1998 Year of the Ocean A Survey of International Agreements 



the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Australia Russia, China, and France. 

 The United States is not yet a party; the Convention was submitted for Senate advice and consent 

 to ratification in 1994. 



THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT 



Conference on Environment and Development: 

 Agenda 21 Chapter 17 (Oceans) 



Chapter 17 on oceans in Agenda 21 sets forth an ambitious work program for the 

 international community in pursuing the objective of sustainable development with respect to the 

 ocean. To this end, it promotes new approaches to managing human uses of ocean resources, 

 including the application of environmental impact assessment procedures and natural resource 

 accounting techniques; economic incentives to encourage industrial and agricultural practices 

 that avoid degradation of the marine environment; and protection of the ecosystems and habitats 

 of marine species. Particular emphasis is given to coastal areas — ^the land/sea interface — ^which 

 are critical to the life cycles of most marine species and in which human population is 

 increasingly concentrated. 



The specific program areas of Agenda 2 1 Chapter 1 7 (Oceans) may be summarized as 

 follows: 



(a) Integrated management of coastal areas, including representation of all affected 

 interests in decision making, to ensure that human uses of these areas are compatible, 

 sustainable, and environmentally sound; 



(b) Development and implementation of strategies, particularly at the local and national 

 level, to prevent degradafion of the marine environment from land-based activities, 

 including recognition of this effort as a central component of coastal area 

 management; 



(c) Strengthening and improving implementation of international measures to prevent 

 marine pollution from vessels and from dumping at sea; 



(d) Improved management of coastal fisheries, including use of selective gear and 

 practices, to ensure healthy populations and to meet human nutritional needs; 



(e) Implementation of obligations for international cooperation to conserve marine living 

 resources found on the high seas (e.g., straddling stocks and highly migratory 

 species); 



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