Building ecologically representative and well-connected High Seas ABMT networks was the subject of a 3-day joint GOBI–IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas High Seas Specialist Group (HSSG) workshop, which took place at Duke University on 12-14 March 2025.
Bringing together a group of around 30 experts on high seas ecology, policy and connectivity, bioregionalisation, marine protected area (MPA) network design and spatial planning, the workshop focused on three key subject areas: i) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) network criteria, ii) the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement Annex 1 indicative criteria for area-based management tools (ABMTs), and iii) the application of bioregionalisation techniques in support of ecologically representative spatial planning in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).
Co-chaired by David Johnson (GOBI), Guillermo Ortuño Crespo (HSSG) and Pat Halpin (Duke University), the workshop kicked off by examining the conceptual and methodological frameworks for establishing an ecologically representative and well-connected network of area-based management tools, reflecting particularly on the principles laid out in Annex II of the CBD Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA) Decision (UNEP/CBD/COP/DEC/IX/20). Participants reviewed scientific progress to support these network criteria since their publication in 2008, as well as their relevance for and application to implementation of the BBNJ Agreement – including innovative planning approaches to ensure robust and representative marine protection. Discussions were enriched by presentations on examples of network evaluations in South Africa (Linda Harris, NMU), the Baltic Sea (Janos Hennicke, BfN) and the North-East Atlantic (Debbie Hembury, OSPAR).
On Day 2, attention turned to refinement of draft definitions, illustrations and indicators for BBNJ Annex I criteria and best practices for understanding and using bioregionalisation in ABNJ – critical for guiding consistent, transparent, and science-based identification of these management measures, including under a changing climate, and ensuring their ecological representativity.
Participants split into breakout groups to consider each of the 22 BBNJ Annex 1 indicative criteria: concepts, existing definitions under different frameworks, examples of areas meeting individual criteria, and potential indicators. A plenary session then reflected on outcomes from the breakout groups, discussing overlaps and gaps in the current suite of criteria, the merits of hierarchy/prioritisation of criteria, and how the criteria might be operationalised during BBNJ implementation.
Moving on to bioregionalisation, a series of presentations highlighted existing bioregionalisation work in the Indian Ocean (Piers Dunstan and Skip Woolley, CSIRO), South Pacific (Matt Benion, NIWA), Southern Ocean (Susie Grant, BAS), and the Subantarctic Indian Ocean (Philippe Koubbi, USorbonne), whilst a presentation from Isaac Brito Morales (CI) brought vertical water column and climate considerations into the discussion. Discussions then sought to establish a cohesive understanding of the critical factors necessary for effective bioregionalisation beyond national jurisdiction, encompassing dialogue on key variables, pelagic and benthic approaches, knowledge gaps, how best to account for shifts induced by climate change, and comparison of global, hybrid, and regional approaches.
The final day brought the workshop focus back to opportunities for BBNJ ABMT implementation and network development/planning, drawing on the knowledge shared over the preceding two days. A ‘world café’ session saw groups of participants discuss i) the benefits and challenges of developing a global network ‘masterplan’, ii) the pros and cons of a global vs regional-scale approach, which knowledge gaps are hindering our ability to address connectivity in network design, and the role of stakeholders, and iii) whether network design might be within the remit of the BBNJ Scientific and Technical Body.
Final discussions looked at research needs to support the development of ecologically representative and well-connected protected area networks in the high seas, as well as science priorities to further develop biregionalisation techniques and their application in ABNJ. A report of the workshop will be available in due course. Huge thanks to the team at Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab (MGEL) for their organisational support and use of campus facilities – and to all the workshop participants for bringing their expertise, enthusiasm and energy to these highly productive discussions. Sincere thanks also to our sponsors whose funding support made this workshop possible: the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and Oceans5.
