Information & Meetings
	What's new on the website
	Conferences & Events
	New Coastal Publications
	Courses

Organisations
	New hyperlinks to websites
	Coastal and marine initiatives received UNEP Global 500 awards

Policy
	HELCOM’s new initiative for coastal management and conservation
	European Council approved OSPAR Annex on marine biodiversity
	Convention on Biological Diversity meeting acknowledges the coast

Funds
	European programme for cities in crisis
	European Commission published guidelines for Interreg III

What's new on the website

600 additional titles on-line

The Online Database of books and articles has been extended to now over 2200 titles after 600 titles on coastal and biodiversity policy issues from EUCC's library were included. Check it out at http://www.coastalguide.org/search/publicat/

Events recently announded

Please note:
The overview of the Coastal Guide conference and event  meeting list can be found at http://www.coastalguide.org/meetings/
 
 

New Coastal Publications
 
 

Networks in the Baltic Sea Region The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at the University of Turku, Finland, has published a working paper on Networks in the Baltic Sea Region. The publication is an effort to outline the emerging framework of networks in the region. Comments and suggestions are welcome.  URL: http://www.utu.fi/erill/jean-monnet/online/networks-online.html

Courses

On-line introduction to integrated coastal management

The International Ocean Institute Regional Operational Centre for Southern Africa (IOI-SA), based at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), and the South African Integrated Spatial Information System (SA-ISIS) announced an online (web-based) course in Integrated Coastal Area Management. Target audience: decision-makers at local, provincial or national level who may wish to acquire or refresh a basic understanding of ICAM principles, as well as undergraduate or postgraduate students of environmental management, coastal engineering, or environmental law. The course will be a chance to interact with some of the leading actors on the world stage in the field of Integrated Coastal Area Management, through expert-led group discussions. An orientation pseudocourse is available at http://SA-ISISlearn.uwc.ac.za. For further information, please contact icam@botunix.uwc.ac.za.

New hyperlinks to websites

EQUASIS: a data system collecting existing safety-related information on ships from both public and private sources

EUCC’s updated and newly designed homepage: Learn about EUCC’s latest projects and activities
 

Forum Skagerrak: a common initiative of the regions surrounding Skagerrak, in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, to find solutions to prioritised environmental problems where co-operation can lead to effective measures

Check out the other Website Links on the Coastal Guide
 

Coastal and marine initiatives received UNEP Global 500 awards

Fourteen individuals and organisations received a UNEP Global 500 award for outstanding contributions to the protection of the environment. The award was handed over on 4 June as part of the World Environment Day celebrations. Among the laureates are: 1) Asbjorn Bjorgvinnson of Iceland who countered the commercial lobby to reestablish whaling and had Iceland rejoin the International Whaling Commission. 2) Chumb Island Coral Park in Tanzania preserving a pristine coral island ecosystem in an otherwise over-fished and over-exploited area. 3) The coastal City of Las Pinas on the Philippines that has drawn up a plan addressing environmental protection on the community level with legislation and action. 4) The Spanish journalist Calros de Prada who was instrumental in saving Donana National Park. 
For more information, visit: http://www.global500.org/laureates2000.html
 
 

HELCOM’s new initiative for coastal management and conservation

As reported earlier in the press release mailed to Coastal Guide News recipients on 2 June, the first meeting of the Helsinki Commission Nature Conservation and Coastal Zone Management Group (“HELCOM HABITAT”) took place in Denmark from 22 to 26 May. HELCOM HABITAT pursues three major goals: 1) to conserve natural habitats and biological diversity and to protect ecological processes of the Baltic Sea Area, 2) to promote ecosystem approaches for the sustainable development and use of coastal and marine living resources, 3) to promote the development of coastal zone management plans as instruments of resource management for environmentally sustainable development in coastal and marine areas. In order to reach these goals, the Group will review and observe the status quo of biodiversity conservation in the Baltic Sea countries, identify gaps and deficits, and develop strategies. The meeting accepted the offer by Estonia to take the lead for integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) activities in the Baltic Sea for the months to come in cooperation with the EUCC. The chairman of the working group, Mr Henning von Nordheim, expressed his contentment with this decision. The working group also invited Germany to consider acting as lead country for HELCOM recommendation 21/4 “Protection of heavily endangered or immediately threatened marine and coastal biotopes in the Baltic Sea Area (adopted 20 March 2000) and Latvia for HELCOM Recommendation 21/3 “Sustainable and environmentally friendly tourism in the coastal zones of the Baltic Sea area” (adopted also on 20 March). For more information, contact Mr Henning von Nordheim, fax: +49-38-3018 6125. HELCOM Recommendations on http://www.helcom.fi/reclist.html
 
