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A Sea Country Plan by Dhimurru, a northern Australian Indigenous group, to assist in marine surveillance and conservation of endangered species has received Australian Government support.
Dhimurru is an incorporated Aboriginal organisation established by Yolngu land-owners in Northeast Arnhem Land, Australia. Their office is located in Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory. Yolngu (Aboriginal people of Northeast Arnhem Land) are the traditional owners of lands consisting of approximately 101,000ha. The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 recognises Yolngu as the owners of this land under Australian law. Dhimurru has jurisdiction over approximately 8,500 km2 of this land.
Since time immemorial Yolngu have managed the natural and cultural resources and have achieved a balance that ensured long-term, sustainable resource use for the economic and social well-being of the landowners. The permanent presence of a large non-Yolngu population in recent times required a new response. On 8 April 1992, after extensive consultations Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation was formally incorporated under the Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976 on 8 September 1992.
The township of Nhulunbuy and the associated bauxite mining operation, run by Alcan are located on leases surrounded by land held under inalienable freehold title by the recognised traditional owners. Dhimurru has designated certain areas of land outside the lease areas as recreation areas available to residents of Nhulunbuy and visitors to the township. A focus of Dhimurru’s activities is the development and implementation of culturally and environmentally appropriate resource management strategies for these areas.
Dhimurru seeks to provide residents and visitors with an enjoyable recreation experience and at the same time an avenue for enhancing their awareness of Yolngu cultural values. Among its functions, Dhimurru issues Recreation Permits for access to these areas, monitors compliance with access conditions, and develops culturally-appropriate resource management plans. All functions undertaken by Dhimurru are in accord with the expressed wishes and directions of our relevant traditional land-owners.
The Dhimurru Sea Country Plan brings together many years of Yolngu thinking about Sea Country and captures the vision of the current generation of Yolngu. The Plan:
1. lets everybody know what sea country means to Yolngu and explains how Yolngu look after sea country, both in keeping with traditions and through contemporary work at Dhimurru;
2. makes clear the concerns Yolngu have for their sea country and its management; and
3. suggests to others with interests in Yolngu sea country how Dhimurru can work collaboratively for sustainable management in ways that respect and acknowledge Yolngu rights and interests and those of other users.
The Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, said the Dhimurru Sea Country Plan identifies opportunities for cooperation in marine and coastal management using traditional knowledge and contemporary science. ‘This plan is consistent with the Government’s approach to working with Indigenous people to address both community concerns and Government objectives,’ Senator Campbell said.
‘The Yolngu people occupy a remote and isolated stretch of north-east Arnhem Land coastline, which presents opportunities for both Indigenous communities and the Australian Government.
‘The plan identifies an opportunity for more formal surveillance arrangements for this remote coastline, which is increasingly important to combat the threat of illegal fishing.
‘The Yolngu people and the Government are equally committed to marine conservation and the plan identifies opportunities to assist in the management of endangered species such as dugong and marine turtles.’
The Dhimurru Sea Country Plan also identifies areas in which the Government can work with Yolngu people to reduce marine debris such as ‘ghost nets’ – abandoned and drifting nets – which are responsible for the deaths of marine turtles and many other species.
The plan calls for the engagement of both the Australian and Northern Territory Governments as well as non-government interests in the future management of marine and coastal areas for which Yolngu people have custodial responsibilities.
The Australian Government has contributed a total of $100,000 to the Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation for the development and publication of the plan, through the Department of the Environment and Heritage and the Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination. The Northern Land Council contributed a further $20,000.
The Dhimurru Sea Country plan was launched at the Garma Festival, north-east Arnhem Land, in early August 2006. It is downloadable online at http://www.dhimurru.com.au/sea.html
Courtesy Oceans Action Bulletin and Dhimurru webpage
A Joint Working Group on ship scrapping established by IMO, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal has concluded its second meeting.
Since the first meeting of the Joint Working Group in February 2005, the IMO’s Assembly has adopted a resolution seeking the development of a legally binding instrument on ship recycling. This instrument would provide global regulations on the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling. It would also encompass the operation of environmentally sound ship recycling and the establishment of an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling.
As the IMO resolution notes, the Joint Working Group can make recommendations for consideration in the development of the new instrument. In this light, first substantive discussions took place on issues of direct relevance to the three Organizations. These are:
• The experience of prior informed consent for ship recycling between States;
• Requirements of a reporting system for ships destined for scrapping;
• Basic principles of an applicable control mechanism;
• Pre-cleaning and preparation of ships;
• Practical approaches that promote occupational health and safety and environmentally sound management of ship scrapping; and
• Possible roles of concerned States, such as flag States, port States and recycling States in the context of occupational health and safety and the environmentally sound management of ship scrapping and the potential benefits of a mandatory ship recycling plan.
In parallel to the development of a new instrument on ship recycling, an International Ship Recycling Fund is expected to be established by IMO in May 2006.
