Oceans and Law of the Sea. Ocean Briefing Book. Ocean Governance Earth's global commons are those areas that are not under the control of any single nation.
They include Antarctica, some air space, and the open ocean. The commons are seen by some as belonging to no one and therefore exploitable by anyone, but by others as belonging to everyone and therefore to be protected for the use of all, including future generations. World Heritage Centre - World Heritage Marine Programme. Our work in the field Management of World Heritage marine sites is increasingly challenging.
Climate change, marine pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing, invasive species all impact effective conservation. See how we support the World Heritage marine sites to ensure effective conservation and sustainable development of these exceptional places. World Heritage Centre - Damage to Great Barrier Reef assessed; stricter shipping surveillance proposed. An inspection team has found the damage resulting from the 3 April grounding of a bulk carrier on the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), a World Heritage site.
Initial inspections indicate the impact site covers approximately 2.5 km, and reef scarring and potentially toxic paint residue have been found. The coral and sea bed structure was completely crushed in some areas and approximately three tons of oil were leaked into the sea. Further assessments will be made in the coming days. Oceans. DEEPSEA CHALLENGE – National Geographic Explorer James Cameron’s Expedition. Ocean: boundaries of oceans and seas. Global Ocean Currents. Information about Australia's coast, including its estuaries and coastal waterways and climate change impact. Ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/image/etopo1_ocean_polys.png.