This capacity assessment summarises the existing capacity of the Nairobi Convention Secretariat and member countries of the Nairobi Convention to undertake area based planning in ABNJ. This includes their collective capacity to work within existing frameworks and with the competent bodies operating in ABNJ. It is based on the capacity assessment session run at the ABNJ GEF workshop in Mahe, Seychelles 13 – 14th October 2016. 

Connectivity can be defined as the physical or ecological conditions that allow living organisms and non-living material to move between, or influence, habitats, species populations or assemblages that are intermittently isolated in space or time. This document provides an introduction to two forms of connectivity, functional and structural, and discusses these in terms of transboundary considerations. There are a number of other forms of connectivity, such as genetic connectivity, all of which are interlinked within the ocean system and can be transboundary in nature and vary in scale across the ocean. This presents an important challenges to planning (and management) processes, including regional-scale planning processes such as Regional Sea Programmes. This document therefore provides an introduction to connectivity in the marine environment in a spatial planning context. Through this, the first steps are taken in terms of in helping states assess the relevance of the ABNJ in their planning processes.

The main objective of this review is to examine a number of area-based planning tools and identify key features that enable them to be used for cross-sectoral area-based planning in support of the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in ABNJ. The tools examined will include those that already exist within national jurisdiction and those only occurring in ABNJ. Ultimately, the review is seeking to provide an indication as to how area-based planning tools can support— or are already supporting— cross-sectoral planning. The results of this review will be used to guide the development of a dedicated area-based planning methodology to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable use objectives in marine ABNJ.

This is a multi-author, multi-institutional effort, led by the GEF/FAO/GOF Capacity Development Project and its Communities of Practice, involving a set of 39 Authors, contributing in their personal capacities. The Policy Brief addresses the challenges of capacity building, relevant international prescriptions on capacity development, discussions on capacity in the BBNJ process so far, existing efforts in capacity building relevant to BBNJ, financing capacity building for BBNJ, a possible clearing-house mechanism, and possible modalities for linking capacity efforts at global, regional, and national levels. The paper is intended to contribute directly to the discussions at the Intergovernmental Conference on development of an international legally binding instrument under UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).

The document summarizes results obtained during the noted Round 8 workshop.