Fact sheet – Climatology and Climatic Variability of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Fact sheet – Ecosystem Based Management

Title of the course
Training workshop on Ecosystem based management.
Rationale
The ecosystem approach has emerged as the anticipated perfect mechanism for managing natural resources and the environment. Traditionally, management efforts have been focused around particular uses such as agriculture or tourism, resulting in separate governance regimes for each use. Over time it has become apparent that such a sectoral approach results in conflicts among users and is inadequate in meeting the need for environmental protection. Today, considerable efforts are being done to formulate strategies and guidelines to make the ecosystem based management operational (such as those developed by FAO and UNEP), which generally explain, beside the principles of the approach, the stepwise processes to shift from traditional types of management to the ecosystem based management.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg 2002) encouraged States to adopt the ecosystem approach by 2010. However, progress towards reaching this target has been slow. One of the main constraints has been a lack of understanding of what the ecosystem approach is and how it differs from other approaches to environmental resources management.
Coinciding with its mission and in light of a number of international instruments, agreements and initiatives (e.g. WSSD 2002, Regional Seas’ Jeddah Declaration and Strategic Directions 2007), PERSGA is striving to implement the ecosystem based management in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. An essential requirement for this is building capacities to ensure that the bodies responsible for management are able to shift to and successfully implement ecosystem approach in the region.
PERSGA has organized a workshop on ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF), and established initiative in the region since 2009. The previous workshop was based on guidelines developed by FAO to assist implementing the ecosystem approach in fisheries management practices. The workshop has achieved the objective of introducing the concept and establishing a regional forum and program for EAF implementation in the region, coordinated by PERSGA LMR.
PERSGA organizes the current workshop in collaboration with UNEP. The workshop is based on guidelines developed by UNEP to provide a set of indicators that assist in evaluating progress in ecosystem based management programmes, and it will thus contribute to enhancing and monitoring implementation of ecosystem approach in the region.
Objectives
The workshop is designed to train participants on ecosystem based management, with emphasis on methods and indicators for evaluating progress in implementing the approach in coastal and marine environment.
The workshop also intended to provide a platform for discussing issues approaching the enhancement of implementing ecosystem approach in management of coastal and marine resources in the region.
Participants
Participants of this workshop will be selected based on their qualifications and career; they shall be specialists working at national agencies responsible for management of coastal and marine resources, and related disciplines of environmental and natural resources management
The total expected number for this course is not to exceed 25 participants.
Date and Duration
The duration of the workshop is three working days and it will be conducted during June 1-3, 2010.
Location
PERSGA regional center for Emergency Mutual Aids in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (EMARSGA) in Hurghada, Arab Republic of Egypt
Organizers
The Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP).

Language
The training language is English. Arabic will be used as an auxiliary medium where appropriate
Training Materials/References
Details to be provided at a later stage
Instructors/Keynote speakers
Details to be provided at a later stage