Skills Development, Community Participation, Marine Scientific Research, Information and Education 11. These skills can be enhanced through training and education to allow more effective management of marine and coastal environments. In addition, education can enhance the awareness of users of marine resources and the general community of marine issues. Community participation in the management of marine and coastal environments should be encouraged and facilitated.
Management therefore needs to be flexible and adaptive.
The Oceans Policy should stress the importance of flexible and adaptive management regimes which can take into account changing information and which actively use the management process to improve understanding. An assessment is needed of the skills which currently exist for management of the marine environment and research into marine issues, and the skills that are required. This will allow informed planning to develop and maintain the desired skills base. Current education and training opportunities in the full range of relevant skills and disciplines should be inventoried. A directory of relevant marine tertiary courses could be developed.