The Benguela Upwelling System is a transboundary EBSA shared between South Africa and Namibia, and includes a portion of the high seas beyond the Angolan EEZ. It is globally unique as the only cold-water upwelling system to be bounded in the north and south by warm-water current systems, and is characterized by very high primary production (>1000 mg C.m-2.day-1). It includes important spawning and nursery areas for fish as well as foraging areas for threatened vertebrates, such as sea- and shorebirds, turtles, sharks, and marine mammals. Another key characteristic feature is the diatomaceous mud-belt in the Northern Benguela, which supports regionally unique low-oxygen benthic communities that depend on sulphide oxidising bacteria.
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Consideration was given to the relevance of EBSAs described by the South-East Atlantic Regional Workshop to facilitate the description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (Swakopmund, Namibia 8-12 April, 2013) that lie either wholly or partly within ABNJ namely the Benguela Upwelling System; the Walvis Ridge; and the Sub Tropical Convergence Zone. The MARISMA project participants have agreed that it is premature to pre-empt any decision by CBD COP 14 on these EBSAs beyond national jurisdiction.
In future, for any proposed modification to EBSAs described by the SE Atlantic Regional EBSA workshop (UNEP/CBD/RW/EBSA/SEA/1/4) that lie either wholly or partly within ABNJ, a State or States in the BC Region would need to make a submission to the CBD Secretariat. Any such submission would likely result in a CBD notification to all States; be subject to consideration by the EBSA-Informal Advisory Group; and could potentially require consideration by a future CBD Workshop.
The MARISMA project participants have agreed that potential proposals could include one of more of the following options:
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extension of the large Benguela Upwelling System EBSA to include waters adjacent to and within the Angola EEZ;
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further specification of the Benguela Upwelling System EBSA to make it clear that this dynamic oceanographic feature (Category 4 EBSA) recognizes the significance of a major oceanographic feature that provides the basis for the BCLME and rationale for the BCC but is not a basis for management
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consideration of whether the proposed revisions to sub-regional EBSAs now made the identification of the Benguela Upwelling System EBSA redundant
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further considerations to transboundary connections between proposed new national EBSAs and EBSAs within ABNJ (e.g. Walvis Ridge)
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