International Agreements and Conventions
Australia's management of the marine and coastal environment has been influenced by a number of international agreements and conventions, which are described below in chronological order. Convention on Wetlands 1971 (Ramsar Convention)The broad aim of the Convention on Wetlands is to halt the worldwide loss of wetlands and to conserve those that remain through wise use and management. The Convention was signed by representatives of eighteen nations at a small Iranian town called Ramsar in 1971. The Ramsar Convention, as it has become commonly known, was the first intergovernmental treaty between nations for the conservation of natural resources. Australia was one of the first nations to become a Contracting Party to the Convention. There are now more than 135 Contracting Parties to the Convention who have designated more than 1200 wetland sites throughout the world to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. For more information visit the Ramsar Bureau website: http://www.ramsar.org. Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage 1972 (World Heritage Convention)The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This aim is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (the World Heritage Convention), which was adopted by UNESCO in 1972. For more information visit the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website: http://whc.unesco.org. Conventions on Migratory SpeciesAustralia is party to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as the CMS or Bonn Convention), the Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement text (JAMBA) and the China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement text (CAMBA). Many migratory species listed under the international conventions and agreements Australia is party to are now protected under national legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. For more information visit the Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage website: http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/migratory/waterbirds/index.html. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was opened for signature on 10 December 1982 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This marked the culmination of more than 14 years of work involving participation by more than 150 countries representing all regions of the world. The convention entered into force in accordance with its article 308 on 16 November 1994. Today, the Convention on the Law of the Sea is the primary international legal document regulating all marine sector activities. It provides detailed provisions governing access to the seas, protection and preservation of the marine environment, the sustainable management of living resources, and the exploitation of non-living resources. For more information visit the United Nations website: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/index.htm. World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)In 1983, concerned by the impact that human activity was having on the planet, the United Nations established the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). In 1987, the Commission issued a report called Our Common Future (the Brundtland Report), which suggested that the solution was sustainable development – the concept that human activity should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Through the Brundtland Report, the WCED established the basis for sustainable and multiple-use management of the marine environment. United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED)In 1992, more than 100 heads of state met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The Earth Summit, as UNCED was also known, was convened to address urgent problems of environmental protection and socio-economic development. The assembled leaders signed the Convention on Biological Diversity 1992 and adopted Agenda 21, a plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st century. Agenda 21Agenda 21, adopted during the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, sets out actions that nations, communities and international organisations can take to contribute to the goal of global sustainability in the twenty-first century. Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 covers marine and coastal management including:
For more information visit the United Nations website: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/english/agenda21toc.htm. Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)The United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED) led to the establishment of a new United Nations organisation, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), which meets annually to review progress in the implementation of Agenda 21. For more information visit the United Nations website: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/policy.htm. Convention on Biological Diversity 1992One of the key agreements adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was the Convention on Biological Diversity 1992. This pact among the vast majority of the world's governments set out commitments for maintaining the world's ecological underpinnings as we go about the business of economic development. It established three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources. For more information visit the Convention on Biological Diversity website: http://www.biodiv.org. Jakarta Mandate on Marine and Coastal Biological DiversityIn view of their common concern for the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity, the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity 1992 agreed on a program of action for implementing the convention. The program, called the Jakarta Mandate on Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity, was adopted in 1995. For more information visit the Convention on Biological Diversity website: http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/areas/marine/. Global Program of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA)The GPA was adopted by over 100 governments, including the Australian Government, in 1995. The GPA is aimed at preventing the degradation of the marine environment from land-based activities, with targets including sewage, persistent organic pollutants, radioactivity, metals, oils, nutrients, sediment mobilisation, litter and habitat destruction. The GPA is designed to be a source of practical guidance to states in taking actions within their respective policies, priorities and resources. Australia has been an active participant in meetings to discuss the development, implementation and review of the GPA. For more information visit the GPA website: http://www.gpa.unep.org. United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPO)In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly decided to establish an open-ended informal consultative process in order to facilitate its annual review of developments in ocean affairs. The consultative process suggests particular issues to be considered by the General Assembly, with an emphasis on identifying where coordination and cooperation at the intergovernmental and inter-agency levels should be enhanced. The fifth meeting of the consultative process was held in 2004, with discussions focussing around new sustainable uses of the oceans, including the conservation and management of the biological diversity of the seabed in areas beyond national jurisdiction. For more information visit the United Nations website: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/consultative_process/consultative_process.htm. United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. The Johannesburg Summit, as it was also known, presented an opportunity for world leaders to adopt concrete steps and identify quantifiable targets for better implementing Agenda 21. Australia played a leading role in securing positive outcomes on the sustainable management of oceans at the Johannesburg Summit. Specific areas of focus in the WSSD Plan of Implementation include conserving marine biodiversity, protecting vulnerable areas such as coral reefs and wetlands, reducing marine pollution, eliminating illegal fishing, and achieving better coordination across ocean-related United Nations and regional organisations. For more information visit the Johannesburg Summit website: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org. Further InformationFor further information on international conventions and 'soft law' developments, view the Oceans Planning and Management Issues Paper 1, Multiple Use Management in the Australian Marine Environment: Principles, Definitions and Elements, at the National Oceans Office website: http://www.oceans.gov.au/issues_paper_1/default.jsp. |
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