Information & Meetings
	Conferences & events
	New Coastal Publications

Organisations
	New Website Links

Environment
	Ministerial Declaration on Water Security
	World Commission on Water draws bleak conclusions
	IUCN's Vision for Water and Nature
	"Erika" damage difficult to assess

Development & Trends
	Caspian oil and gas reserves viewed critically

Policy
	EU promotes short sea shipping on environmental grounds
	Ocean 21 Programme focuses on sustainable coastal management

Funds
	NATO supports (environmental) R&D in partner countries

Events recently announded
 

April 3 - May 8	Email Conference "HOW CAN MARINE RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY WORK TOGETHER IN THE FUTURE?" Info: e-mail: Mario.Catizzone@cec.eu.int, Announcement, Conference website
April 13 - 14	ECSA (Estuarine & Coastal Sciences Association) Local Meeting 2000, Cardiff, UK. Info: fax: +44 1222 668935, e-mail: ParryFG@cardiff.ac.uk
April 26 - 28	Marine Exclusion Zones in Europe: A facilitated, multidisciplinary conference with research funding, Southampton, UK. Info: fax:  +44 (0)23 9284 4037, e-mail: helen.pickering@port.ac.uk, carl.james@port.ac.uk, Conference website
May 10 - 12	ECLAT-2 Blue Workshop "Climate Scenarios for Water-Related and Coastal Impact", Lage Vuursche, The Netherlands. Info: fax: +31 30 2210407, e-mail: beersma@knmi.nl, Conference website
May 17 - 20	International Conference "Coastal Zone: the way to XXI Century", Kiev, Ukraine. Info: fax: +38 044 3229, e-mail: karbon@webber.net.ua

Please note:
The year 2000 overview of the Coastal Guide conference and event  meeting list can be found at http://www.coastalguide.org/meetings/
 
 

New Coastal Publications
 
 

Communicating Nature Conservation - a manual on using communication in support of nature conservation policy and action Ed. by Sandra Rientjes (2000, 96 pp.). European Centre for Nature Conservation, P.O. Box 1352, 5004 BJ Tilburg, the Netherlands. Fax +31 13 4663250. http://www.ecnc.nl   ISBN 90 802482 9 0. Price NLG 35.00, 16.00 euro. This is a book on communication in support of nature conservation activities. It is a short introduction into communication, as well as a practical guide focusing on two main topics: developing effective and efficient communication campaigns in support of nature conservation policy or plans and using communication in a more interactive way to establish partnerships and create consensus among different stakeholders. The book is a practical manual and down to earth. Lengthy theoretical explanations are avoided; examples, checklists and case studies are found throughout the book to increase its utility.

International Law and Ocean Use Management. The evolution of ocean governance  By Lawrence Juda. (1996, 345 pp.). Routledge, Cheriton House, North Way, Andover SP10 5BE, UK. Fax + 44 1264 343005. ISBN 0 415 11271 0. Price UK £ 65.00. International law has played a special role in ocean use management since, until recently, ocean areas beyond narrow territorial seas were generally accepted as being outside the exclusive jurisdiction of any one state. But now, even in an age of expanded national jurisdiction in ocean areas, the continued inability of individual states to provide for the sustainability of marine living resources and the protection of the marine environment is apparent and continues to impel international co-operation and the development of widely accepted legal norms. This book seeks to place contemporary problems of ocean use management in an historical context. While examining individual problems such as those associated with overfishing, petroleum exploitation, shipping, and environmental protection, the author notes the need to seek solutions in ocean use management with a more integrated perspective.

The possible impacts of climate change on Pacific Island State ecosystems By William C.G.Burns. Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security Occasional Paper Series (2000), A PDF version can be downloaded from http://www.pacinst.org/climate.html

 

New Website Links

Georgian Black Sea Coast: biodiversity at risk: an EUCC partner, the Marine Association "Poseidon" in Georgia, opened a new web page recently at in which it highlights threats to coastal biodiversity along the Georgian Black Sea coast and calls for a long-term integrated conservation programme. 

EURO-Mediterranean Centre on Insular Coastal Dynamics - ICoD: focus on the interactive processes which occur at the coastal zone and in particular, of insular areas.

Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC): part of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) - practical activities which are expected to yield immediate results contributing to the protection and enhancement of the Mediterranean environment, Split, Croatia 

Mersey Basin Campaign: the Campaign brings together local authorities, businesses, voluntary organisations and government-sponsored agencies to deliver water quality improvements and waterside regeneration throughout the Mersey Basin river system, in the North west of England 

Check out the other Website Links on the Coastal Guide
 
 

Ministerial Declaration on Water Security

On  22 March, a gathering of ministers and heads of delegations will issue the "Ministerial Declaration of The Hague on Water Security in the 21st Century".  Recognising the great threats to water resources, discussion and actions on this issue started in Mar del Plata in 1977 and led to the World Water Vision and the Framework for Action. The Ministers are expected to commit themselves to advancing the process of collaboration to turn agreed principles into action. The actions advocated are based on integrated water resource management (IWRM), an instrument to meet THE SEVEN CHALLENGES: meeting basic needs, protecting ecosystems, securing food supply, sharing water resources, managing water related risks, valuing water and governing water wisely.  IWRM depends on collaboration and partnerships at and between all levels, based on political commitment to and wider societal awareness of the need for water security and the sustainable management of water resources.  The Declaration stresses coherence, co-ordination and consistency of policies and activities (of all concerned), which preferably should be in agreement with the Vision and Framework. It also stresses the importance of sharing knowledge and best practice and the formulation of targets, strategies and indicators with which to meet the challenge or monitor the progress.
The draft declaration can be downloaded as PDF file at http://www.worldwaterforum.org/index2.html
 

The World Commission on Water for the 21st Century warns that the current water crisis - in which one billion people do not have access to safe water and two billion people go without adequate sanitation - will worsen and affect millions more, unless action is taken now. In a new report, A Water Secure World: Vision for Water, Life and the Environment, the Commission outlines the seriousness of the current water crisis and makes recommendations on how we can achieve "global water security". The
Commission includes leading figures both from governmental and
non-governmental organisations world-wide. (For full text see URL as above).
 

