IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Co-Chairs: Nilufer Oral and David VanderZwaag

The Specialist Group now has over 60 members.

CEL members wishing to join the Specialist Group may contact Lauri MacDougall .

The Oceans, Coasts and Coral Reefs Specialist Group has had a productive year. Recent and planned activities include:

• Contribution to the UN Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and Law of the Sea and UN General Assembly negotiations on the Oceans and Law of the Sea Resolution;
• Participation in the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Research Workshop held in Ottawa, 19-21 April 2007;
• Collaboration with David Freestone, editor of the International Journal for Marine and Coastal Law, in the preparation of a special journal issue on the topic of ocean governance. Papers are being contributed by members on a range of governance topics including land-based marine pollution, shipping, regional fisheries management, regional seas cooperation, and high seas governance; and
• In October 2008 the group will contribute to the next IUCN World Congress including the convening of a panel addressing the future of international ocean governance.

The Specialist Group is assisted through the work of six sub-groups. Some recent activities have included:

• Cooperation of the Mediterranean Specialist subgroup with the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, to convene a regional workshop on ‘Shipping and Marine Biodiversity’ in Istanbul, Turkey, 21-25 September 2007. The Workshop brought together legal experts with representatives from the shipping and oil industry, international organizations, scientists, academics, NGOs and governments to assess the status and threats from shipping pollution in the Mediterranean and to develop recommendations for future national, regional and international actions to better plan and regulate shipping activities. A final report and publication will be developed over the coming months.
  
• Co-organization of a workshop by the High Seas Governance sub-group on ‘High Seas Governance for the 21st Century’ which was held in New York, 17- 19 October 2007. The objective of the workshop was to bring together leading experts in high seas governance issues from academia, government and nongovernmental organisations, acting in their personal capacity, to develop a range of policy and regulatory options for the further development of the high seas regime under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Recommendations and results from the Workshop are expected to be submitted for consideration by the UN Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction which is scheduled to meet again in April 2008.