To improve observer safety, the United States proposes to add a provision to the text of the CCAMLR System of Scientific Observation (SISO) to require that observers be equipped with independent two-way satellite communication devices and personal lifesaving beacons.

Cooperation between the Scientific Committee of CCAMLR (SC-CAMLR) and the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) has been steadily increasing over the last few years to the mutual benefit of both. In order to avoid duplicate reporting between the two committees and following discussions between the Chairs of the CEP and SC-CAMLR, the report of the CEP meeting is presented to SC-CAMLR by the CEP Observer to SC-CAMLR and the report of the meeting of SC-CAMLR is presented to the CEP by the SC-CAMLR observer to the CEP.  An agreed standard reporting template, to be routinely followed by both committees, has also clarified and simplified the reciprocal reporting.  Accordingly, this report provides the CEP’s annual report to SC-CAMLR-XXXVII. 

Paragraph 3.81 of the report of the CCAMLR Spatial Management Workshop in 2018 recommended that the Scientific Committee consider the creation of an expert group to continue the development of MPAs in Planning Domains 5 and 6, using the model established for the D1MPA. It noted that not everyone involved in the proposed work was directly involved in the CCAMLR community and requested that mechanisms be developed to allow external experts to participate in the expert group.

This paper develops the Terms of Reference for the creation of this Expert Group.