Countries were encouraged to develop regional and national programmes to prevent, reduce and control land-based activities that degrade the marine environment. Canadian leadership was also instrumental in encouraging the first Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council to adopt an Arctic Regional Programme of Action with seven other Arctic nations in September, 1998. As part of the implementation of this initiative, Arctic nations are developing national programs and collaborating to address priority pollution sources within the Russian Federation. All comments were addressed in the final version of the National Programme of Action. There are also provisions for pollution prevention plans to better control pollution earlier.
Oceans are critical to all life on Earth.
They are an essential source of water, food and oxygen and are a finite source that must be protected. The oceans also have a powerful influence on our climate. The degradation of the marine environment is a global problem that calls for action at national, regional and international levels. The impacts from land-based activities include closures of shellfish growing areas, degraded beaches, destroyed habitat and contaminated sites. The major threats to the health, productivity and biodiversity of the marine environment result from land based human activities in coastal areas as well as further inland.