16 February 2013: Representatives from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the International Council for Exploration of the Sea, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have presented their work to scientists, experts, educators and media at a one-day conference on “Stress, Sustainability and Development of Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) during Climate Change.”

The event, which took place in Boston, US, on 16 February 2013, featured five keynote presentations, followed by discussions on the role of marine spatial planning in restoring and sustaining ocean health. Keynote presenters included: Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator; Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF; Anne Christine Brusendorff, General Secretary of ICES; Veerle Vandeweerd, Director of UNDP’s Environment and Energy Group; and Wendy Watson-Wright, IOC-UNESCO.

Ishii provided an overview of her vision for the GEF to promote sustainable development of LMEs, highlighting transformational approaches, including in the fishing and shipping sectors.

The conference linked to a parallel event, titled “Moving Toward Sustainable Development of Large Marine Ecosystems,” which convened on 17 February at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at the Hynes Convention Center, Boston. The session focused on the challenges faced and progress being made in advancing sustainability in the Benguela Current LME (Africa), Yellow Sea LME (Asia) and Humboldt Current LME (Latin America). [GEF Meeting Announcement] [UNDP Press Release] [IISD RS Sources] [Conference Webcast]