benefits to many sectors of great economic value, including fisheries, energy,
tourism and transport, as well as to climate change regulation, carbon
sequestration, habitat, biodiversity and influence on human health and well-being.
Additionally, the ocean biological system offers exciting opportunities for the
development of new drugs to treat many human ailments, such as asthma, tuberculosis and cancer. Marine biotechnology is a rapidly rising industry. Financial
benefits from worldwide sales of marine biotechnology-related products are estimated to represent at least a multi-billion dollar market. Economic losses can be
very substantial due to coastal erosion, degradation of coastal seas, removal of
discarded material and marine litter or debris, disturbances or failure of aquaculture
and fisheries, contaminated marine food and swimming areas by both dissolved
substances and particulate, suspended matter such as microplastics. In addition
large losses of human life and infrastructure are common due to natural hazards
from the ocean. The situation gives many incentives and opportunities for science,
technology and cooperation.
The deep ocean is still the last frontier of the planet, and the ocean and its seas
are still most shared by nations, exploited and least well known. It appears that the
resources in the ocean, on and in the seabed, represent a very large treasure for
humankind; this possibly being the case, why are they far from completely mapped
and the inventory very incomplete? The ocean bathymetry and tectonic conditions
are poorly known and incompletely mapped at the same time that the processes
there appear to have considerable influences on the conditions on the planet. This
situation is mirrored in the Resolution of the General Assembly “Transforming our
World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Goal no 14: “Conserve and
sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development.”
The interdependence, the global interconnectedness in context of achieving
sustainable development has been well recognized in relation to the world ocean.
Many countries have sea coasts and make use of the sea and the waters of the ocean.
The contents mix and interact without regard for human interference. The ocean has
played a leading role for development of international cooperation, trade and
exchange. This has been manifested in our time through the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 which entered into force in November
1994, providing the rule of law for the ocean. The same sentiments were demonstrated in the presentations of several ocean science, observation, data and information exchange and training programmes of the IOC and partners in the book
“Troubled Waters: ocean science and governance”, prepared for the fiftieth anniversary of the IOC (Holland and Pugh 2010). Its overall message is “that governments need to work together with greater urgency, to address the many natural and
man-made issues concerning the ocean; they need understand better the role that
ocean science can play and they need to develop much stronger ocean governance
mechanisms to profit from the knowledge obtained.” This harmonizes well with the
message and aim of the 2030 Agenda.
32 Development of International Cooperation in Oceanography: Incentives from. . .
531
tourism and transport, as well as to climate change regulation, carbon
sequestration, habitat, biodiversity and influence on human health and well-being.
Additionally, the ocean biological system offers exciting opportunities for the
development of new drugs to treat many human ailments, such as asthma, tuberculosis and cancer. Marine biotechnology is a rapidly rising industry. Financial
benefits from worldwide sales of marine biotechnology-related products are estimated to represent at least a multi-billion dollar market. Economic losses can be
very substantial due to coastal erosion, degradation of coastal seas, removal of
discarded material and marine litter or debris, disturbances or failure of aquaculture
and fisheries, contaminated marine food and swimming areas by both dissolved
substances and particulate, suspended matter such as microplastics. In addition
large losses of human life and infrastructure are common due to natural hazards
from the ocean. The situation gives many incentives and opportunities for science,
technology and cooperation.
The deep ocean is still the last frontier of the planet, and the ocean and its seas
are still most shared by nations, exploited and least well known. It appears that the
resources in the ocean, on and in the seabed, represent a very large treasure for
humankind; this possibly being the case, why are they far from completely mapped
and the inventory very incomplete? The ocean bathymetry and tectonic conditions
are poorly known and incompletely mapped at the same time that the processes
there appear to have considerable influences on the conditions on the planet. This
situation is mirrored in the Resolution of the General Assembly “Transforming our
World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Goal no 14: “Conserve and
sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development.”
The interdependence, the global interconnectedness in context of achieving
sustainable development has been well recognized in relation to the world ocean.
Many countries have sea coasts and make use of the sea and the waters of the ocean.
The contents mix and interact without regard for human interference. The ocean has
played a leading role for development of international cooperation, trade and
exchange. This has been manifested in our time through the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 which entered into force in November
1994, providing the rule of law for the ocean. The same sentiments were demonstrated in the presentations of several ocean science, observation, data and information exchange and training programmes of the IOC and partners in the book
“Troubled Waters: ocean science and governance”, prepared for the fiftieth anniversary of the IOC (Holland and Pugh 2010). Its overall message is “that governments need to work together with greater urgency, to address the many natural and
man-made issues concerning the ocean; they need understand better the role that
ocean science can play and they need to develop much stronger ocean governance
mechanisms to profit from the knowledge obtained.” This harmonizes well with the
message and aim of the 2030 Agenda.
32 Development of International Cooperation in Oceanography: Incentives from. . .
531