Programme Cooperation Agreement 2010 – 2011

The GeoIQ platform 25 forms the backbone of OCEAN- IDS, which was used in 2011 to support the CBD pro- cess in identifying ecologically and biologically signifi- cant areas outside of national jurisdiction in the high seas of the North-East Atlantic. This exercise was the first in a global series of workshops the CBD has agreed to conduct. GRID-Arendal is planning to support further workshops and training activities in 2012, par- ticularly in developing countries’ regions, within the framework of the Sustainable Seas capacity develop- ment programme. For improved visualisation of marine data, a new Arc- tic basemap was developed by GRID-Arendal and in- corporated in the GeoIQ/OCEANIDS mapping tool. An interactive map of the Arctic has subsequently been pre- pared in collaboration with the Global Arctic Programme administered by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It includes layers on past, current and projected sea ice extent, shipping routes, industrial activities (oil and gas sector), communities, protected areas, distri- bution of indigenous peoples, and the locations and descriptions of WWF offices in the Arctic and projects coordinated by the WWF Global Arctic Pro- gramme. Contributing to the E uropean Commission’s European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODNET) 26 to improve access to high quality marine data for private bodies, public authorities and researchers, GRID-Aren- dal focused in 2011 on the identification of data from Lebanon, Israel, Turkey and North Africa. GRID-Aren- dal will continue to provide data mining and network- ing support to a number of non-EU developing states throughout 2012.

Collaboration was fostered in 2011 between GRID-Arendal and the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) through two agreements: • During the first half of 2011 GRID-Arendal worked intensively with the UNEP/MAP team in the prep- aration of technical documents and the organiza- tion of meetings with state representatives in order to advance the Ecosystem Approach. This resulted in the definition of the ecological and operational objectives and indicators that will guide imple- mentation of the Ecosystem Approach. The agree- ment on objectives and indicators will allow them to engage in the discussion of target levels and ultimately lead to targeted monitoring systems and programs. • During the second half of 2011 GRID-Arendal worked in the development of the content of the State of the Marine and Coastal Environment Report 2012 that will be concluded during the first half of 2012. The objec- tive of the report is to synthesize the most advanced knowledge on major environmental issues for the further development of the Ecosystem Approach in the Mediterranean. Global reservoirs of methane gas are increasingly recog- nised both as natural drivers of climate change and as a potential energy resource for development. The Global Outlook on Methane Gas Hydrates , due to be launched in 2012, is being prepared in collaboration with national workgroups from Norway, Canada, US, India, Korea, Ja- pan and Germany, private sector companies (Statoil and Schlumberger) and NGOs (WWF, Forum for the Fu- ture (UK). In 2011 a new public outreach web portal was launched providing a multimedia experience of methane hydrates. 27 Together with the Applied Geoscience and Technology Di- vision (SOPAC) of the SPC, GRID-Arendal is a partner in a major project to address legislative, regulatory, capac- ity requirements and environmental issues pertaining to deep sea mineral mining for countries in the Pacific region. The four-year Deep Sea Minerals Project aims to ensure sustainable resource management that will bring tangible benefits to Pacific island countries and their people. The first deliverable managed by GRID Arendal, the Pacific Marine Mining Assessment, will be published in mid 2012. The three-volume report ex- amines the scientific, technical, environmental, social and economic aspects of deep-sea mining. It brings

Natural gas emanating from a laboratory-produced methane gas hy- drate set alight at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the Univer- sity of Hawaii. Photo: HNEI, SOEST, University of Hawaii

25.The GeoIQ mapping tool was used in 2011 for particular projects (OSPAR EBSA workshop, WWF) - but will from February 2012 be avail- able to the public. See http://www.geoiq.com/ 26. https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/category/160 27. http:// www.methanegashydrates.org

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