Global and Regional Approaches to the Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment

Abstract

T he study of global versus regional alternatives in organizing international relations has been traditionally associated with "land" regionalism. However, this choice has now acquired special relevance in its application to the management of the oceans. Both global and regional approaches have been utilized in protecting the marine environment. This study reviews and appraises the international legal and organizational dimensions of the two approaches and examines the position of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) on the subject. Despite the progress already achieved in the global regulation of marine pollution, gaps in the coverage of some forms of pollution still remain. However, the trend seems to be toward marine regionalism which takes into account specific features and needs of a particular marine area. The international legal and organizational environmental protection network must be tightened, better coordinated and harmonized by establishing links between the global and regional arrangements and programs within the one region while not losing sight of the global dimension of the human environment.