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This month is especially significant for oceans-related news and events.
World Oceans Day on 8 June celebrates the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a key international agreement which sets out the legal framework within which activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. To mark the day, the Empire State Building in New York City will be lit in white, blue and purple, representing the different layers of the ocean.
The long-awaited Rio+20 Conference will be in full swing in Brazil on 20-22 June. With over 500 side events scheduled, this global meeting will bring together world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, to discuss how to reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want.
- Catch the buzz and join the Rio+20 dialogues
- Find out why oceans is a special focus area at Rio+20
- Check out the UN Atlas special topic on Rio+20
- Find out about the ICSU Science Forum, UNESCO and IOC special events on ocean science and on Rio+20 initiatives
The month also features World Environment Day. Celebrating 40 years on 5 June, this year's theme looks at the 'Green Economy'.
If this newsletter may interest someone you know, please forward it. As we approach the 100th issue of the UN Atlas of the Oceans Newsletter and celebrate 10 years of the UN Atlas of the Oceans, we want to hear from you. Let us know what interests you!
Contribute to and participate in the growing Atlas community by becoming an active Member of the UN Atlas today!
Thank you,
The UN Atlas of the Oceans Editors
Visit the UN Atlas of the Oceans Web site
Comments? Please write to UN-Atlas-Oceans-Project@fao.org
- Rio+20 : United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Topic)
- IMO: Guidance for private maritime security companies and passenger ship recommendations agreed by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee : Interim guidance for private maritime security companies (PMSCs) was agreed by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), when it met at the Organization's London Headquarters for its 90th session from 16 to 25 May 2012. The MSC (photos here) also adopted a resolution recommending operational measures aimed at enhancing the safety of large cruise passenger ships, as well as a work plan to address passenger ship safety matters, in the wake of the Costa Concordia incident in January. (News)
- On the path to Rio+20, FAO calls for a future with both healthier people and healthier ecosystems. : Sustainable development cannot be realized unless hunger and malnutrition are eradicated, FAO said in a policy document prepared for the Rio+20 Summit to be held in June in Rio de Janeiro. (News)
- FAO: Assessment and management of biotoxin risks in bivalve molluscs : The present document compiles the scientific information collected by the experts for the Joint FAO/IOC/WHO ad hoc Expert Consultation on biotoxins in bivalve molluscs held in Oslo, Norway, 26–30 September 2004 with updated available data and information from 2009. (News)
- FAO: International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards : FAO International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards were developed through a participatory process involving fisheries experts, fishery managers from governments, the fishing industry, academia and non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations. (News)
- FAO: Countries adopt global guidelines on tenure of land, forests, fisheries : Historic international agreement on how tenure and access rights to natural resources - including fisheries - key to food production should be handled. (News)
- Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management Project celebrates World Biodiversity Day with the launch of tuna species factsheets : Ever wondered what tuna is found in your country? How long tuna lives? What tuna is overfished and what tuna is sustainable? What other species are caught with tuna? These questions and more are answered in a set of factsheets produced by the UNDP/GEF-funded Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management Project. (News)
- Celebrate World Oceans Day - June 8th : On World Oceans Day people around the planet celebrate and honor the body of water which links us all, for what it provides humans and what it represents. (News)
- Fishing Communities Celebrate International Day of Biodiversity : The United Nations proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues - this year's theme is Marine Biodiversity. (News)
- IMO: Guidance for private maritime security companies agreed by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee : Interim guidance to private maritime security companies (PMSCs) was agreed by IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), when it met at the Organization's London Headquarters for its 90th session from 16 to 25 May 2012. A special high-level segment of the MSC saw an intense debate, over the first day and a half of the Committee’s session (See Briefing 16/2012), on how the international community should deal with issues related to the deployment of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) on board ships and the carriage of arms on board. (News)
- World Turtle Day 23 May 2012 : American Tortoise Rescue (www.tortoise.com), a nonprofit organization established in 1990 for the protection of all species of tortoise and turtle, is sponsoring its 12th annual World Turtle Day on May 23rd. Activities around the world on various dates. (News)
- IMO: Guidance for private maritime security companies to be developed by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee : A special high-level segment of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), convened by IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu to discuss policy matters related to arms on board ships in the piracy high risk area, has requested a working group of the MSC to develop interim guidance for private maritime security companies (PMSCs). (News)
- Countries adopt global guidelines on tenure of land, forests, fisheries : In a landmark decision the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) today endorsed a set of far-reaching global guidelines aimed at helping governments safeguard the rights of people to own or access land, forests and fisheries. (News)
