Evolution of Specially Protected Marine Areas - Implications for Norway

Under international law of the sea coastal States may establish in relation to environmental pollution specially protected marine areas under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) Article 211(6) in co-operation with the International Maritime Organisa tion (IMO) and through compliance with various conditions. Other specially protected marine areas are allowed under international treaties including the Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Vessels, 1973, and Protocol, 1978, (MARPOL 73/78), thre e of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) agreements, and the Convention on Biodiversity. Up until the late 1990’s, one of the most utilised mechanisms currently, particularly sensitive sea areas (PSSA’s) permitted under LOSC Article 211(6) , were seldom put to use, including only Australia’s Great Barrier Reef established in 1990. However, in 1998 Cuba’s Sabana Camague Archipelago was designated by the IMO, and two new PSSA’s were designated in March 2002, areas around the U.S.’s Florida Ke ys and surrounding Colombia’s Malpelo Island. The Wadden Sea was recently designated, and a sixth area near Peru, Paracas National Reserve, is the most recent. Various States are considering PSSA proposals, and three are currently under discussion in the IMO, the Baltic Sea, the Canary Islands and the Galapagos Islands. Main research questions for the project include: ? What are the developments associated with specially protected marine areas generally under the practice of the International Maritime O rganisation (IMO) and States under law of the sea and the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD)? ? What are the guidelines developing under the IMO? ? How do these developments relate to Norway, with focus on the Barents Sea, and how can the conclusions contr ibute to a scientifically based policy development, relevant to Norway and other coastal States regarding particularly sensitive sea areas?