Governments sign Hamilton Declaration in Bermuda

  

Signing Ceremony

 

On March 11, 2014, governments came together in Bermuda to sign the Hamilton Declaration on Collaboration for the Conservation of the Sargasso Sea (Hamilton Declaration).  The Hamilton Declaration is the result of a two-year negotiation between interested governments that are either located in the broader Sargasso Sea area or have an interest in high seas conservation. 

Hamilton Meeting participants.- March 11, 2014- Bermuda.   Credit: L. Webbe/SSA.

Initial Declaration Signatories include:  Azores, Bermuda, Monaco, United Kingdom and United States, and other interested governments are anticipated to sign the Declaration over time. 

Dr. David Freestone and The Hon. Craig Cannonier, Premier of Bermuda, as first signatory.  Credit: F. Rilla

Five international/regional organizations also participated as Observers and shared supportive remarks.  These included: Secretariats of five international organizations, including the Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPAR) from the neighboring Northeast Atlantic region, the International Seabed Authority, the Inter-American Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Sea Turtles, the Convention on Migratory Species and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

  

Other governments in attendance included:  Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Netherlands, Sweden, South Africa and Turks and Caicos Islands.  Participants from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Abidjan Convention were unable to attend due to logistical difficulties.

  

Dr. David Freestone, Hon. Trevor Moniz, JP MP, Bermuda Minister of Heath and Environment and Dr. Derrick Binns, Cabinet Secretary.   Credit: L. Webbe/SSA.

The day opened with remarks by The Hon. L. Craig Cannonier, JP MP, Premier of Bermuda, and the meeting was chaired by The Hon. Trevor G. Moniz, JP MP, Bermuda Environment and Health Minister.  Dr. Richard Rockefeller, Chair of the Sargasso Sea Alliance Executive Committee, shared a historic overview of the Alliance's inception originating from Dr. Sylvia Earle's TED wish.  Dr. Tammy Trott from the Bermuda Department of Environment, who is also a Sargasso Sea Alliance Steering Committee member, provided a summary of the ecological importance of the Sargasso Sea and the threats the area faces.  

Dr. Sylvia Earle, SSA Steering Committee Co-Chair, celebrates the Declaration signing. Credit: L. Webbe/SSA.

The afternoon included remarks by David Shaw and Dr. Sylvia Earle- Sargasso Sea Alliance Steering Committee Co-Chairs, followed by each government participant and observer organizations. 

The Hamilton Declaration

The Hamilton Declaration is a non-binding political statement.  The Signatories agree to hold a regular Meeting of Signatories and endorse the establishment of a Sargasso Sea Commission to encourage and facilitate voluntary collaboration toward the conservation of the Sargasso Sea. 

The Sargasso Sea Commission has no management authority -see Annex II.  It will exercise a stewardship role for the Sargasso Sea and keep its health, productivity and resilience under continual review. Management authority over the EEZ around Bermuda remains exclusively under the control of Bermuda, while management of activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction remains with the existing international and regional sectoral organizations such as the International Maritime Organization for shipping activities, and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization for fishing activities. 

The description of the "area of collaboration" in the Hamilton Declaration in Annex I is a description of the Sargasso Sea ecosystem, excluding the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Territorial Sea around Bermuda. It should be clear that the management of activities and resources in the EEZ and Territorial Sea around Bermuda will not be affected in any way by the Declaration.

The Sargasso Sea Commission is envisaged to meet virtually, and with the support of a small Secretariat staff, to enable the group to function in the most cost-effective way.  

Click here to download the full text of the Declaration.

Sargasso Sea Alliance partner Bermuda Zoological Society hosted Bermuda's youth from 13-14 March 2014 to promote conservation of the Sargasso Sea across generations just two days after the Hamilton Declaration was signed.  At BZS' Environmental Youth Conference: The Power of One, students collaborated on, wrote and signed their own declaration of commitment to the protection of the Sargasso Sea.  

The Sargasso Sea Alliance was pleased to participate and support the event through keynotes by Dr. David Freestone and Prof. Howard Roe.  Dr. Samia Sarkis joined to share information about the ecology of the area and all three assisted in the facilitation of Declaration drafting. 

Click here to read more.  

Sargasso Sea featured in Marine Policy article 

Marine Policy published the article "Can existing institutions protect biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction? Experiences from two on-going processes", authored by David Freestone- Sargasso Sea Alliance, David Johnson- Seascape Consultants Ltd., Jeff Ardron- Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Kate Killerlain Morrison-Sargasso Sea Alliance and Sebastian Unger-Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies.  

The Sargasso Sea Alliance is pleased to have co-authored this with adjacent regional entity OSPAR, which shares a similar marine conservation mission.