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New Zealand continues to strongly support UNICPOLOS. This forum presents a unique opportunity to enable rigorous dialogue on cross-cutting oceans issues, with broad participation. We are confident our deliberations will enrich the General Assembly’s debate on oceans and look forward to working with colleagues and stakeholders over the course of this week.
From our perspective, this year’s theme addresses a key challenge facing states in managing oceans.
These are some of the practical questions that we arrive with this week. We are less interested in achieving or agreeing a precise definition of the ecosystem approach. What we hope to do is to share ideas and learn from others in moving from policy design that embraces the general concept, to implementation of actions that provide tangible improvements in the state of our oceans.
For our part, New Zealand has taken steps toward implementing the ecosystem approach at both domestic and regional levels. While we are continuing to work on an overarching oceans policy for New Zealand’s waters, we are committed to ensuring integrated sustainable management of our oceans, and already have some of the building blocks in place.
At a policy level, the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy and our Marine Protected Area Policy and Implementation Plan are examples that apply an ecosystem approach and are underpinned by the concept of protection of marine habitats and ecosystems.
At a practical level, we have a comprehensive coastal management regime dealing with regional planning and environmental effects management to promote sustainable management of natural resources.
With respect to fisheries, the challenge lies in managing the interactions between often conflicting environmental, economic and social values, and maintaining the integrity of the marine ecosystem, while also allowing sustainable harvest of fish stocks. Historically most fisheries management systems have focussed on individual stocks. New Zealand has moved past that approach to manage the effects of fishing on non-target species and we are committed to continuing to address the effects of fishing on benthic habitats.
More information is available on New Zealand Government websites
In this regard we are looking forward to a rigorous review of States actions in implementing bottom trawling related aspects of UN General Assembly resolutions. This will be a useful week to talk to others with a shared interest in this issue.
Co-Chairs, we are confident that the selected topic and your able leadership will provide for a stimulating and robust exchange over the course of the week. Identifying ways to successfully apply an ecosystem approach is a key challenge facing governments and the international community and will require adequate time if we are to meet our goal of providing substantive guidance on ecosystems management to the General Assembly. We hope our discussions this week will provide practical examples of successful initiatives that might translate to our situation domestically and regionally.
We look forward to this dialogue, and can be relied upon to contribute actively and constructively during the week
