IUCN is working in West Africa to review the negotiation of access agreements between the European Union and coastal states. Strengthening regional institutions will be the next phase of this process, drawing particularly on a South-South dialogue between West Africa and the small island states of the South Pacific. C overing 70 percent of the Earth s surface, the oceans have long been treated as a dumping ground. Hundreds of millions of tons of toxic chemicals, sewage, industrial waste and agricultural run-off enter the world s seas each year. At the same time, overfishing has already pushed at least 60 percent of the world s 200 most important commercial fish species to the brink of commercial extinction.
All signs point to a rapid decline in the state of the world s oceans.
Marking the Year of the Oceans , IUCN reached out to an international audience through Creating a Sea Change, developed in association with the World Wide Fund For Nature. Calling for action from governments, conservation organizations, industry, communities and individuals, this synthesis of IUCN s policy on marine issues outlines steps that could help ensure the future of the oceans and conserve their rich living diversity, and secure the future of the millions of people who depend on the oceans for their livelihoods. At the national level, IUCN is working in Mauritania to bring all relevant stakeholders together to discuss and prepare a comprehensive coastal management plan. All rights reserved.