ATLAS Deliverable 7.2 Report on priorities for an expert assessment of North Atlantic MPAs, EBSAs, and VMEs in ABNJ

A task of the EU ATLAS project is to review the current and likely future status of North Atlantic Area-Based Management Tools (ABMTs) in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) informed by predicted shifts in ecosystem dynamics. The effectiveness of these ABMTs, established by multi-lateral environmental agreements, needs to be assessed in terms of the spatial and temporal dimensions of those components of biodiversity which they identify as significant and/or which they are intended to protect, against predicted shifts in ecosystem dynamics. ABMTs under consideration are currently subject to review and scrutiny, through evaluations largely taking place independently of one another in line with the aims and obligations of the organisations responsible for their designation.

This report contributes to an evaluation of priorities for an expert assessment of OSPAR Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), CBD Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), and FAO Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) as identified or currently proposed for the North Atlantic ABNJ and will inform an expert workshop in 2018.