Sustainable use

Give examples of dead zones.

Give examples of coastal cities which contribute to coastal pollution.

Vocabulary

tide – морской прилив и отлив

tide of pollution – поток загрязнения

urban area – городская территория

dump – груда хлама, свалка

cesspool – сточный колодец, сточная яма

wastes – отходы

depredations of humanity – хищническое уничтожение человечеством

blubber – китовый жир

seals – тюлени

fatty tissues – жировая ткань, жировая клетчатка

untreated – необработанный, неочищенный

effluents – жидкие промышленные отходы

pulp and paper mills- целлюлозно-бумажный комбинат

fish processing plant – рыбообрабатывающий завод

oil refineries – нефтеперерабатывающий завод

Read the text and answer the following questions:

1. What is dead zone?

2. What are the main reasons of coastal pollution?

4. Why are dead areas expanding?

Coastal and ocean areas can be managed sustainably for the benefit of current and future generations, but only if concerted efforts can be made by national governments and the international community, acting together and working toward a common set of objectives.

At present government inaction toward ocean management and inability to enforce existing coastal regulations make problems of overuse, pollution, and resource degradation worse. Around the world, 177 nations have coastlines but fewer than 100 have developed coastal and near-shore management plans. While this number is nearly twice that in 1992, most countries have yet to move from planning to implementation.

Why is management of coastal and ocean resources so difficult? Coastal areas contain many different jurisdictions - local, regional and national - and involve different interests. In Brazil, for instance, coastal zone planners have to consult 20 levels of government. In the United Kingdom, 48 sub-national units of government, from Parliament to town councils, have authority to create an autonomous or semi-autonomous coastal management strategy. Such fragmentation of responsibility makes effective planning and program coordination an enormous challenge.

Nevertheless, there are compelling economic reasons to manage coastal and ocean waters better. Ocean ecosystems provide goods and services worth at least $21 trillion a year, over half of this from coastal ecosystems. The haul of seafood alone was valued at $91.2 billion in 2006 providing direct employment to at least 43.5 million people, the majority of them in Asia. China alone accounts for 12.6 million (30 per cent of the total number). In addition, as many as half a billion people draw their livelihoods indirectly from the sea: processors, packers, shippers, and distributors of seafood; shipbuilders and outfitters; and those working in marine-based tourism and the recreational fishing industry, among others.

There are also vital reasons relating to the ecological value of oceans. For example, coral reefs have been valued at $47,000 per square foot just for their shore protection functions alone. In Puget Sound, Washington, just one-third of a hectare of eelgrass is valued at over $400,000 annually in energy derived and nutrition generated for oyster culture, fisheries, and waterfowl.

A study carried out by WWF-Netherlands and the International Coral Reef Action Network in 2003 put the potential economic value of the world coral reefs at close to $30 billion a year; including their value for fisheries, coastal protection, tourism and recreation and biodiversity.

How can we manage coastal and ocean resources better? The blueprint for a sustainable management system has been outlined by WWF and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in 1998. The WWF/IUCN approach calls for a six-part strategy, as follows:

· All measures and practices to conserve marine biodiversity and ecological processes must take human needs into account;

· The concept of stewardship must be fostered through education and awareness creation;

· Communities must be empowered to protect and manage their marine and coastal resources;

· Social and economic incentives for conservation and sustainable use must be created;

· The inter-connectedness of the world ocean must be recognised through appropriate transboundary and international mechanisms;

· The precautionary principle must be applied to an ecosystem-based approach to management.

The foundation for sustainable management has already been put in place with the coming into force of the Law of the Sea Convention in 1994. It affords all states the right to manage marine resources within their 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). The problem is most developing countries do not have the money or the manpower to enforce regulations over such a vast expanse of sea. Small islands in the South Pacific, for example, are dwarfed by their EEZs, which are often 1,000 times larger than the islands which have to manage them.

A number of encouraging initiatives have been launched, but most are difficult to enforce. Two stand out: The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the UN Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, both launched in 1995. The Code of Conduct was adopted by 170 nations, but did not come into force until April 2002. As of January 2004, 30 nations had ratified it, including the US and the EU. The UN Agreement on Fish Stocks entered into force in December 2001, when Malta ratified it, bringing the total number of ratifications to 30.

In the final analysis, governments and regional bodies must take the lead in managing common waters and the resources they contain. UNEP Regional Seas Program and other international efforts must be given increased attention and resources to do a better job of managing fisheries. Instead of finding more ways of exploiting more species, it is time to look seriously at establishing sustainable yields and hold countries accountable. It is not too late to start preserving the ultimate source of all life on the 'blue planet'. But we must act, not just talk.

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