Intended to promote effective application of the biodiversity Convention in coastal and marine environments. It is based in large part on the recommendation of the "Jakarta Mandate" agreed to by the Parties to the Convention at their Second Conference in Jakarta in November 1995 and which identified the major threats to marine and coastal biodiversity and the principal legal and policy measures needed to address them. The report explains the challenges that marine and coastal biodiversity pose for the achievement of the Convention objectives and identifies the policy tools that will be most effective for implementing the Convention in marine and coastal areas.