Ocean governance and marine environmental conservation: Concepts, principles and institutions

The oceans comprise approximately three-quarters of the Earth’s surface (United Nations, 2015). Oceans play a crucial role in maintaining the Earth’s ecosystem as well as the socioeconomic welfare of human beings (United Nations Economic and Social Council, 2016). Oceans “nurture life and shape the planet’s weather and climate” (Sands & Peel, 2012, p. 342). However, oceans are now under serious threat due to excessive fishing, violent fishing practices, ocean acidification, habitat loss, coastal pollution, rise of alien species, and climate change (Sands & Peel, 2012, p. 342; Rochette et al., 2015, p. 9). These practices must be mitigated and kept under careful control under a united, strategic, and legally binding strategy. A variety of theories, principles, legal instruments, and institutions have emerged and are working toward creating a more effective regulatory framework for protecting and preserving the marine environment and living resources. Most of these theories and principles have derived from existing international environmental jurisprudence, and relevant regulatory instruments are being adopted for the sustainable governance of different components of oceans and seas, both on an international and regional level. Although regional mechanisms are generally considered more effective than international mechanisms, some problems are also apparent in domestic implementation of regional environmental legal imperatives. Certain global organizations have long been working toward governance of the marine environment and biodiversity from different perspectives, and certain regional organizations, particularly especially the bodies operating under various treaties are actively working toward protecting the marine environment in their respective jurisdictions under the mandate and supervision of international institutions such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS)