A PECC International Project
Sustainable Management of Marine Resources 2011‐2012
Concluding Seminar

The Management of Deep Sea Marine Resources andOceans as a Means of Communication
December 4‐5, 2012, Auckland, New Zealand
Co‐hosted and organized by NZPECC, FPTPEC, and the University of Auckland
BACKGROUND
Major economic, environmental and social challenges come to the fore when dealing withmanagement of oceans and coastal areas. An integrated and sustainable management of marine
resources is a prerequisite for better protection and use of marine resources while also allowing forthe development of various recreational and economic activities. Economic activities and facilities
are mostly located on coastal areas. Today, 40% of the world’s population lives in the coastal areas orwithin a 70km range; in particular, in the emerging economies of the Asia‐Pacific region. The WorldBank estimates that by 2025 this figure would dramatically increase. Such challenges deserve aserious attention; they have a worldwide bearing. Oceans account for more than 75% of earth’ssurface; and it is for this very reason that it is necessary to promote a sustainable management of theoceans.
On October 22, 2010, at the PECC Standing Committee meeting in Tokyo, a PECC international
project on the Protection and Sustainable Management of Marine Resources, in a series of threeseminars, proposed by FPTPEC was endorsed. New Caledonia constituency of FPTPEC hosted the firstseminar, followed by second hosted by the East West Center and the Natural Energy Laboratory ofHawaii Authority (NELHA) in Hawaii, and the concluding seminar is to take place in Auckland, New
Zealand on December 4‐5, 2012, hosted by NZPECC and the University of Auckland. The PECCInternational Secretariat is providing support to the lead organizing committee FPTPEC.
PAST SEMINARS
The first seminar was held in November 2011 in Nouméa, New Caledonia, focusing on the Protectionof Ocean’s Resources including fisheries, ocean and coastal area protection regulations, andmanagement of challenges from global climate change.
The Nouméa seminar has put forward four main issues:- an increased vulnerability of the coastline due to climate change;- a need to change direction immediately to avoid risks for international security;- a need for more solidarity amongst countries worldwide; and- a need for new economic models for a better governance.
The second seminar entitled, “Oceans as a Source of Renewable Energy” held in Hawaii in March
2012, with the support of the East West Center and NELHA, covered four key areas:- Development of new technologies for efficient use of marine energy;- New energy sources to the sea: the operation of ocean thermal energy conversion(mainly in the Pacific), wave energy, tidal energy, the hydraulic energy, etc.;- the means to increase the use of marine energy through technical and financial support
from the public and private sector; and- the role of marine energy in the future cities and the adaptation requirements of urban
infrastructures.

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The seminar highlighted a number of aspects to the various benefits and constraints to new forms ofocean energy. For example, the use of ocean thermal technology is useful for dense urban centers,with proximity to deep seas to benefit from significant differences in temperature between warm
surface water and cold water from significant depth. Seawater air conditioning technology is simple
and reliable for cooling buildings, and operational in many cities around the world. Wind turbines are
more efficient on the sea than onshore as wind is more regular and consistent. Current energy isdeemed more predictable and consistent than wave energy. In general, however, environmental
conditions at sea are harsher and more aggressive than on land due to quicker corrosion, problems ofanchoring, and accelerated aging. Technologies are available; taking the innovation to work inmarketplace and to grow in economy of scale is the biggest existing challenge, which would needsizable companies to buy into, and invest in the new technologies.
The expected benefits of marine energy are significant: less dependence on oil, lower power
consumption, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (and even zero emissions), minimal or no refuse,
and reduced use of water resources. However, this requires rethinking the integration of urban
services in developing better governance, by seeking the agreement of stakeholders and developing
public‐private partnerships. Existing networks are not formatted for renewable energy. It is therefore
necessary to revisit the entire chain of production and distribution if we wish to develop renewableenergy.
AUCKLAND SEMINAR
While building on the two previous seminars, the concluding seminar held in Auckland also broughtin new aspects to the broad theme of marine resources management. It is now more obvious that
despite the strong potential of marine resources, market by itself will not be enough to facilitate theirfurther development; it would require all stakeholders to contribute concerted efforts and financial
support. The development of marine resources calls for strong political will in support of theresearch and development efforts conducted by the private sector. A thorough and well‐thought out
industrial policy is required to develop a solid industry. In addition, various socio‐economic as well as
technical and environmental barriers should not be neglected: the need to collect more reliable data
for sound decision‐making, development of new digital tools, risks related to operations at sea,
evolution and compatibility of norms must also be tackled. This is a multidisciplinary field where
technologies are not yet stabilized or sufficiently protected.
We are facing a new paradigm; new research and new investments will be required to develop asound exploitation of oceans’ resources, namely when considering deep sea exploration. Somesources of exploitation of marine minerals are more likely than others to further develop andbecome viable; the transition from experimentation to exploitation will then define internationallyrecognized standards. The development of clusters and alliances between local and multinationalfirms will become necessary to develop high technology and risky exploitation. It will provide lessdeveloped economies with the possibility to reap benefits from the exploitation of their oceans’natural resources even without having mastered the technology. Such development also requires
calls to the financial and development sectors, mainly through public‐private partnership.
Exploitation of oceans requires also the capacity for the economies, owners of the resources, to beable to control and protect them from non‐authorized users. New technologies are to be
implemented for a better surveillance of the oceans. Considering the increasing global call for newresources, the legal aspects related to access, preservation and environmental protection are not tobe neglected.
The contents of the series of three seminars will be published as a PECC international publication in2013.

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