regional governments have strengthened cooperation partnerships to preserve their common coastal areas through the Local Authorities International Environmental Organization (KIMO), which currently gathers LRG members from seven countries (five of which are reporting to the HLPF): Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, as well as the United Kingdom and Lithuania. Its principal mission is to protect coastal communities from sea pollutants, such as marine litter, and preserve the quality and biodiversity of coastal waters in North-Western Europe for future generations. LRGs, moreover, also have the power to contribute to the conservation of “at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas� (Target 14.5). Specifically, Maritime Protected Areas (MPAs) are established by law and delimit a special area where human and economic activities at sea are managed in ways that preserve biodiversity, avoid the collapse of local fishery, and enhance ecological functions. Local and regional governments are normally included in the governance of MPAs or have been advocating for the creation of new ones in Argentina, Brazil, China, Indonesia, India, Mexico, and the Philippines.75 Finally, considering the importance of small fishery for local economies and food security, LRGs and representatives of local communities have often been included in governmental fishery plans. In Uruguay, for instance, the national government has created, within the framework of the national law on hydro-biological resources, multi-stakeholder Local Fishing Councils (CLP), involving among others also the departmental intendencias and many municipalities.
75 For more information, see: https://www.protectedplanet.net/.
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