As the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia gets into its second week, in our latest blog post we celebrate the International Partnership on MPAs, Biodiversity and Climate Change receiving UN Ocean Decade endorsement and an opportunity to support international progress towards 30x30.
The International Partnership on MPAs, Biodiversity and Climate Change (IPMPABCC) is an alliance of government agencies and organisations from across the world, working together to progress the evidence base around the role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and biodiversity in tackling climate change.
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The Partnership’s vision is for global decision makers to implement MPA networks as nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. |
Since 2021, the IPMPABCC have produced a range of resources and facilitated Partnership representation at COPs and conferences globally to promote MPAs as a key tool to meet 30x30 and build resilience to climate impacts. Key highlights include the publication of the report ‘Establishing marine protected areas in a changing climate’, developed and published in collaboration with IUCN WCPA Climate Change Specialist Group, our first Virtual Science Symposium held in September 2025 and attendance at Climate COPs.
JNCC, currently leads and coordinates the work of the International Partnership, working alongside partners to develop work plans that compliment country level delivery and supports progress towards the CBD Target 3. Table 1 details the IPMPABCC work plan for April 2026 to March 2027. For more information on the International Partnership, including our founding partners, current members and previous work, please visit the MPABioClimate website.
Table 1: IPMPABCC 2026/ 2027 work plan
| IPMPABCC 2026 / 2027 Work Plan | |
| Capacity Building |
Creation of new case studies on MPAs, MPA networks or MPA and climate work to showcase partner knowledge and experience. Update of the Useful Links section of the website to make it more usable and include more resources. Planning attendance/ involvement at IMPAC6 in March 2027. |
| Evidence & Tools |
Development of several outputs focused on ‘Integrating Climate Data into Marine Management- Working with Uncertainty’. |
| Marine Spatial Planning |
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) symposium planned for early 2027 to showcase and discuss Partners experience of considering MSP in the context of MPAs and climate change. |
| Ongoing Engagement |
Partnership quarterly meetings with standing agenda items to update on relevant work, conferences, work areas, alongside guest presentations. Peer review processes being set up and trialled. |
In parallel, JNCC has established strong working relationships with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), their Marine Conservation Programme (MARCOP), and many of the countries in the WIO region through the recently completed Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP).
JNCC is continuing our collaboration with WIO colleagues through the IPMPABCC. In September, the International Partnership officially became a UN Ocean Decade endorsed project under the WIOMSA MARCOP.
This endorsement highlights our ongoing commitment to continuing collaboration and knowledge exchange with our WIO colleagues through the International Partnership. We are absolutely delighted that our joint work with the WIOMSA MARCOP has been recognised.
The endorsement presents a significant opportunity to advance the evidence base for MPAs in the region and throughout the world. The Ocean Decade endorsement will allow IPMPABCC and JNCC to continue to collaborate with the MARCOP team to ensure we support their achievement of Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework. It will also generate opportunities for the International Partnership to promote and collaborate with wider UN Ocean Decade projects and programmes.
You can find out more about the International Partnership of MPAs, Biodiversity and Climate Change in the video below.
To find out more about what JNCC is doing at CBD COP17, visit 'JNCC at COP17: Delegation Diary'.
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