Legal report on the ecosystem approach to fisheries in Sao Tome and Principe

Abstract

Legislating for an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) is complex, due to the holistic nature of EAF involving multiple factors that underpin the social, economic, environmental, and institutional aspects of fisheries sustainability. These factors include ecosystems integration, risks, inter-sectoral collaboration, research, participatory processes, monitoring, control, surveillance, and enforcement, among others. To assess how an EAF is being implemented through national policy and legal frameworks, FAO developed A diagnostic tool for implementing an ecosystem approach to fisheries through national policy and legal frameworks.

The present legal report on the EAF used the diagnostic tool to assess the alignment of selected policy and legal instruments of Sao Tome and Principe with the EAF. This assessment analysed the extent to which 82 EAF legal requirements, considered to be the minimum requirements to be included in legislative activity for an EAF, are reflected in Sao Tome and Principe's policies and legislation relevant to the country's fisheries sector and other relevant sectors (such as environment, wildlife, ecosystems, and maritime affairs). Based on this preliminary diagnosis, gaps were identified in the assessed instruments, and recommendations were formulated with a view to improving the implementation of the EAF.

This report was prepared following a participatory approach, involving the relevant national authorities of Sao Tome and Principe. Prepared in early May 2023, the report was presented to the national authorities of Sao Tome and Principe in a face-to-face meeting in Sao Tome later that month. The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries approved this EAF Legal Report of Sao Tome and Principe in June 2023.