About Us
The ‘SARGADOM’ project focuses on two remarkable high seas sites – the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic (‘SARGA’) and the Thermal Dome in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (‘DOM’). The aim of the project is to contribute to the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and to facilitate the development of hybrid ocean governance approaches for the two sites.
The Sargasso Sea and the Thermal Dome provide illustrative examples of the value of high seas ecosystems, as well as highlighting the barriers to their protection.
The two sites are being held up as pilot sites for the implementation of a hybrid governance structure in the context of the International Legally Binding Instrument (ILBI) on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) due to their dynamic nature and the maturity of their conservation efforts.
A socioeconomic and ecological analysis will be carried out for each site, as well as an analysis of the current governance of the two sites and potential improvements.
This will lead to different outcomes for the sites:
For the Thermal Dome, it is a multisectoral proposal for the governance and regulation of the high seas, with emphasis on fisheries and navigation, which will be submitted to the UN stakeholders by the governments of the region.
For the Sargasso Sea, it will be a Strategic Action Programme submitted for approval to key stakeholders including the Signatories to the Hamilton Declaration on Collaboration for the Conservation of the Sargasso Sea.
Lessons learned will be distributed through various capacity building activities, including the development of a multilingual Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on governance and conservation on the high seas.
Our Team
Jorge Jiménez
Chief Executive Officer - MarViva Foundation
Haydée Rodríguez Romero
SARGADOM Project Coordinator - Mar Viva
David Freestone
SARGADOM Project Coordinator - Sargasso Sea Commission
Joëlle Richard
Capacity building officer - Université de Bretagne Occidentale
Denis Bailly
Professor of Economics - Université de Bretagne Occidentale
Charline Guillou
Communications Officer - Université de Bretagne Occidentale
Fae Sapsford
Communications Officer - Marine Research Fellow
Phénia Marras
Europe and International Directorate - French Biodiversity Agency (OFB)