGADOM project, looking at how governance that combines a global and regional approach might work. The aim of the project is to contribute to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and to facilitate the development of hybrid ocean governance approaches for the Thermal Dome and Sargasso Sea areas. Read more about the SARGADOM project here.

Against this backdrop, IMO's Office for the London Convention/Protocol and Ocean Affairs partnered with the World Maritime University (WMU) to deliver the subregional workshop on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction.

Representatives from Bahamas, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, United Kingdom and United States took part in the workshop. It was delivered by the World Maritime University in cooperation with MarViva and the Sargasso Sea Commission, with support from IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP). A technical expert was provided by the Government of France, who presented experiences from the recent process of designating the Nort-western Mediterranean Sea as a PSSA, which was adopted by MEPC in July 2023.

The workshop is part of IMO's ongoing efforts to support UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (life below water), by increasing awareness and dialogue around ocean governance issues.