Ocean Space and Sustainability

Abstract

The notion of ocean space stands for a holistic, system science approach combined with 4D thinking from the ocean, and the processes within it, towards the land. It is in fact a social-ecological concept that deals with sustainability challenges which are the consequence of the complex interactions between human activities and the marine environment at all scales. Ocean space is a critical player in the Earth System, it’s central to climate regulation, the hydrological and carbon cycles and nutrient flows, it balances levels of atmospheric gases, it’s a source of raw materials, and a sink for anthropogenic pollutants. On a human scale, it is impressively large. On a planetary scale, however, it’s insignificant, although it’s an ancient feature of the Earth.Sustainability in ocean space is still an emerging issue. Since the early seventeenth century the Grotian notion of Mare Liberum, has dominated the unsustainable, use of ocean resources. Grotius, main challenge was to warrant freedom of navigation, trade, fisheries and whaling for the Dutch Republic. He was not at all interested in sustainability. In the 1960s Arvid Pardo introduced the principle of the ‘Common Heritage of Mankind’, which is incorporated in the present international Law of the Sea. It is an ethical and even today, controversial concept.In this paper the global sustainability framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and regional European developments with regard to its shared Exclusive Economic Zone, are discussed. It is concluded that for sustainability in ocean space, a more up-to-date and integrated or holistic, approach is urgently needed.