Five countries’ ocean and coastal policies are now on the shortlist for 2012 Future Policy Award which this year has the topic of the protection of oceans and coasts.

The Award will be given for one of six policies from five countries, with California (USA), Namibia, Palau, the Philippines, and South Africa still in the running. Thirty-one different policies from 22 countries were nominated, ranging from integrated ocean and coastal policies,marine protected area programmes to laws regulating fisheries, trade in marine products, marine litter and land-sea interactions.

The Future Policy Award, which will be announced at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in September 2012, is granted by the World Future Council, an international policy research organisation which aims to provide decision makers with effective policy solutions.

For this year’s theme the World Future Council is partnering with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with support from the Okeanos Foundation.

Overview of Shortlisted Policies

• California’s Ocean Protection Act, 2004 - Oceans and coasts play a central role in the economy and lifestyle in the State of California (USA). However,dense urban population and multiple uses of the marine environment have resulted in conflict over tight resources, unregulated coastal development and a decline in quality of the marine environment. The California Ocean Protection Act has accelerated ecosystem-based ocean management through marine spatial planning and has enabled the creation of 124 connected marine protected areas.
• Namibia’s Marine Resources Act, 2000 - Namibia successfully manages its marine resources and has instituted a more ecologically and economically sustainable fishing industry by implementing a rights-based and scientific approach to fisheries management. The Act established strict monitoring and control systems and regulations addressing the key drivers of degradation of marine capture fisheries: bycatch, illegal overcapacity from subsidies and harmful fishing gear.
• Palau’s Protected Areas Network Act – The Act establishes the framework for a network of marine and terrestrial protected areas ensuring a long-term sustainable use of natural resources. To date, 35 protected areas have been designated, with Palau seeking to protect 30 per cent of its near-shore marine environment and 20 per cent of its terrestrial environment by 2020. Palau’s Shark Haven Act, 2009 which has declared its entire territorial waters as a sanctuary for all shark species, is also on the shortlist.
• Philippines’ Tubbataha Reefs National Park Act, 2010 - The Tubbataha Reefs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Coral Triangle a hotspot of marine biodiversity, is an example of successful coral reef conservation and a model for action on other coral reefs.
• South Africa’s Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008 - The Act defines coastal zone for the first time and sets guidelines for management plans at local, provincial and national levels. Complementary programmes have supported the goals of the act by employing vulnerable people to conserve the coastal environment.