It is focused on the management of shared fish stocks; environmental monitoring; biodiversity and ecosystem health; the mitigation of pollution; and minimizing the impacts of marine mining and oil and gas production.
This means that, instead of managing living and non-living resources at the national level, the three countries work together through the BCC, to address the problems that affect the BCLME.
The objective of the Convention is to "promote a coordinated regional approach to the long-term conservation, protection, rehabilitation, enhancement and sustainable use of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, to provide economic, environmental and social benefits".
The Convention also stipulates that the decisions and recommendations of the Benguela Current Commission are to be taken by consensus and that the parties are obliged to cooperate to settle disputes.
At the Conference, ministers and senior government officials representing the fisheries, environment, transport and mining sectors of Angola, Namibia and South Africa, adopted a five-year Strategic Action Programme (SAP).
[9] This cold water moves from depths where there is limited light to the well-lit environment at the surface where conditions are ideal for the rapid growth and division of phytoplankton cells.
[9] Commercial fisheries and the extraction of non-living natural resources such as oil and gas, diamonds and other minerals, are the focus of industrial activities in the region.
[10] It is estimated that coastal and marine resources contribute approximately US$269 billion per year to the economies of Angola, Namibia and South Africa.
[12] Industrial fishing also makes an important contribution to the economy of the region and small-scale artisanal fisheries provide a living for thousands of Angolans and South Africans.
The country's fishing fleet ranges in size from small rock lobster dinghies, to highly sophisticated freezer trawlers.
Artisanal fishers operate along the entire South African coast, harvesting a wide variety of species including linefish, mussels, oysters, ascidians and common periwinkles.
Mid-water to deep-water mining operations require sophisticated marine vessels and crawlers that are capable of retrieving diamondiferous gravels/sands from the seafloor.
[10] Shipping and marine and coastal tourism are other significant industries in the BCLME, with the ports of Angola, Namibia and South Africa playing a crucial role in the economy of the region.