One of the organisations represented in the World Commission for Water is the IUCN (The World Conservation Union). It's major contribution to the World Water Forum is a policy paper for the next 25 years called 'a world strategy for conservation and sustainable management of water resources in
the 21st century".  It argues that an ecosystems approach is needed to secure water resources and promotes as a tool integrated water basin management which includes coastal areas. A strategic alliance should be formed between development and nature conservation in order to achieve sustainability. A better involvement of local groups is also seen as key to success. Education, training and communication are viewed as essential tools as well as political freedom and guaranteed human rights. For more information visit: http://www.waterandnature.org/english/WhatsNew/index.html
 
 

Denis Bredin, the Regional Coastal Conservation Officer of Brittany, France, has drawn some conclusions for Coastal Guide News about the environmental impacts of the Erika oil tanker accident in December 1999 (see also CG News No 1 and 4): 
Three months after the tanker Erika sank off the coast of Brittany, oil pellets are still being washed ashore and many questions remain unanswered. How many tons of heavy oil were released, how many are still in the sunk wreck? How much of the registered pollution is actually due to other reasons such as illegal tank cleaning?
Most of the natural coastal habitats are more or less damaged, oil residues were concentrated on the coast line: upper beaches, lower sand dunes, marshes, rocky shore, and estuaries. On some places, cleaning activities caused additional damage to natural areas. However, the damage has been less than in previous oil spill disasters  (Torrey Canyon, Amoco Cadiz, Tanio) as the lesson was learnt to avoid storage of oily wastes on natural habitats and in inaccessible sites to allow an easy evacuation towards treatment units.
The impact on birds is tremendous, close to 60 000 corpses were gathered. After the Amoco Cadiz oil spill, ornithologists concluded than only 10 to 20 % of birds oiled on open sea reach the coast which gives an idea how many actually died from the Erika accident. Most effected are Guillemots that are wintering in large numbers in this part of the Atlantic. This pollution might seriously effect other European bird populations as well although it will be difficult to pinpoint the cause. 
Last but not least, local people are suffering economically, in particular fishermen, oyster farmers and those involved in tourism. Cleaning operations will continue for an uncertain length in time and the costs will surely surpass the amount the compensation funds, insurance companies and Total Fina have allocated.
 
 
 
 
 

Caspian oil and gas reserves viewed critically

The 17th issue of the electronic newsletter "Caucasus Environmental News" published by the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), provides some information and political analysis of the latest developments of oil and gas exploitation in the Caspian Sea and transportation to Georgian Black Sea ports. One NGO representative claims that environmental organisations in the region do not have sufficient knowledge and experience for monitoring the ecological impacts of the oil and gas industry and that the public needs better access to information. The newsletter is published on http://cenn.virtualave.net or http://post.net.ge/cenn.
 

EU promotes short sea shipping on environmental grounds

According to its Resolution of 14 February, the Council of the European Union "addresses the need of promoting short sea shipping, focusing in particular on the removal of obstacles for its development as an environmentally friendly transport mode and invites the Member States and the Commission to take measures". It also invites the Commission to develop "tools to measure emissions from door-to-door transport chains containing a short sea leg in comparison with transport in one single mode in order to facilitate a reasoned choice of transport modes". For full text see: http://www.europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/dat/2000/c_056/c_05620000229en00030004.pdf
 

Ocean 21 Programme focuses on sustainable coastal management

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the International Geographical Union call for collaboration on the Ocean 21 Programme "Science for sustainable use of ocean and coastal zones" which aims at mobilizing interdisciplinary efforts on ocean and coastal management. The Programme foresees two publications series, conferences and other activities. For more information, http://ioc.unesco.org/icam/Oceans%2021.htm, or contact the organizer Prof. Adalberto Vallega, e-mail: vallega@polis.unige.it 

NATO supports (environmental) R&D in partner countries

The "NATO Science for Peace sub-programme" Call for Proposals is valid until 1 June. It aims to offer support to Partner countries in their transition towards a market-oriented, environmentally sound economy. The sub-programme supports applied research and development projects that relate to industrial or environmental problems in Partner countries, when such problems require close collaboration between research and industry or between research and other end-users. It is open for a list of countries in transition and NATO members.
Application forms at: http://www.nato.int/science/sfp-appl.htm
 
 

COASTAL GUIDE NEWS is a biweekly newsletter published by the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) 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, P.J. van der Hulst, Irene Lucius, René van Oers, and Albert Salman.
 

Established in 1989, the European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) 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, POBox 11232, NL-2301 EE Leiden, the Netherlands, tel.: +31-71-5122900, internet: http://www.eucc.nl 
 

© European Union for Coastal Conservation