Information & Meetings
	Conferences & Events
	New Coastal Publications

Organisations
	New hyperlinks to websites

Development & Trends
	UK ports reach capacity limits as shipping increases
	Global conference celebrates record year for wind power industry

Policy
	European Council's position on ICZM Recommendations published
	Paper recommends integrated coastal management to Earth Summit
	New policy concept: Charging the use of oceans by shipping
	Norwegian parliament voted for gas exploitation in Barents Sea
	North Sea ministers request integrated fishing policies
	CITES resumes caviar trade in spite of alarming new CEP report

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
 
The following three publications are edited by the Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882, U.S.A. Fax +1-401 789 4670, e-mail: communications@crc.uri.edu. Website: http://crc.uri.edu.

Increasing the Efficiency of Integrated Coastal Management COASTAL MANAGEMENT REPORT #2220 By Stephen B. Olsen (1996, 9 pp.). This paper was delivered as the keynote address to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) annual meeting in Montreal, Canada, October 1996.

A Manual for Assessing Progress in Coastal Management COASTAL MANAGEMENT REPORT #2211 By Stephen B. Olsen et al (1999, 56 pp.). This manual is an effort to develop and make accessible approaches to assess progress toward coastal management goals and learn from experience.

Coastal Resources Management Project II - 1999 - Results COASTAL MANAGEMENT REPORT #2222 (1999, 47 pp.). This annual report highlights the benefit of linking community-level assistance to national coastal policy development and shows that results are best obtained when the collective energies of governments, universities, non-governmental organisations and coastal resource are harnessed to identify and solve coastal problems. A selected list of CRM II publications is added.

New hyperlinks to websites

Arctic Centre
http://www.urova.fi/home/arktinen/index-e.html
A separate institute of the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland

COMREC, Coastal Management Research Centre
http://www.sh.se/comrec/
A centre for research and education on phenomena related to coastal issues. COMREC is a co-operation between Södertörns högskola and the Department of Systems Ecology at Stockholm University.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility
http://www.gbif.org
An interoperable network of biodiversity databases and information technology tools that will enable users to navigate and put to use the world's vast quantities of biodiversity information to produce national economic, environmental and social benefits.

Global Marine Litter Information Gateway
http://www.marine-litter.gpa.unep.org
To provide a clearing-house for supply and exchange of information on the global, regional and local problem of marine litter.

HELCOM's Baltic marine environmental atlas
http://www.helcom.fi/atlas.html.
This interactive map service offers you maps showing various Baltic environmental issues including Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPA's), oil spills and the catchment area.

Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (Thailand)
http://www.seafdec.org
Description: International organization specialising in fisheries management, fishing technologies, aquaculture/fish farming, resource and stock enhancement, fish processing and quality standards.

Check out the other Website Links on the Coastal Guide
 

UK ports reach capacity limits as shipping increases

UK ports are facing a capacity dilemma, according to an article of the Financial Times of 15 March, for which there are two solutions: Squeezing more capacity out of existing facilities or using continental European hubs and trans-ship more cargo to the UK in smaller ships. At the other extreme, some believe the UK could rival other European hubs such as Antwerp, Rotterdam and Le Havre and argue for new port developments, e.g in Southhampton. Environmental groups, who fear that sensitive coastal areas will be damaged, are opposing these developments. The increase in particular in container traffic is driven by rising world trade and greater use of global production methods. As volumes increase, ships become bigger, restricting the number of ports they can target. Two articles on the subject can be found on http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020315001598, http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020315001596

Global conference celebrates record year for wind power industry

The 2002 Global Windpower Conference and Exhibition will take place in Paris from 2-5 April. This first truly global wind power event, organized by the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers' Association (IWTMA), the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), celebrates another record year for the global wind power industry. 2001 was the best year ever for wind power according to the three associations. A total of 6,500 megawatts (MW) of wind energy generating capacity was added to the grid world-wide, bringing total wind power capacity in the world to 24,000 MW, enough to meet the energy needs of more than 10 million households. Wind power grew at an average of 30% annually over the past five years, establishing wind as the world's fastest-growing energy source. Europe also exceeded most expectations with an increase in installed capacity of more than 35%. With 4,500 MW installed during 2001, total wind power capacity in Europe now surpasses 17,000 MW.
Further information: 2002 Global Windpower : http://www.ewea.org/src/gwp.htm
Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers' Association: http://www.indianwindpower.com
American Wind Energy Association: http://www.awea.org
European Wind Energy Association: http://www.ewea.org

European Council's position on ICZM Recommendations published

In its issue of 5 March, the Official Journal of the European Communities published the Common Position of the European Council concerning the Recommendations provided by the European Commission to the Council and European Parliament on Integrated Coastal Zone Management on 8 September 2000. The Council would like to see a strategic approach to the management of the coastal zone based on the ecosystem approach, recognition of climate change, ecologically responsible coastal protection measures, sustainable socio-economic and cultural policies, and provision of public access to the coast. Some of the principles put forward are the need for a sound scientific basis, working with natural processes, and stakeholder involvement. The Council gives a detailed list of sectors and other elements to be considered in national stocktaking and proposes that each country can develop one or several strategies for the management of its coast or coastal regions. Member States are encouraged to cooperate with each other and with neighbouring accession countries and asked to report to the Commission and the public on the experience in implementation of this recommendation five years after its adoption (the Commission had recommended a three-year reporting period). The document can be viewed on http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/oj/2002/ce05820020305en.html

Paper recommends integrated coastal management to Earth Summit

A recently published briefing paper "Oceans and Seas: Harnessing the Marine Environment for Sustainable Development" for the Earth Summit 2002 in Johannesburg draws a close link between the health of the marine and coastal environment and analyses what should be discussed and decided at the Summit and beyond in order to move towards sustainable management of coastal and marine ecosystems. It calls for e.g.

