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This study employs the literature research method, wherein the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and relevant international environmental laws are systematically reviewed. Environmental protection obligations pertaining to the construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea are explored through the integration of typical cases—such as the “Johor Strait reclamation case” and the “South China Sea Island construction case”—as well as marine environmental monitoring data. The research findings indicate that China’s construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea does not violate international environmental law in terms of environmental protection, and the right to determine the publicity scope of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) results is entitled to sovereign states. The establishment of a community of shared future for marine environmental protection and the strengthening of international cooperation in the construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea are identified as the key pathways toward sustainable development. The construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea is regarded as a key component of China’s maritime strategic layout. Not only is national sovereignty and resource development involved, but far-reaching significance for regional economic development is also embodied therein. However, the environmental protection issues arising from the construction of islands and reefs have attracted widespread international attention. The accusations raised by the Philippines in the South China Sea Arbitration case have underscored the complexity and sensitivity of this issue. Against this backdrop, an in-depth study on the environmental protection obligations associated with the construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, from the perspective of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is deemed crucial. This research will not only help China accurately grasp the requirements of international laws and regulations in the process of island and reef construction and safeguard the country’s maritime rights and interests, but also promote the advancement of Marine Ecological Sustainability. Furthermore, valuable Chinese wisdom and solutions will be provided for global marine environmental protection through this study.

Marine resource management programs face conflicting mandates: to scale-up marine conservation efforts to cover larger areas and meet national and international conservation targets, while simultaneously to downscale and decentralize management authority to resource users and local communities. These conflicting goals create tensions in marine resource management. This paper explores these tensions by presenting and evaluating the outcomes of a fisheries co-management program on the island of Pemba, Tanzania, where institutions and scale were configured and reconfigured under externally funded programs to improve marine conservation through co-management. The initial institutional arrangements for co-management supported a functioning system to protect marine resources, ensure fishermen’s access, and distribute tourism revenues. However, a subsequent push to scale-up marine management reconfigured institutional arrangements and power in a more hierarchical and potentially weaker system. With the expansion of the co-management program, protected area coverage, financial resources, and the number of community organizations created for fisheries co-management expanded tremendously; however, community participation in marine management decreased, and the fishermen’s association previously involved in co-management dissolved. Several factors contributed to this outcome: inadequate time to solidify co-management institutions and arrangements, diverse resource users inexperienced with local management, a sudden and substantial new source of funding, and political pressures to restructure marine management. Rather than focusing primarily on expanding coverage and devolving authority, it is important to adapt co-management arrangements to the local contexts in which they operate.

Due to a variety of reasons, the previous century is characterized by an extraordinary growth in car use that has continued into the current century. This has resulted in serious environmental repercussions. Despite technological advancements, the externalities remain an ecological threat that can not be discarded by policy makers. Therefore, it is essential that policy makers focus on reducing car use and on stimulating the shift towards more environment-friendly transport modes. In this study, Q-methodology is adopted as the technique to segment people, and to ascertain which approaches and determinants matter to medium distance travel. Segmentation is important, as policy measures will be more efficient and effective if they are fine-tuned on specific target groups. The analysis revealed that four discourses preponderate the paradigm of environmentally sustainable transport: travelers who use public transport as a dominant alternative, car-dependent travelers, travelers with a positive perception of using public transport, and travelers with a preference for car use. Concerning rational, economic motives, individuals evaluate travel time reliability as most important. To increase the reliability policy makers should consider the use of separate bus lanes and traffic light manipulation. In addition, public transport can be made even more attractive, when costs of cars are made more variable by road or congestion charging. When the s motives are discussed, the differences between the different groups of travelers were more pronounced. Next to increasing the benefits of using public transport, policy makers should also pay attention to removing psycho-social barriers.

The thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the CBD met in Cancun, Mexico, on 4–17 December 2016. Several decisions from this meeting have importance for coastal management efforts. The contracting parties to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) have endorsed fifteen networks for regional cooperation that provide support for wetland issues in specific regions. The twenty-third Conference of the Parties (COP-23) of the UNFCCC met in Bonn, Germany, on 6–17 November. Leaders of the Pacific SIDS attended the Climate Action Pacific Partnership Event in Suva, Fiji, on 3–4 July. The UNGA adopted a resolution concerning the development of an internationally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction during a December meeting of its seventy-second session. The government of Mexico increased the size of the Archipie´lago de Revillagigedo, located in the nation’s eastern Pacific Ocean coast, honouring a request of the World Heritage Committee, as a means by which to extend the size of the marine reserve and enhance its legal protection from tourism and fishing activities. At the Economist’s World Ocean Summit 2017, held in Bali, Indonesia, on 22–4 February, UN Environment launched the #CleanSeas campaign, a global initiative to eliminate the use of microplastics and single-use plastics by 2022. The nineteenth Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans convened in Cape Town, South Africa, on 29 November. The seventeenth Intergovernmental Meeting (IGM) on the Action Plan for the Caribbean Environment Programme and fourteenth meeting of the contracting parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Convention) were held in Cayenne, French Guiana, on 15–17 March. The fifty-third meeting of the head of delegations of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission and the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), the governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention) convened in Helsinki, Finland, on 15 December. The twenty-second IGM of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) took place in Toyama, Japan, on 19–21 December. The twenty-third IGM of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on 27–8 February. The twentieth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocol was held in Tirana, Albania, on 17–20 December. The 2017 meeting of the OSPAR Commission to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) convened in Cork, Ireland, on 26–9 June. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Pacific Community leadership members agreed to develop a joint Resilient Pacific Programme on 28 November in a strategic planning discussion held in Suva, Fiji. EC Directive 2008/56 Establishing a Framework for Community Action in the Field of Marine Environmental Policy lists marine litter as an issue of great concern. The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, signed in 2004, entered into force on 8 September.

Grenada hosted the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting in preparation for climate change negotiations at the twenty-second session of the Conferences of the Parties (COP-22) for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to be held in Marrakesh, Morocco on 7–18 November. In July, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Agence Franc¸aise de Developpement (ADB) signed an agreement worth US $33 million to finance sustainable infrastructure projects in the Caribbean. The third meeting of the Scientific, Technical and Advisory Committee (STAC) to the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol) in the Wider Caribbean convened in Miami, United States, from 31 October to 4 November. Experts on fisheries laws and procedures met in international export trade, Barbados over a two-day meeting on 14–15 December 2016 to design a new seafood safety regime for the region’s fishery products that will allow for the international export trade of up to US $315 million per year. The twentieth Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean convened in Cartagena, Colombia on 28–31 March. Representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean met in Panama City, Panama on 14 March as part of a regional consultation on the State of Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean. The World Bank mission responsible for the Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project convened a meeting with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) in Castries, Saint Lucia, on 1–3 November. The President of Guyana, David Granger, addressed the seventy-first United Nations General Assembly on 19 September to affirm his nation’s commitment to addressing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In May, the ACS announced a $3.4 million project grant from the government of the South Korea to determine and address the impact of coastal erosion and sea level rise in the Caribbean. The incoming chairman of CARICOM—Jovenel Moise, president of the Republic of Haiti—announced on 31 December the aim to make the Caribbean the first climate-resilient region of the world. At the One Planet Summit held on 12 December in Paris, France, to review progress on the Paris Agreement, Caribbean leaders announced a plan to create a climate-smart zone in the region. The seventeenth Intergovernmental Meeting on the Action Plan for the CEP and the fourteenth Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region convened in Cayenne, French Guiana on 15–17 March. The CRFM and the Japan International Cooperation Agency held a two-day meeting from 30 November to 1 December to review the outcomes of the Caribbean Fisheries Co-Management Project that both entities had jointly coordinated across six OECS member states. The IDB approved a $35 million loan to the government of the Bahamas to build coastal resilience via the development of coastal protection measures and integrated management. The sixth meeting of the OECS Ocean Governance Team was held at the OECS Commission in Castries, Saint Lucia, on 13–17 February. Representatives from the OECS member states, the UK Hydrographic Office and National Oceanographic Center, the World Bank Group, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the CRFM discussed ways to strengthen ocean governance and identify blue growth partnerships, in support of the transition to a blue economy in the OECS region. Five regional organizations—the Organization of the Central American Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector, the Central American Commission for Environment and Development, the CARICOM Secretariat, the CRFM, and the OECS—established the Interim Coordination Mechanism (ICM) for the ‘Sustainable Management, Use and Protection of the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems’ (the CLME+ region) on 27 July through an MOU. Jamaica’s Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, UNESCO Kingston, and the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO held a symposium and workshop on the impacts of climate change on World Heritage in the Caribbean in Kingston, Jamaica, on 29–31 May.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES for its acronym in English), the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI), the Regional Committee of Marine Fisheries and Marine Aquaculture of Guadeloupe (CRPMEM for its acronym in French) the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (Belize). [...]party materials. ABBREVIATIONS AC Animals Committee CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CF conversion factor CFMC Caribbean Fishery Management Council CLME+ Caribbean and North Brazil shelf Large Marine Ecosystem CoP Conference of the Parties CRFM Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism CRPMEM-IG Comité régional des pêches maritimes et des elevages marins de Guadeloupe EAFM ecosystem approach to fisheries management EEZ exclusive economic zone ESA Endangered Species Act FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FMP fisheries management plan GCFI Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute GEF Global Environmental Facility IUU illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing NDF non-detriment finding NFA national fisheries authority NGO non-governmental organization NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NTAC national total allowable catch OECS Organization of Eastern Caribbean States OIRSA Regional International Organization for Plant Protection and Animal Health OSPESCA Organization for the Fishing and Aquaculture Sector of the Central American Isthmus PROCARIBE Protecting and Restoring the Ocean's natural capital, building resilience and supporting region-wide Investments for sustainable blue socioeconomic development (in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems) QC Queen conch QCWG Queen conch working group SC Standing Committee SICA Central American Integration System SNP single nucleotide polymorphisms SOMEE The State of the Marine Environment and associated Economies SSTAG Scientific, Statistical and Technical Advisory Group SVGEF Saint Vincent and Grenadines Environment Fund TAC Total Allowable Catch Limits UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development USVI United States Virgin Islands VMS vessel monitoring systems WECAFC Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission WG Wildlife Conservation Society BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES 1. Qualitative progress of the regional Queen conch fisheries and conservation management plan Recommend updating the qualitative values collected in 2019 2020 with additional communication among all countries in the Wider Caribbean participating in the Queen conch fishery and using the information presented at the 2021 working group meeting.

