Regional Seas Biodiversity under the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework - UNEP Regional Seas Working Paper

The aim of this study is to align the Convention on Biological Diversity’s post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) with the remit and scope of the UNEP Regional Seas Programme (RSP) and make recommendations to improve and strengthen compatibility. The GBF and the RSP mutually support the overarching framework established by the SDGs and foster a common purpose of sustainable development through the promotion of ecosystem health and status. The frameworks have areas of overlap, which can reinforce each other, mutually strengthening results (Figure 1.1). Efforts have been made by several Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (RSCAPs) to harmonise agreed targets and indicators and match these with relevant SDGs. This study considers these areas of overlap, how can they be explicitly recognised and aligned and streamlined to effectively deliver necessary (and measurable) results by 2030. Objectives are to review relevant work of the RSP; examine policy implications and implementation opportunities; and make recommendations to achieve greater synergy.