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Work Plan
August 1, 1997
Year of the Ocean
Background: The United Nations has declared 1998 to be the International Year of the Ocean (YOTO). This is an unprecedented opportunity to raise public awareness about and celebrate what has been accomplished in understanding and managing the sea and enhancing its exploration, utilization and conservation. U.S. ocean agencies, through the Ocean Principals Group (OPG) have initiated discussions concerning the U.S.’ potential contribution to the YOTO. The general approach is for all private sector organizations that operate in, are responsible for, or are concerned about the sea and the Great Lakes, and U.S. agencies with ocean and Great Lakes missions, to become involved in YOTO.
Goals:
Scope:
Exploration of the sea includes efforts to advance knowledge of the sea and Great Lakes through the basic sciences, mapping the sea and surveying and discovering its resources, and understanding the role of the ocean in weather and climate, and in natural hazards.
Sustainable use of coastal and ocean resources and areas encompasses living marine resources, as well as energy and mineral resources. The role of the oceans and Great Lakes in national security, marine transportation, waste management and recreation and tourism are also included, as is concern for mitigation and prevention of pollution and also natural hazards, such as shoreline erosion.
Conservation of the sea implies wise management of living and non-living resources, preventing and mitigating habitat loss and pollution, and also recognizing and protecting cultures that depend on the oceans and Great Lakes for their existence.
YOTO Approach
Internationally recognized "Theme" happenings provide unparalleled opportunities to focus public attention and effect changes. Successful examples similar to YOTO are the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction, which is improving awareness of and response to natural disasters in nearly every country on the globe, and the Earth Day celebrations that have done so much since 1970 to promote environmental awareness in the United States and elsewhere.
YOTO activities will include events and celebrations that heighten public awareness. These may include beach clean-ups or marine races or technical symposia, for example. The initiative for and control of the activities is with their organizers. The national role is to promote awareness of YOTO, encourage such activities in every quarter, and to coordinate and assist as appropriate. In promoting and coordinating outreach and recognition activities, the Federal Government will inform and educate the public on the importance of the oceans to daily lives, through benefits derived from the ocean or through impacts on the general welfare. If YOTO is to succeed as a forum wherein the public and private sectors come together to generate support for ocean activities, then we need to be able to convince unequivocally the farmer in Kansas that the oceans have as much impact on his life as they do on the waterman in Chesapeake Bay.
To bring substance and focus to YOTO, the OPG, with The Heinz Center, will engage stakeholders in an examination of ocean themes and issues in order to highlight what works well and what doesn’t work well, and to identify opportunities and barriers (see tables 1, 2 and 3). This will provide a rich intellectual agenda for the OPG and other stakeholders to draw from during the YOTO. It will be a "Make of it what you can and want" exercise and will provide a springboard for attention and implementation.
Developing and Implementing the YOTO Work Plan
Finances and Staff Support. Developing and implementing the YOTO work plan will require resources. Participating agencies will provide staff and in-kind resources. Direct costs associated with YOTO activities may include costs associated with developing and disseminating public awareness materials; preparing for and convening a national stakeholders’ meeting; and organizing other events and activities. The extent of activity undertaken will depend in part on the availability of staff support and contributions from the member agencies of the OPG. Limited private or foundation funding may be available as well. NOAA will continue to provide YOTO administrative and fiscal coordination to the extent necessary.
Public communications work group. A working group of OPG agencies has been established to coordinate the "Outreach and recognition" activities. This group will coordinate YOTO publicity, and awareness and educational activities. They will develop communications materials, maintain a YOTO home page and national events calendar, and undertake other public affairs initiatives, including helping to identify and engage stakeholders where necessary.
YOTO Themes and Issues. As described above, The OPG and The Heinz Center will engage stakeholders in a process to identify, conduct, coordinate and promote ocean activities to enhance YOTO. A major objective will be to bring focus to U.S. YOTO activities by establishing, through dialogue with stakeholders, the most significant elements of the national interest in the oceans. A steering group with leaders from government, industry, academia, and the environmental movement will oversee this process. The following themes will be addressed: maritime transportation, national security, ocean resources, marine environmental quality, recreation and tourism, weather, climate and natural hazards. Several important issues cut across these themes and will also be addressed. They are: the status of the science and technical base, including research programs and facilities; the completeness of the legal framework within which activities are governed and undertaken; the adequacy of regimes for managing marine areas, uses and resources; and the strength of the educational pipeline and overall attention to human resources, as well as the drive and the ability to continue to explore the oceans. Table 2 presents the themes and the key questions to be addressed. Table 3 describes the cross-cutting issues and key questions related to the issues. The table provides a starting point, which the Ocean Principals have begun to develop. The steering group for YOTO will continue to develop the themes, issues and key questions, and comments and perspectives from stakeholders are encouraged at any time.
