Untitled - The Future Ocean

echtlichen und ökonomischen Rahmenbedingungen unter Berücksichtigung ökologischerAuswirkungen andererseits konzentrieren. Die Forschergruppe wird dabei den Schwerpunkt zumeinen auf die derzeitige Regulierung der Ozeannutzung im Rahmen der Seerechtskonvention derVereinten Nationen, zum anderen auf zukünftige Entwicklungen im Lichte der oben genanntenökologischen, ökonomischen und naturwissenschaftlichen Erfordernisse setzen. DieUntersuchungen müssen dabei die unterschiedlichen von den Küstenstaaten ausgeübtenHoheitsrechte im Küstenmeer, die der jeweiligen ausschließlichen Wirtschaftszone und die imBereich des Tiefseebodens berücksichtigen.Relationship between sovereign countries, national and international law and the impact of thesefactors, including rules, incentives and the allocation of property rights, on economic activities inthe ocean.2. State-of-the-ArtThe international law of the sea is characterized by its codification in the UNCLOS and a growingset of global and regional conventions which cover either regional seas or specific uses of the seas(Jenisch 2006). Nevertheless, (coastal) states continue to be the main actors in the regulation andexploitation of maritime resources with the European Union (EU) and play an increasinglyprominent role (Jenisch 2004). It is against this background that legal research in the areacontinues to focus on the extent of national prerogatives to regulate maritime matters in the variouszones and their interrelationship with applicable rules of international law, including the freedom ofthe high seas and the concept of the ‘common heritage of mankind’.Since no clear and comprehensive legal framework has been established to cover theenvironmental protection of internal waters and the territorial sea or areas which belong to theexclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the high seas, the various types of use and the complexity ofthe marine ecosystem cause complicated interactions which often lead to international conflicts (cf.Figure). In many cases it is unclear whether certain measures will help to improve the ecologicalquality of a given maritime area (Colijn and Garthe 2006). Therefore, there is a need formultidisciplinary research which combines ecological knowledge on the one hand and legal88