 

European Council approved OSPAR Annex on marine biodiversity

The European Council approved the new Annex V to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) “on the protection and conservation of the ecosystems and biological diversity of the maritime area”. The Annex aims to complement the EC Bird Directive (1979) and EC Habitats Directive (1992). From now on, members are to take measures to protect the Atlantic against the adverse effects of human activities, as well as co-operate in adopting programmes and measures for the control of those human activities, which may have adverse effects. The Commission’s task is to draw up these programmes and measures, and to collect and review information on actual or potential adverse effects of human activities, and to develop means consistent with international law, for instituting protective, conservation, restorative or precautionary measures. Management of fisheries and maritime transport should be drawn to the attention of competent authorities or international bodies, such as the International Maritime Organisation, and actions by these bodies should be complemented or supported by the Commission.
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/dat/2000/l_118/l_11820000519en00440047.pdf
 
 

Convention on Biological Diversity meeting acknowledges the coast

The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 5) – a meeting of some 1500 diplomats and experts from 156 countries – ended on 26 May in Nairobi. The meeting had agreed on several actions to address the threats to marine and coastal biodiversity and reviewed and strengthened existing cooperative programmes on the marine and coastal ecosystems e.g. Ramsar, the Permanent Commission for the South East Pacific, and the Barcelona Convention. The decision on sustainable tourism mentioned specifically tourism in marine and coastal ecosystems. Before the next COP meeting in The Hague in 2002, the Subsidiary Bodies on Scientific Technical and Technological Matters will meet in February/March 2001 and put marine and coastal issues on the agenda. More information: ina.pranoto@biodiv.org (Environmental Affairs Officer, Jakarta Mandate Unit) or alexander.heydendael@biodiv.org (Secretariat Convention on Biological Diversity). Reports soon to be found on: http://www.biodiv.org
 

European programme for cities in crisis

URBAN II is the second phase of the European Community programme for economic and social regeneration of cities in crisis in order to promote sustainable urban development. Although it is not an initiative specifically for the coast, many coastal communities are eligible for funding and might consider applying for funds to e.g. reclaim contaminated land, create public/private partnership to promote green business or promote more effective waste water management. Cities, towns or urban neighbourhoods that can apply should have a population of at least 20 000, present a single problem to be tackled and face economical, social and/or environmental problems. Deadline is mid-November. More details on http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/dat/2000/c_141/c_14120000519en00080016.pdf
 

European Commission published guidelines for Interreg III

The objective of phase III of the European Interreg programme is to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the Community by promoting cross-border, transnational, and interregional cooperation and balanced development. Action in relation to the borders and border areas between EU Member States and between the Community and third countries is, therefore, at the heart of the initiative. It will be implemented under three stands: 1) promoting integrated region development between neighbouring border regions, including external borders and certain maritime borders, 2) contribution to harmonious territorial integration across the Community, 3) improving regional development and cohesion policies and techniques through transnational/interregional cooperation. The European Regional Development Fund will contribute EUR 4 875 million to the initiative for the period 2000 to 2006. For more information, visit http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/dat/2000/c_143/c_14320000523en00060029.pdf
 
 

Deadline for submitting contributions to Coastal Guide News No 12:
Wednesday June 14,  2000

COASTAL GUIDE NEWS is a biweekly newsletter published by the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) with financial support of Stichting DOEN, the foundation of the Dutch lottery "Postcode Loterij" and the Department of International Nature Affairs of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries. For free subscriptions, comments or contributions to this newsletter, please contact news@coastalguide.org.

Members of the Coastal Guide News editorial team: Erik Devilee, Irene Lucius, René van Oers and Albert Salman.
 

Established in 1989, the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) is an association involving the largest coastal network in Europe with 750 members and member organisations in 40 countries. For more information please contact EUCC International Secretariat, POBox 11232, NL-2301 EE Leiden, the Netherlands, tel.: +31-71-5122900, internet: http://www.eucc.nl
 

© European Union for Coastal Conservation