Schedule and Milestones
June OPG agree on themes and issues, key questions, approach to involving stakeholders, and schedule.
Summer/Early Fall. Draft background papers on themes and issues (see outline below). Focus on what works and what doesn’t, opportunities and barriers.
Organize national meeting with stakeholders to discuss background papers.
Late Fall Convene national meeting.
Winter Meeting report is produced and reviewed by participants.
OPG meets to discuss and/or adopt recommendations from the background papers and to decide on a specific objectives for YOTO.
January ‘98 YOTO officially begins
Strategy for developing "YOTO Initiative" background papers. OPG work groups will develop a set of background papers on themes and issues, in order to provide a basis for dialogue with stakeholders. Pursuant to the table on "Themes, Issues and Key Questions", background papers will be prepared on the following topics:
Once these papers have been drafted, four additional papers on the cross-cutting issues will be prepared, which will synthesize relevant information on these topics.
The background papers will be to the point, and written for wide distribution. Following is a generic outline for the papers.
I. Scope of theme area (1 page)
II. Value of theme area (1-3 pages)
III. Describe existing policy framework and identify key strategic issues (3-5 pages)
IV. Highlight what works well and what doesn’t (3-5 pages)
V. Assess the status of the relevant science and technical base, including research programs and facilities (3-5 pages)
VI. Comment on the completeness of the legal framework in this tpic area (2-3 pages)
VII. Address the adequacy of the tools, techniques, organizations and arrangements for management (3-5 pages)
VIII. Describe issues pertaining to the educational pipeline and human resources in general.
IX. Highlight insights and opportunities to foster public interest in this ocean sector, and to encourage exploration and innovation. (1-2 pages)
X. Summary description of national needs and opportunities (2-3 pages)
The key questions identified in Tables 2 and 3 are intended as a starting point for addressing items IV through X above. Authors and contributors are expected to refine and revise the questions, addressing the topics that they deem to be most important.
Table 2 Themes and Key Questions
Themes |
Key Questions |
| 1. Maritime Transportation | A. How well prepared is the U.S. to
accommodate the growth in maritime trade, which is projected to double by 2020? B. What improvements are needed in the myriad products and services provided by the government that are essential for marine transportation? How can we encourage public and private partnerships to enhance marine services? C. What are the key issues in safe and efficient marine transportation? D. How can port state control of shipping be improved in the United States? E. How can waterways management be improved? F. Does the US need greater control over international shipping? How can enforcement be improved of existing agreements concerning maritime safety and environmental protection? G. What contribution can advances in technology make to achieving safe, efficient and environmentally sound marine transportation systems? H. What steps need to be taken to improve the efficiency of US ports? I. What is the state of readiness to respond to spill events? J. What further steps can be taken to manage operational impacts of shipping, for example discharges, noise, effects of anti-fouling coatings, ballast water discharges, and physical striking of marine mammals by ships? |
| 2. National Security | A. How do the oceans contribute to national
security? B. What is the status of the national capability for surveillance and detection, recovery of lost objects of national importance, and interdiction? C. How can sophisticated technologies developed for national security purposes be applied to economic and environmental purposes, for example to protect and manage marine species? D. What progress can be made consistent with the Law of the Sea Convention to address maritime boundary disputes, both domestic and also those international disputes that may affect U.S. interests? |
| 3. Ocean Resources | NOAA/NMFS NOAA/NOS USACE USCG DOI/USFWS DOS EPA DOAg DOI/MMS NOAA/NOS DOE DOI/USGS Navy USACE |
Living Resources A. What is the capacity of the ocean to produce livingmarine resources in a sustainable way? B. Where and to what extent are marine habitats important to marine biodiversity, degraded or becoming so? What can be done to provcide greater protection to important, imperiled marine habitats? C. What is the status of marine species, other than fisheries, in particular those that are protected? How can the rich and diverse flora and fauna (biodiversity) of the sea be conserved? D. What steps need to be taken to encourage the restoration and management of threatened, damaged or lost marine habitats and resources? E. What are the needs concerning restoration of marine habitats and resources that have been degraded or damaged as the result of pollution? Energy and Mineral Resources E. What are the prospects for continued development of nonrenewable energy resources from the continental shelves, slopes and ocean basins, and how can the resources be developed in an economically and environmental safe way? F. How important is the development of renewable energy from the oceans for certain regions and US islands? What are the global and US prospects for economic development of renewable ocean energy? G. What needs to be done to address the growing need to make sand available from offshore sources for shore protection and related purposes? |