• tourism strategies integrated into local and national ICZM plans
• wider cooperation and exchange of knowledge and information
• more research into the effects of climate change
• measures to counteract overfishing
• more funds.

It concludes that a fresh look of delivery mechanisms for effective implementation of measures will be necessary at the Earth Summit. "Such mechanisms need to be founded upon principles of integrated management and good governance, increased resources, expanded public awareness and stakeholder involvement."
The paper can be downloaded from http://www.earthsummit2002.org

New policy concept: Charging the use of oceans by shipping

A new report by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) puts forward the idea of charging the use of oceans (as global commons) by shipping and investing the revenues in sustainable coastal and marine management. Although shipping is, over long distances, by far the most environmentally sound form of transportation due to its high energy efficiency, it nonetheless has negative impacts on the coastal and marine ecosystems. Ships discharge oil, release tributyl tin (TBT) from anti-fouling paints, and move alien species around the globe. On top of this, shipping produces around 7% of all CO2 and sulphur dioxide emissions and 11-12% of all nitrogen oxide emissions of the global transport sector. The study argues that the oceans including the territorial coastal waters should be considered a scarce global common good and that the introduction of a global user charge would close a prevailing regulatory gap. The charge should be collected annually and differentiated according to ecological criteria, initially only raised in industrialised countries and cover all ships regardless of flag state and seat of shipping company. Financial resources generated (an estimated 360 to 720 million annually) should be earmarked for measures to conserve and restore the quality of the oceans, primarily integrated coastal management. The administration of the funds can build upon existing international structured such as the Global Environment Facility, the study states. The executive summary and complete study (including a chapter on charges on aviation) can be downloaded as pdf file from http://www.wbgu.de/wbgu_pp2002_engl.html

Norwegian parliament voted for gas exploitation in Barents Sea

On March 7, Norway's parliament approved a project to develop the first natural gas field in the Arctic Barents Sea despite bitter protests from environmentalists. The parliament voted 75-25 for the landmark 46 billion Norwegian crowns (euro 5.97 billion) Snoehvit (Snow White) project off the northern tip of Norway, which will include Europe's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. Snoehvit, the first development in the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea, is expected to produce an annual 5.7 billion cubic metres of liquified natural gas for 25 years after it comes on stream in 2006. CO2 emissions from an onland gas-fired power plant will amount to 860,000 tonnes per year, or two percent of Norway's total CO2 emissions. Norway has promised to reduce CO2 emissions as part of the Kyoto Protocol.
Further information: http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2732

North Sea ministers request integrated fishing policies

Environment Ministers from nine North Sea countries agreed to a series of actions with far-reaching consequences for the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) on their meeting on 21 March. The CFP is up for a once-in-ten-year review at the end of this year. The Declaration of the 5th International Conference on the Protection of the North Sea in Bergen, Norway, commits the Environment Ministers to urge the European Union to use this year's review of the CFP to "integrate environmental protection into the principles, objectives, and operational procedures of fisheries management", reduce the accidental capture of marine mammals in fishing nets to less than one per cent of the estimated population, a recovery plan for harbour porpoises in the North Sea, and a request towards the European Union to identify areas to be closed to fishing either permanently or temporarily to help fish stocks recover. The Ministers also agreed that within eight years, a network of well-managed marine protected areas will be designated to safeguard threatened and declining species and habitats. An innovative development was the strong support given by the Ministers to developing spatial planning in the North Sea. However, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that participated in the North Sea conference, complained about the lack of deadlines for action. WWF just launched a new campaign to stop overfishing in European waters.
For more information, visit http://www.panda.org

CITES resumes caviar trade in spite of alarming new CEP report

The CITES Secretariat approved new quotas for caviar and sturgeon meat exports from the Caspian Sea. However, the Secretariat also pointed out that illegal harvesting and unregulated domestic consumption continue to threaten the long-term survival of Caspian Sea sturgeon species. During the Standing Committee meeting on 15 March in Geneva, the Russian Federation responded to this concern and to a Secretariat report on enforcement needs by pledging to regulate all stages of caviar production, from harvesting to packing; to establish quotas for domestic markets; to require that all caviar containers used in the domestic market are made domestically in order to demonstrate legal origin; and to license all domestic sales of caviar. However, the CITES announcement that the Caspian Sea states could resume the caviar trade has been met with alarm by scientists and conservation organisations seeking to restore the beluga sturgeon, which is on the brink of extinction. Citing the fish's 20-year downward spiral and a recently released scientific report by the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP) that further documents the perilous state of beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea, the three conservation groups of the Caviar Emptor campaign - Wildlife Conservation Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, and SeaWeb - have reiterated their call for an immediate and sustained halt in international trade of beluga caviar.
For more information, visit http://www.caviaremptor.org/press_030702.html

Deadline for submitting contributions to Coastal Guide News No 7: 3 April, 2002

COASTAL GUIDE NEWS is a biweekly newsletter published by the EUCC - The Coastal Union 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, Hanneke Mesters, Albert Salman, Virginie Terrier.
 

Established in 1989, the EUCC - The Coastal Union 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, POB 11232, NL-2301 EE Leiden, the Netherlands, tel.: +31-71-5122900, internet: http://www.eucc.nl
 

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