Introduction
The sea has always played an important role in the life of those people who live around its shores. In prehistoric times, the sea was the major highway and used of course for trading. For thousands of years people have gone back and forth to the sea, using it like a living larder in their struggle for survival. In the twentieth century, its coastal strips are being changed beyond recognition, as wave after wave of invading tourists hit the beaches, carrying with them all their waste products. But development on such a scale does not bring similar benefits to all. A few individuals may profit, while whole communities and populations have to adapt to a steadily ,deteriorating environment.
However, to have any genuine understanding of the nature and the degree of the present difficulties being experienced in the marine environment, it is necessary to have some detailed knowledge of the principles which govern its function, as well as to know something about the effects which will result from the disturbance of its equilibrium. Otherwise it is not possible to judge if the actions taken actually succeed in protecting the environment, or if it is possible to assess their long and short term effects in relation to other human activities. To make a comprehensive study of Marine Ecology (whose history goes back more than a hundred years) cannot be done realistically within the framework of this internet compendium. The intention is to present its basic principles so that a reasonably accurate view of the marine environment can be obtained by the user, whether in the academic or vocational fields. Solutions to marine environment problems cannot usually be found without intergovernmental co-operation because, while land territory is under the jurisdiction (and supervision) of each individual state, in the seas and oceans there are extended areas considered as "no-man's land". Unthinking and uncontrolled use of these areas, the over-exploitation of their natural resources through, for instance,over-fishing, and the dumping of every kind of pollutant have had a major impact on the adjacent coastal countries, on wider geographic areas and on the planet itself.
ICESOne of the first international attempts to tackle the problems introduced by harvesting the resources of the sea brought about the establishment of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ( ICES) in 1902. This Council has a mainly fisheries and environmental orientation. Its advisory function is concentrated on fisheries policy (stock management) and environmental questions posed by International Organizations such as HELCOM and OSPARCOM. UNEPThe United Nations Organization created UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) in 1970. One of its aims was the collection of data in respect of various parameters related to marine the Barcelona Convention on the Protection of the Mediterranean was convened. This seminal conference discussed the measures necessary for the prevention and control of pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. This led directly to the Mediterranean Action Plan) and the Barcelona Convention itself, as well as to the Coordinated Mediterranean Research and Monitoring Programme (MEDPOL). This was to be the assessment (i.e., scientific and technical) arm of the Mediterranean Plan. Other ConventionsIn the more general UN framework, a series of international conventions was worked out and then signed by different countries. Conventions such as OILPOL (1954) for the prevention of oil pollution of the marine environment, MARPOL 73/78 (1973) for the prevention of marine pollution caused by ships, and a series of other conventions and protocols form a contemporary legal framework which regulates the relation between human activities and the seas. EU - MAST ProgrammeThe European community has also taken action in its direction of research and protection of the marine environment. The MAST MAST Programme (Marine Science and Technology) which was first adopted in mid 1989 as a three-year pilot programme, and has continued right up until 1998, promotes advanced research in respect of the marine environment and marine technology. Its overall objective is to contribute to establishing a scientific and technical base for the exploration, exploitation, management and protection of the seas around Europe namely the northwest European shelf, the North Atlantic up to the polar seas, and the Mediterranean. A large part of the work on the North Atlantic shelf edge and in the Mediterranean is coordinated in the form of two large multi-disciplinary projects, the North Atlantic Targeted Project (NATP) and the Mediterranean Targeted Project ( MTP). EU - FISHERIESThere are also programmes for the co-ordination of the exploitation in the domain of fisheries like FISHERIES, FAR, FAIR, and AIR which have as one of their major objectives the rationalization of marine resources exploitation as well as protection against over-fishing and environmental impact.. The Common Fisheries Policy was established in 1983 and grew gradually, often in response to international developments. One such important development was the widespread move in the 1970s by coastal states to extend their fishing zones under international law to 200 nautical miles. Clearly, concerted action within the EU was needed and this was taken in the framework of the CFP. The most important development was to suspend freedom of access to another countryÕs coastal waters for 10 years and to reserve coastal bands 6-12 miles wide for local fishermen and those who had traditionally fished such waters. Certain EU programmes are targeted towards the environment in general, but cover aspects which are related to the sea, like LIFE, ENVIREG, ENVIRONMENT, MEDSPA,ACE, ACNAT, CADMIUM, POLLUTION etc. These focus their interest on different aspects (scientific, administrative etc.) and towards different levels (Community,national, regional). Finally in all the large-scale actions financed by the European Community, one of the basic prerequisites is the carrying out of an Environmental Impact Study which,in the case of marine environment related actions, has to include the measurement of important parameters of physical, chemical and biological oceanography. 1992 Rio ConferenceAt the International Conference for the Environment which took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 three major principles for the protection of the environment were outlined and agreed in principle. |
In response to the growing awareness
of the problem, 
It is therefore no accident that
various International Organizations have established long-term programmes for the