Draft Research and Monitoring Plan for the South Orkney Islands southern Shelf Marine Protected Area (MPA Planning Domain 1, Subarea 48.2)

This paper aims to advance the dialogue about the development of a revised Research and Monitoring Plan (RMP) for the South Orkney Islands southern shelf (SOI SS) MPA in order to further the harmonisation of CM 91-03 and CM 91-04, whilst recognising and aiming to contribute to the wider context of the MPA planning processes in Domain 1, and as appropriate, Domain 3. The proposed framework sets out the components of a draft SOI SS MPA RMP to be developed as part of the 2019 review, based on the draft initially proposed in 2014 (SC-CAMLR-XXXIII/11). This aims to address the requirements of CM 91-04, and takes account of general principles from the Ross Sea region MPA RMP (SC-CAMLR-XXXVI, paragraphs 5.39 to 5.42) and the proposed Weddell Sea MPA RMP.