| 4. Marine Environmental Quality | EPA NOAA USCG USGS USACE Navy/ONR DOS (Interagency Committee on Aquatic Nuisance Species) |
A. What is the status of our
knowledge of marine pollution sources, and the underlying physical, biological, and
chemical mechanisms of pollution transport, fate and effects? B. Are there limits to the ocean’s role as a sink for wastes? What more can be done to identify and control land-based sources of marine pollution, deliberate dumping, operational and accidental pollution from ships and offshore activities, as well as pollution from atmospheric fallout? C. What is our understanding of biological invasions in the oceans? What are their consequences for human health, food production, transportation and industrial activities? What is the status of monitoring and control measures? D. What is the status of measures to detect and control eutrophication, algae blooms and related stressed conditions in the sea? What is the connection between these kinds of events and outbreaks of disease, for example cholera and shellfish poisoning? E. Should the aquatic system be managed more comprehensively? What steps should be considered to ensure that freshwater flows into estuaries are sufficient for maintaining water quality, and also satisfactory conditions for migratory species? Is it necessary to provide added protections for fresh water aquifers in some coastal regions where aquifers may be subject to salt water intrusion? F. What is the status of efforts to monitor ocean health and seafood inspection programs to protect the public? |
| 5. Recreation and Tourism | NOAA/NOS DOI (NPS) USCG MARAD NOAA/NMFS EPA USACE DOC/TTA |
A. What is the size and scope of
marine recreation and tourism? B. How important are clean water, healthy habitats, safe marine activities and public access to the shore and the sea, and what is the government’s role in assuring these underlying conditions? C. Is it important for the size and scope of this important economic sector to be more fully understood and appreciated? |
| 6. Weather, Climate and Natural Hazards | NOAA/NWS NOAA/NOS Navy DOAg/NRCS FEMA USACE USGS |
A. How do the oceans influence
weather and climate? What is the status of our capability to forecast seasonal and
inter-annual ocean and weather conditions? How does the advancement of knowledge of the
coupled oceanic/atmospheric system improve our ability to understand and predict global
change and also changes in sea level? How does this capability contribute to the public
welfare? B. What physical hazards are presented by the oceans and how can life and property losses be mitigated? What is the status of prediction of synoptic as well as meso-scale storm events as well as tsunamis? What is the adequacy of environmental information that is necessary and available for managing shorelines? What is the status of shoreline and community protection in the US (from storm events and coastal erosion), and what measures may be indicated to improve shoreline management and protection from the ravages of the sea? |
TABLE 3: Cross-cutting Issues
| 1. Status of the science and technical base, including research programs and facilities | A. Why is knowledge of the ocean
important? What should be the major targets of research and exploration? What are the
opportunities? B. How does knowledge of the oceans contribute to human health? What is the status of marine biotechnology, and what are the opportunities? C. What are the trends in basic science and technology investment, programs and infrastructure? D. What have been the major contributions to the national welfare from the ocean sciences in the past fifty years? What has been the value of the national investment and what are the implications? E. How can domestic and international collaborations in oceans sciences be encouraged? |
| 2. Legal framework within which activities are governed and undertaken | A. How can the accession to, and
implementation and enforcement of relevant international agreements (both binding and
nonbinding) be promoted? B. What international actions or changes to domestic law are needed to address the findings from this analysis of themes and issues? |
| 3. Management of marine areas, uses and resources | A. What is the status of the
management of marine resources and areas in the US? Should greater use be made of special
purpose management regimes and areas? B. Should the state-federal partnership be strengthened to improve ocean management? C. What has been the success of regional approaches to multiple use management? D. What measures have been employed to set priorities, as well as resolve conflicts between multiple uses, and which measures have been successful? How can interagency cooperation in ocean management be encouraged? E. How can the connections be improved between ocean policy, water resources policy, economic policy and international policy? F. How can we conserve local cultures that depend on the oceans for their existence? How can the broad diversity of American cultures be reflected in coastal planning and the national vision for the future of the oceans? |
| 4. Education and exploration | A. The oceans are a source of
wonder to millions. What can be done to foster exploration of the next and last frontier
for the public good? B. How healthy is the educational pipeline? How can we insure a healthy training establishment, a rich population of young marine scientists and engineers, and opportunities for them to conduct important work that contributes to the national welfare? |
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