Regional marine environmental management and the GPA-LBA: perspectives and the need for scientific support

Enclosed and semi-closed seas are suffering due to an increase of discharges and emissions of polluting substances. Regional and subregional cooperation is crucial for the development and implementation of successful actions aiming at protecting and managing the marine environment as well as in identification of priorities for action. In spite of good will, the implementation of agreed programmes is in most cases a very slow process. Even in regions, where scientific knowledge is remarkable, and political commitment has been shown in ministerial meetings and declarations, the targets set in those meetings are very seldom achieved in the agreed time-table.We have high-level decisions on ocean-related issues, which are far behind the schedule in the implementation. To facilitate decision-making it is necessary to provide clear information based on comprehensive programmes, long lasting and large enough to meet the demands far beyond the own political career of the decision makers concerned. In the implementation of the GPA, the regional-seas approach and results of the existing conventions and action plans are fundamental. There are problems related to living marine resources, where scientific understanding of how the oceans and seas interact with the world climate system, and how the changes are affecting the marine ecosystems. In addition to the active regional cooperation in marine environmental issues, there is a need for global activities, joint responsibility to solve problems together. The UN Commission of Sustainable Development (CSD) considered ocean issues in 1999 calling upon the governments to strengthen national, regional and international action, and to develop integrated approaches to oceans and coastal area management. The CSD identified areas of particular concern, including problems related to marine resources, land-based pollution and marine science and emphasized that scientific understanding of the marine environment is fundamental to sound decision-making. Different UN organizations and programmes were invited to consider, how to support building of scientific capacities, needed for interdisciplinary, sustainable and effective management of the marine environment. The new cooperation PACSICOM (Panafrican Conference on Sustainable Integrated Coastal Management) is one of the first attempts to streamline coastal management on a Continental basis based on scientific knowledge. It is also an attempt to strengthen the national and regional measures already going on. It may pave the way to rise the public awareness and it may lead to implementation to conserve at least part of Africaʹs coastal nature.