Permanent Commission of South Pacific
A. Overview
The South-East Pacific region spans the entire length of the Pacific coast of South America from Panama to Cape Horn, encompassing tropical, sub-tropical, temperate and sub-Antarctic systems.
The region covered by the Permanent Commission of the South Pacific and the South-East Pacific Action Plan (PSE Action Plan), is exposed to great natural and anthropogenic issues exerted on its ecosystems. Pollution, coastal zone development, overexploitation of certain fisheries, high environmental variability (ENSO), effects of climate change, expansion of harmful algal blooms, illegal, unreported and non-regulated finishing. These and the lack of knowledge of resources in marine areas outside national jurisdictions, accompanied by the growing demand for the exploitation of non-living resources, all lead to impacts that must be put into context and their consequences dealt with via a systematic and common regional approach. The Southeast Pacific has geographic, biological, oceanographic and ecological characteristics which makes it a unique ocean area. This region is affected by warm currents from the equator (Panama Current) and cold currents (Humboldt Current System) which force high primary productivity and diverse species of high commercial and ecological value. This region also contains submarine mountains and canyons, mangroves, coral reefs and other vulnerable ecosystems, which are of global importance.
The future priorities for the region will focus on: the full implementation of existing legal instruments, developing transboundary pollution monitoring and control programmes; the protection of threatened species, including marine mammals and turtles; the prevention of the introduction of alien invasive species; and to pursue a strong programme of public education and awareness.
B. Introduction
The Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS) is an intergovernmental body, created in 1952, by agreement between Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The CPPS is a legal entity under international law in accordance with the provisions of the Paracas Convention, Peru, of January 14, 1966.
The South-East Pacific Action Plan was adopted in 1981 with the signing of the ‘Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Areas in the South-East Pacific’ (Lima Convention). The Contracting Parties to the Convention, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru, committed to protecting and preserving the marine environment and coastal areas of the South-East Pacific from all types and sources of pollution, taking into account the significance of the economic, social and cultural interlinkages between the countries within the ocean region.
The CPPS is the Executive Secretary of the Action Plan for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Areas of the Southeast Pacific. The Action Plan is implemented within the framework of inter-agency cooperation between the Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS), UNEP and some two dozen agencies, programmes and Convention Secretariats. The main objective of this regional cooperation mechanism is the protection of the marine environment and coastal areas to promote the preservation of the health and well-being of present and future generations.
The Permanent Commission of the South Pacific is of great value to the member states of the region. Its capacity to articulate and bring together solid knowledge of the structural elements that determine the regional and international agenda in maritime affairs, in applied science, as well as in the development of policies, makes it a key entity at an organizational level.
C. The Lima Convention and its related legal instruments
- Action Plan for the Protection of the marine environment and coastal areas of the Southeast Pacific (1991, as modified in 2013)
- Protocol for the Conservation and Administration of the Marine and Coastal Protected Areas of the Southeast Pacific (1989)
- Protocol for the Protection of the Southeast Pacific against Radioactive Contamination. (1989)
- Complementary Protocol to the Agreement on Regional Cooperation to Combat Pollution of the Southeast Pacific by Hydrocarbons and other Harmful Substances. (1983)
- Protocol for the Protection of the Southeast Pacific against Pollution from Land Sources (1983).
- The South-East Pacific Action Plan was adopted in 1981 together with the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Zones of the South-East Pacific (Lima Convention) and its associated protocols.
- Agreement on Regional Cooperation to Combat Pollution of the Southeast Pacific by Hydrocarbons and other Harmful Substances in Cases of Emergency (1981).
- Convention on the Organization of the Permanent Commission of Exploitation and Conservation of the Maritime Resources on the South Pacific; Santiago, Chile, August 18, 1952.
D. Organizational structure
- The General Authority: The highest political decision-making body of the Southeast Pacific Action Plan.
- The Consultative Group: It is represented by National Focal Points and national experts.
- National Focal Points: Act as official channel of the State members of the Southeast Pacific Action Plan, for communication and exchange of scientific and technical information with the Executive Secretariat and the other NFPs among other duties.
