Utilization of marine resources in developing coastal states: A cooperative international marine affairs program

If developing coastal countries are to develop their ocean resources in a timely and efficient manner, they will require assistance from developed coastal states. The best form of assistance is probably the transfer of managerial and technical expertise/technology. This paper describes a program designed to provide such assistance being developed by the Marine Policy and Ocean Management Program of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The theme around which this conference is formed is ways in which industry, government and academia can work together to foster progress in the world´s oceans. In the international arena, part of this partnership can include the transfer of technology and management techniques by institutions in the developed world to those in developing coastal states. If we at Oceans ´82 are concerned about the rational and timely development resources, then it is incumbent upon us to facilitate those transfers. In this vein, this paper explores one vehicle that may facilitate development of options for the management of developing country marine resources-both within the coastal zone and in deep waters. That vehicle is a Cooperative International Marine Affairs Program being established by the Marine Policy and Ocean Management Center (MPOM) of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The intent of the Program, which is being funded by a grant from the William H. Donner Foundation, Inc., is to provide training and education to marine resource managers from developing coastal nations so that they will be better able to evaluate ocean resource development alternatives. Our purposes in presenting this paper here are two-fold: we would like the existence of the Program to become more widely known; and, more importantly, we would like to recieve your suggestions and advice in the early stage of the Program´s development. The paper is organized into four parts. We will (1) discuss the need for such a program, (2) activities of the Program to date- - , (3) the Program Development Plan (which describes the process of selecting a partner, proposed methods of transfer, etc.), and (4) a brief summary.