Monitoring of the ocean environment in southern California, USA, has been conducted by a diverse array of public and private organizations with different motivations, working on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. To create a basis from which to integrate information from these diverse programs, we conducted an inventory of ocean monitoring activities in the Southern California Bight to address the following questions: (1) How much money is being expended annually on marine monitoring programs? (2) Which organizations are conducting the most monitoring? (3) How are resources allocated among the different types of monitoring programs? This inventory focused on programs existing, or those expected to be in existence, for at least 10 years and that were active at any time between 1994 and 1997. For each program identified for inclusion in this study, information was collected on the number of sites, sampling intensity, parameters measured, and methods used. Levels of effort were translated into cost estimates based upon a market survey of local consulting firms. One hundred fourteen marine monitoring programs, conducted by 65 organizations and costing US $31 million annually, were identified. Most of the effort (81 programs, 65% of samples, 70% of costs) was expended by ocean dischargers as part of their compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements. Federal programs (11 programs, 25% of samples, 10% of total expenditures) expended more than state or local government programs. More than one quarter of monitoring expenditures were conducted to measure concentrations and mass of effluent inputs to the ocean. The largest effort expended on receiving water monitoring was for measuring bacteria, followed by sediments, fish/shellfish, water quality, and intertidal habitats. The large level of expenditures by individual agencies has presented opportunities for integrating small, site-specific ocean monitoring programs into regional- and national-scale monitoring and assessment programs.

This paper describes the economic importance of the service sector in Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) countries and current barriers to trade in services between CEFTA countries. It looks at four sectors: construction, land transport, legal services, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services. The intent is to stimulate dialogue on trade in services between decision-makers in CEFTA countries. In CEFTA economies, export of services accounts for about 10 percent of GDP in non coastal countries and much more in coastal countries, where foreign currency earnings from tourism are the dominant form of service = exports. Though CEFTA countries have opened their markets considerably, mostly because they are pursuing accession to the European Union (EU) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), there are still obstacles to trade in services. Some, such as the movement of professional workers, are general; others are sector-specific. In what follows, the next section illustrates the importance of the services sectors in CEFTA economies and analyzes trends in services trade and in intraregional trade for countries that have such data available. The third section describes general barriers to trade in services, and specific barriers for the four sectors specified. The analysis reviews the legal and institutional framework for trade in services and features assessments by regional companies that export such services. The final section summarizes the findings.