Indicator 14.2.1 Number of countries using ecosystem-based approaches to managing marine areas

Indicator 14.2.1: Number of countries using ecosystem-based approaches to managing marine areas

Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Definition:

Concepts:

Regional Seas Coordinated Indicator 22 ‘Integrated Coastal Zone Management’ (ICZM) is proposed as the primary indicator. For countries with Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in place, these plans can be helpful to assess ICZM. For other countries, it is important to identify ways to measure existing plans and to build capacity for integrated planning.

An Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plan covers the entire coastal zone. Marine and terrestrial areas are managed together. Plans are developed through coordination across different marine and terrestrial institutions and agencies.

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is focused on the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It integrates the needs and policies of multiple marine sectors into one coherent planning framework.

The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea. The EEZ shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured, as outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Territorial sea is a belt of coastal waters extending at most 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal state, as outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The full methodology for this indicator is available in the document entitled “Understanding the State of the Ocean: A Global Manual on Measuring SDG 14.1.1, SDG 14.2.1 and SDG 14.5.1” (UNEP, 2021).

For time series characterising the world or regions: number.

For time series characterising selected countries: identification “1” meaning presence, or “0” meaning not present.

The “number” represents the number of countries using ecosystem-based approaches to manage marine areas.

Data are provided by national governments.

National governments, through the Regional Seas, or directly to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

More information on the Regional Seas Programme is here.

The indicator only measures the policy formulation and not policy implementation.

The full methodology for this indicator is available in the document entitled “Understanding the State of the Ocean: A Global Manual on Measuring SDG 14.1.1, SDG 14.2.1 and SDG 14.5.1” (UNEP, 2021).

This indicator aims to capture Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and other area-based, integrated planning and management in place in waters under national jurisdiction, including exclusive economic zones (e.g. marine/maritime spatial planning, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), marine zoning, sector specific management plans).

To score this indicator, countries should:

1. Identify national authorities/agencies/organisations responsible for coastal and marine/maritime planning and management.
2. Identify and spatially map the boundaries of ICZM plans or other plans at national, sub-national and local level. Coordinate with the national authorities/agencies/organisations responsible for coastal and marine/maritime planning and management to complete a questionnaire on the ICZM plans.
3. Determine the status of implementation of each plan, and categorise the spatial map according to implementation stages:

1) Initial plan preparation.

2) Plan development.

3) Plan adoption/designation.

4) Implementation and adaptive management.

It is recommended that the collected responses include a spatial map showing the boundaries of relevant plans.

2024-07-29

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

14.1.1, 14.5.1

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