- FAO: Risk Analysis for Movements of Live Aquatic Animals - An introductory training course : This manual will assist national competent authorities and others involved in the assessment and management of risks associated with the international or domestic moment of live aquatic animals in training professional staff and raising awareness and understanding among other stakeholders of the principles and methodology of risk analysis. (News)
- Small island nations commit to new steps at UN forum to reduce fossil fuel use : Twenty small island developing nations have announced new actions to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and end poverty, as they wrapped up a sustainable energy conference organized by the United Nations and the Government of Barbados. (News)
- FAO Report: Fish Demand High, Prices Boosted : Global food prices measured by the FAO Food Price Index fell three points or 1.4 per cent from March to April 2012 but seem to have stabilised at a relatively high level of 214 points, FAO said. (News)
- Study investigates aquatic parasites on fish : Researchers in the Czech Republic, Spain and the United Kingdom have successfully identified the cellular components and mechanisms that play a role in the proliferation of myxozoa, tiny aquatic parasites responsible for diseases in commercially valuable fish. (News)
- NOAA: Six Fish Populations Restored to Healthy Levels in the US : A new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report shows that when good policies are in place, natural ecosystems can sustain themselves and thrive. (News)
- Algae fuel potential greater than thought : Algae could become an important source of sustainable biofuel, as production doesn't compete with food crops for land. But we may need to change the way we grow algae from closed systems to open ponds if it is to be low-carbon and cost-effective. (News)
- The Tale of an Antarctica Octopus : New international study reveals how the genes of a fairly sedentary Antarctic octopus provide a clue to the risk of sea-level rise if world temperatures keep climbing. (News)
- Rio+20 Dialogues now open - sign up and join the conversation : Join the Rio Dialogues to make your recommendations and support the recommendations of others! Seize the opportunity to have your voice heard by the Heads of State in Rio+20. (News)
- First farmed bluefin tuna fingerling farm ever to be built : The South Atlantic coastal aquaculture sector in Andalusia (Huelva-Cadiz) is addressing the launch of the first farm in the world dedicated specifically to the production of juvenile bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). (News)
- Rio+20 : Official Web site of Rio+20 Conference (Website)
- Wildest India : This landmark series is a celebration of India’s most spectacular landscapes and incredible wildlife. Includes River Ganges, Bay of Bengal, the Kerala coast and Western Ghat rivers. (Multimedia)
- IMO: IMO signs strategic counter-piracy capacity building partnerships with UN agencies and EU : The commitment of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia through boosting capacity building in the region has been underlined with the signing of five strategic partnerships with a number of UN agencies and the EU, following a Conference on Capacity Building to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, held at IMO Headquarters in London on 15 May 2012. (News)
- IMO: South Africa signs IMO anti-piracy Code : The Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden (Djibouti Code of Conduct) was today (15 May 2012) signed on behalf of South Africa by the South African High Commissioner, His Excellency Dr. Zola Skweyiya, who was attending an IMO Conference on Capacity Building to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (on Tuesday, 15 May). (News)
- IMO: Piracy and passenger ship safety high on agenda of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee : Piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean will be high on the agenda when IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) meets at the Organization's London Headquarters for its 90th session from 16 to 25 May 2012. (News)
- Triple Trouble - Ocean Under Stress : Web site of an international partnership highlighting concern about the impacts of multiple and interacting stressors on the world's oceans. Publication to be distributed at Rio+20. (Website)
- The Climate Threat We Can Beat : The world can significantly slow the pace of climate change with practical efforts to control so-called "short-lived climate pollutants" (including soot and ozone) and by bringing successful Western technologies to the developing world, according to three UC San Diego scientists in the journal Foreign Affairs. (News)
- Going local to aid food crisis in the Pacific : One of the major health issues confronting many of the Pacific islands is the disturbing incidence of diabetes and obesity. They've become such a problem that the political leaders of 15 member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum have declared the region to be in a health crisis. The World Health Organisation says three out of four deaths in some Pacific Islands are from non-communicable diseases. A group of school children are trying to stop the problem by food education. (News)
- World Migratory Bird Day 12 - 13 May 2012 : This year's 2012 theme is Migratory Birds and People - Together through Time, and raises awareness about the cultural, social and economic connections that people around the world have with migratory birds. More information (News)
- World Migratory Bird Day 12 - 13 May 2012 : This year's 2012 theme is Migratory Birds and People - Together through Time, and raises awareness about the cultural, social and economic connections that people around the world have with migratory birds. More information (Event)
- Marine Conservation Ecology : This textbook provides a broad coverage of the ecological foundations of marine conservation. (Book)
- Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. A World Handbook for Cetacean Habitat Conservation and Planning : A key conservation tool for Cetacean Habitat Conservation and Planning. (Book)