1. 20 Years of LME Consultative Committee Meetings – A Look Back
Dr. Ned Cyr
NOAA

2. 1998 – 2003: In the Beginning
1998 meeting started with a retrospective from Monaco LME Committee Meeting (1991)
IOC, NOAA, IUCN sponsors
Methods for monitoring and assessments at the LME scale
GEF-funded LME projects start coming on line (GCLME, YSLME, BCLME, BLME)
Innovative approaches to transboundary science and governance at the LME scale
From LME CC I (1998): “IUCN in collaboration with NOAA, IOC, and UNIDO should disseminate LME information more widely using the “World Wide Web” as one of the delivery mechanisms.”

3. 2004 – 2013: The Community Evolves
More partners at the table: NOAA, IOC, IUCN, UNEP, FAO, UNDP . . .
More GEF-funded LME projects in development
Focus on innovative approaches to transboundary ecosystem science and governance at multiple scales
Linkages to international and intergovernmental programs expands, e.g., GOOS, GEOSS, Assessment of Assessments, GESAMP, GloBallast, TWAP, etc.
Regional caucus concept emerges

4. 2014 – 2018: Towards a Sustainable Community
Even more partners: NOAA, IOC, IUCN, UNDP, GEF, ICES . . .
Concept Note published to establish the committee’s purpose in the LME community of practice
Foster a mutually supportive global network of leaders and institutions engaged in marine and coastal EBM
Mobilize knowledge resources, new scientific applications and tools
Review marine and coastal project progress, disseminate best practices, discuss emerging issues
Share lessons learned from existing efforts
IOC is the recognized lead executing agency
LME: Learn becomes an operational focal point

5. 2018 onward: Where to Now?
De facto international and interagency ecosystem community meeting
Increasing integration with coastal and freshwater projects, GEF and others, at multiple scales
Relevance to global ocean goals, e.g., SDG 14, BBNJ process, Aichi targets, blue economy, etc.
Relationship of the LME Consultative Committee to LME:Learn?
Where do we want to be in 10 years?

6. Questions for the Panel
Is the Annual LME Consultative Meeting as currently defined still relevant?
Are any changes needed to the current structure and focus?
Does the meeting provide the right forum for LME projects to document and share progress with each other, and other related projects (e.g., ICM, MPA) including strengthening regional ocean governance?
Should there be more effort to ensure participation of project country focal points?
How will these meetings be sustained at the end of the GEF LME:LEARN project?