IMO : Panama joins GloFouling Partnerships to tackle aquatic invasive species introduced by ships’ biofouling
The GloFouling Partnerships project has expanded its outreach by welcoming Panama as one of its beneficiary countries from the Central and South America region.
The Project brings together countries and key partners to respond to a global environmental problem, namely the introduction of Invasive Aquatic Species via ships’ biofouling. Invasive species have a range of impacts on marine ecosystems and eradication is often impossible or prohibitively expensive.
GloFouling Partnerships fosters an intervention at multiple levels: driving legal, policy and institutional reforms in countries to implement the IMO Biofouling Guidelines (resolution MEPC.207(62)); developing capacity through training and knowledge sharing; and bringing in active private sector participation to identify effective solutions and technologies to deal with biofouling.
The Project is working already with 12 ‘Lead Partnering Countries’, namely Brazil, Ecuador, Fiji, Indonesia, Jordan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Tonga.
There are also 13 ‘Partnering Countries’: Argentina, Chile, China, Comoros, Djibouti, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jamaica, Malaysia, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname and Tuvalu.
Lead Partnering Countries have committed to developing national biofouling management assessments and strategies, increasing their expertise and leading the way in their respective regions with the support of the Project.
Partnering Countries build their capacities by participating, with the support of the Project, in regional activities to keep abreast of latest developments, learn from experiences gained from the Lead Partnering Countries, and contribute to regional policy discussions led by the Project’s Regional Coordinating Organizations.
By joining the Glofouling project as a Partnering Country, Panama will benefit from its efforts to build capacity in the Central and South America region. It will also be expected to use the tools and guidance developed by the Project to spur initiatives at the national level.
GloFouling Partnerships has developed the General Training Course on Biofouling Management which Lead Partnering Countries are currently delivering to their stakeholders (soon to be made available via IMO’s eLearning platform).
The Project published: Guides on how to draft National Status Assessment, Rapid Economic Assessment and National Strategies & Action Plan on Biofouling Management. Other publications include reports on GHG emissions analysing biofouling management measures, a compilation of biofouling regulations, biofouling management for recreational boating and marine aquaculture industry.
