Interrelations between science and policy-making: the North Sea example

The regulatory framework for the management of the North Sea is constantly changing. The new Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment in the North Atlantic, signed in Paris in 1992, will come into force under the auspices of the Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPARCOM) in late 1997. The North Sea Task Force (NSTF) existed from 1988–1994 and its approach was then incorporated into ASMO, the new Environmental Assessment and Monitoring Committee. This paper reviews the scientific approach to and the role of science in solving human-induced ecological problems and assessing the quality of the North Sea. With the increasing European Union (EU), there now is a greater overlap between the EU and OSPARCOM and this article discusses the possible duplication between these and other organizations and the consequences of implementing new European environmental legislation. From a scientific view, it considers the consequences of the International Conferences on the Protection of the North Sea (1982–1995), the role of the NSTF, its successes and failures and how its past experience will serve ASMO. The paper discusses the role and future of scientific research on the marine environment, and in particular on coastal areas, in the new international legislation context. Focus is put on the need for obtaining good scientific data as a precursor to management, for processing the data in order to create information for dissemination to the public and political bodies, and for using the information for policy-making and environmental management.