- Executive Secretariat: It is the executive body of the CPPS, responsible for the efficient management of its resources and the fulfilment of its objectives.
Working group - Working Groups: Groups of experts and networks to carry out specific activities. In this regard, there are the following: Sea Turtle Technical Scientific Committee, Technical Scientific Committee of the Regional Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, Rays and Chimeras in the Southeastern Pacific Region, Technical Scientific Committee for Marine Mammals, Marine Coastal Protected Areas Regional Working Group, Mangrove Expert Group, Regional Task Force on Exogenous Species, Specialist Group on Integrated Marine Debris Management, Regional Task Committee of the Coordinated Program for Research, Monitoring and Control of Marine Pollution in the Southeast Pacific, Southeast Pacific Action Plan Indicators Working Group.
E. Areas of work of the South-East Pacific Action Plan
The Permanent Commission of the South Pacific - CPPS - through its Action Plan for the protection of the marine environment and coastal areas of the Southeast Pacific - PAPSE- is promoting different initiatives to comply with its new strategic plan 2022 -2030, accentuating its actions in 06 axes that impact on Marine Biodiversity:
1. Marine Pollution
2. Climate Change
3. International Ocean Governance
4. Coastal Marine Biodiversity
5. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
6. Education and training
Strategic Action Plan for CPPS
The Strategic Plan of the CPPS is a long-term road map for the CPPS. Its objectives are aligned in a vision that seeks to ensure that the Southeast Pacific is and will stay as a healthy and resilient maritime space for present and future generations. The objectives are interlinked and share a structure that makes them strong pillars for building the future of the Commission and how it will support member states in reaching, from an integrated perspective, the sustainable development as defined in the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. These objectives are:
- Competitive Nations in the International Stage - Coordinate, where necessary, CPPS member states, with a view of promoting the adoption of regional maritime policies, in light of the progressive development of the Law of the Sea and International Environmental Law, for the conservation and sustainable use of living and non-living marine resources.
- Science as a Basis for Formulating Policies - Promote and develop scientific and operational research on oceanic, biological, climatic and socioeconomic issues.
- States and Society as Vectors of Change - Impulse mechanisms of political coordination and activities to prevent reduce and control pollution of the marine environment, ensuring adequate environmental management of natural resources.
- An Informed and Environmentally Aware Society - Establish the necessary mechanisms to preserve and guarantee access to knowledge generated by the Permanent Commission of the South Pacific to society as a whole.
F. Partnerships
The CPPS has planned to transform its knowledge, capacity for responding to the needs of the region, and its international links in order to become a relevant partner to other institutions. Some of these partners include: Universities, Centers of Advances Studies, Ministry of Environment, Institution of Maritime Affairs, Institution or Ministry of Planning, Institution of Risk Management/Prevention, Ministry of Education, National Science and Technology Councils, Representatives of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors including small scale artisan fishers and their organizations, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Bank (WB), Inter-American Development Bank – BID, International Center for El Niño Research – CIIFEN, Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO), German Cooperation (GIZ), International Maritime Organization (IMO).
G. Ongoing projects and programmes
- Save the Blue Five Project 2023-2026 (BMUV-GIZ- CPPS): It will contribute to protect migratory marine megafauna in the Southeast Pacific region. The initiative targets five species groups (whales, dolphins, sharks, sea turtles and manta rays) of outstanding global biodiversity value, but particularly vulnerable due to their dependence on diverse transboundary habitats.
- GloFouling Partnerships Project 2021 – 2024 (Global Environmental Facility /UN Development Programme/International Maritime Organization-IMO): The main objective of this project is to build capacity in developing countries for implementing the IMO biofouling and other relevant guidelines for biofouling management and to catalyse overall reductions in the transboundary introduction of biofouling-mediated invasive aquatic species with additional benefits in the reduction of GHG emissions from global shipping.
