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| THE MARINE WILDERNESS COLLABORATIVE
MEMO TO MEMBERS
18 December 2009
Dear Marine Wilderness Collaborative Members:
Degradation of oceans and coastal areas from over-fishing, climate change, pollution and other sources worsens each day. The biodiversity loss is staggering, and our coral reefs are in unprecedented decline. In response to the increasing recognition by conservationists, scientists, and policy makers that marine areas will soon be beyond repair, seascape protection initiatives are increasing in number and breadth, and there is an opportune moment in time to capture their interest in marine wilderness. With recent intensified focus on climate change, we have the “perfect storm” to launch a stakeholder process that defines and sets management parameters for “marine wilderness” as a new protected area category with on international consensus and applicability.
During 2009, The WILD Foundation organized the Marine Wilderness Collaborative (MWC) to join stakeholders in a consensus-driven process to define the term “marine wilderness” and set common objectives for the management of marine wilderness protected areas. The intent is to support the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), among other government agencies, pursing protection of marine areas in an effort that might ultimately result in the formal designation of marine wilderness.”
To give you a little history, in 1998 at the 6th World Wilderness Congress (WWC) in Bangalore, India, the concept of marine wilderness was launched to recognize and better protect the unique values and attributes of wilderness on and within the high seas and in coastal areas. Pioneering work on this concept continued for over a decade, involving intensive sessions at WILD’s Law & Policy Roundtable in Washington, D.C. (2004), and the 8th WWC in Anchorage, Alaska (2005).
Starting in late 2008, WILD drafted a Marine Wilderness Concept Paper with colleagues from USFWS, NOAA, The Ocean Conservancy and the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity. Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra, renowned marine expert from University of California (UC) Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) at UC Riverside, added a section on the Gulf of California.
Around the same time, the Intergovernmental Working Group on Marine Wilderness was formed in preparation for the 9th WWC (WILD9), to encourage and organize participation from government agencies from various countries but with a specific focus on North American cooperation under the new Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for Wilderness Conservation to be signed at WILD9 in November 2009.
The USFWS and WILD, in partnership with the Marine Conservation Biology Institute which hosted the introductory meeting of the Marine Wilderness Collaborative at World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C. on October 2, 2009, presented a consolidation of all marine wilderness work to date. In response to invitations sent to over a 100 initial MWC members, 25 participated in person or by phone, resulting in a round of input that helped WILD and USFWS prepare for WILD9.
Between this meeting and WILD9, WILD worked with USFWS to write a draft definition and management objectives document entitled, “Conserving Marine Wilderness,” for analysis and discussion at the Global Wilderness Forum for Government Agencies preceding WILD9 as well as at a three-session workshop held at WILD9 in Merida, Mexico from November 6-13, 2009. Elements of the document were developed based on consensus points drawn from the October 2 meeting, as well as the U.S. Wilderness Act, historical materials, and international sources. The document is structured to include a preamble (needs statement), definition and management objectives.
At this time, we would like to request written input on the “Conserving Marine Wilderness” document. The English version is provided herein, and the Spanish version can be provided upon request. Please provide written input on this draft no later than 22 January 2009, and send it electronically to: Julie@wild.org. If you have questions concerning this document, please call me at 001-703-864-7770.
All submissions should be presented in short-paragraph, bullet-point form, with each point referring to the appropriate line number in the document. Moreover, we expect any legal or policy references to include citations, and we encourage the use of illustrative examples.
Please share this document with your colleagues who may have expertise in marine conservation and upon doing so, please send me their contact information so we will know how they came to join the MWC.
We look forward to your participation!
With best regards,
Julie
Julie Anton Dunn
MWC Coordinator
The WILD Foundation
Telephone: 001-703-864-7770
Julie@wild.org
Emily Loose
Site Manager
The WILD Foundation
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