- Regional Atlas Project 2023 – 2024: Update of database born in a previous project on 2017 called Spincam (IOC-UNESCO/Flanders). This is a GIS to achieve South-East Pacific Data and Information Network to support ICM.
- PAR-Mangroves Project: It supports the participating governments to strengthen their policies and programs for the protection, recovery and sustainable use of mangroves in the region.
- Coordinated Program for Research, Surveillance and Control of Marine Pollution in the Southeast Pacific (CONPACSE).
- Mangroves Regional Program for the protection, recovery and sustainable use of mangroves in the region.
- Program for the Regional Study of El Niño (ERFEN).
- Regional Program for the Comprehensive Management of Marine Litter in the Southeast Pacific.
- Regional Program for the Conservation of Sea Turtles in the Southeast Pacific.
- Regional Program for the Conservation of Marine Mammals in the Southeast Pacific.
- Regional Network of Coastal and Marine Protected Areas in the Southeast Pacific.
- Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Sharks, Rays and Chimeras in the Southeast Pacific.
H. Key achievements
- The region signed a historic agreement with the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP), to cooperate in the protection of a more extensive area of the Pacific.
- The CPPS has determined to improve Regional Ocean Governance, through “new capacity building” with an Ecosystem approach; this has been understood as a priority need, and also an opportunity to facilitate the standardization of normative processes in the Pacific región.
- 2022: Regional Plan for the comprehensive management of marine litter in the Southeast Pacific.
- 2022-2023: Pilot project on reference port biological surveys: Situation of species introduced by ballast water from ships in ports of the Southeast Pacific. Implementing countries Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru.
- 2023: The CPPS has developed an Invasive Species Strategy. The Strategy and Action Plan for preventing invasive species has been finalised and is currently under the approval process. The Regional action plan has been adjusted. For the period 2024 -2025 will be implemented the "Pristine Pacific Ocean Initiatives", to contribute to this new Strategy and, at the same time cooperate with the UN 2030 agenda, in particular on achieving relevant aspects of Sustainable Development Goal 14 “Life underwater”.
- 2023: The CPPS adopted the Biodiversity Strategy. The Biodiversity Strategy (2022 -2030) accentuates actions in six axes that impact on marine biodiversity: marine pollution, climate change, international ocean governance, coastal marine biodiversity, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing& education and training.
- 2023: The Strategy and Action Plan for preventing invasive species are finished. Under approval process.
- Regional action plans have been developed on marine litter, marine mammals, sea turtles, mangroves and marine and coastal protected areas.
- Pilot projects have been conducted on Integrated Coastal Management, municipal marine litter action plans and microplastics in fish resources.
- The CPPS contributes to the capacity building of marine environmental education for the reinforcement of maritime awareness, it coordinates at a regional level the Regular Process for the Evaluation of the Marine Environment at a Global Scale and its Socioeconomic Aspects, and participates in the organization of the Regional Tsunami Warning System.
- Data management has improved with online geoportals on ICM indicators and environmental information: https://atlasspincam.net/catalogue/#/. Also, the CPPS became an Ocean Biogeographic Information System Node at the beginning of 2017 (https://obis.org/node/ab4338af-28d1-402b-a01a-4caa41f90fc3).
I. Interesting facts about the South-East Pacific region
- The Humboldt Current System (HCS) sustains one of the most productive Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) in the world, accounting for approximately 18-20% of world fisheries and hosting globally important biodiversity. This system has been nominated as one of the 200 priority Ecoregions for Global Conservation by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
- The cold, nutrient-rich Humboldt Current-has the largest upwelling system in the world supporting one of the world's most productive fishing grounds-and that of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific.
- Five of the seven existing sea turtle species are distributed in the region.
Contact us:
Permanent Commission of the South Pacific
Visit us at our offices, at Av. Francisco de Orellana and Miguel H. Alcívar, Las Cámaras Business Center, Tower B, Offices 1, 2 and 3
We are ready to answer your questions, suggestions and opinions. Please direct them to communications@cpps-int.org
Website: http://www.cpps-int.org/index.php