The Joint Working Group also discussed progress made in ongoing activities such as the promotion of the implementation of Guidelines on ship recycling, the examination of relevant ILO, IMO and Basel Convention Guidelines on ship recycling, as well as joint technical co-operation activities. An IMO workshop on technical aspects of ship recycling earlier this year in Izmir, Turkey, was noted as a useful precedent for the participation of the three Organizations in each other’s activities.
The Joint Working Group recommended that each Organization invite the other two Organizations to participate in the workshops or seminars organized by the Organization and that each Organization include in the programme of its activities a section providing information on the Guidelines of the other two Organizations. Governments and other stakeholders are also invited to provide information to the three Organizations on any technical cooperation activities or their relevant initiatives already launched or planned so that these activities could be taken into account in the future technical cooperation programmes of the Organizations.
The Joint Working Group was set up by the three Organizations to act as a platform for consultation, coordination and cooperation in relation to their activities on ship scrapping. The Group aims to promote a coordinated approach in order to avoid duplicating work and overlapping roles, responsibilities and competencies between the three Organizations. It also aims at identifying further needs relating to ship scrapping globally.
Courtesy IMO News, no. 1, 2006
The European Commission has proposed a long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up and protecting the Mediterranean Sea. This unique ecosystem is deteriorating as environmental pressures such as pollution and construction increase. The major oil spill that occurred during the recent conflict in Lebanon has dramatically highlighted the vulnerability of the region’s environment. The Mediterranean’s decline threatens the health of the 143 million people living on its shores as well as the long-term development of key economic sectors that depend on the sea, such as fishing and tourism.
European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has said: ‘We have to act for the promotion of economic development of the Mediterranean and the protection of the health of its people. Inaction is not an option. This strategy aims to revitalise and strengthen cooperation between the EU, our Mediterranean neighbours and the relevant international organisations to safeguard the region’s environment and natural resources for the long term. If we fail, the Mediterranean could deteriorate beyond repair.’
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, joined: ‘Environmental co-operation has been an important aspect of our dialogue with Mediterranean partners since the launching of the Barcelona Process. We include ambitious environmental goals in the Action Plans agreed with them in the framework of our Neighbourhood Policy. It is crucial that we all work together to safeguard our common future and this is why we have all agreed to work towards a decontaminated Mediterranean by 2020. The environment is an excellent example of an area where we can succeed only when we work together with our close neighbours!”
The Mediterranean is the largest European sea, shared by 427 million people living in the 22 countries and territories around it and visited by some 175 million more every year. Their well-being depends upon the health of its environment. But despite nearly 30 years of international efforts to protect the sea, the Mediterranean remains fragile and continues to deteriorate as environmental pressures increase.
These pressures include pollution from industry, shipping and households as well as the loss of open areas and the destruction of coastal ecosystems like forests to make way for construction. On current projections, 50 per cent of the Mediterranean coastline may be built up by 2025. Overall, environmental degradation is estimated to be costing the equivalent of more than three per cent of gross domestic product each year in some North African countries.
While the environmental challenges are well known and solutions exist, the effectiveness of international action to date has been hampered by lack of finance, the low political priority given to environmental protection in many countries, limited public awareness and weak institutional cooperation. The large oil spill and other pollution resulting from the recent conflict in Lebanon underline the need for a coherent strategy to address both specific events and long-term environmental issues in the Mediterranean region.
The environmental needs of the Mediterranean far outweigh the means currently available to deal with them. Consequently international organisations, the donor community and above all the countries around the sea will need to make significant additional and coordinated efforts if a cleaner Mediterranean is to be achieved. In this context, the Commission intends to concentrate its own efforts and limited resources in areas where it can bring clear added value.
The strategy’s key aims are to:
• reduce pollution levels across the region;
• promote sustainable use of the sea and its coastline;
• encourage neighbouring countries to cooperate on environmental issues;
• assist partner countries in developing effective institutions and policies to protect the environment; and
• involve NGOs and the public in environmental decisions affecting them.
In line with the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, these aims will be achieved through four means: financial assistance from existing and already planned EU aid programs; strengthened dialogue with the region’s representatives; improved coordination with other organisations and partners; and sharing of EU experience in dealing with the problems of the Mediterranean and other regions.
A key pillar of the strategy is ‘Horizon 2020’, an initiative to tackle the top sources of Mediterranean pollution by the year 2020 that was endorsed by leaders of Euro-Mediterranean (Euro-Med) countries at the 10th Anniversary Euro-Med Summit in Barcelona last year. The Commission is building a coalition of partners to implement the initiative.
The Mediterranean strategy fleshes out the detail of Horizon 2020, grouping planned activities under four headings:
• Projects to reduce the most significant sources of pollution. The initial focus will be on industrial emissions, municipal waste and urban waste water, which are responsible for up to 80 per cent of Mediterranean Sea pollution.
• Capacity-building measures to help neighbouring countries create national environmental administrations that are able to develop and police environmental laws.
• Using the Commission’s research budget to develop greater knowledge of environmental issues relevant to the Mediterranean and ensure this is shared.
• Developing indicators to monitor the success of Horizon 2020.
The strategy proposes a draft timetable of actions for the first phase of Horizon 2020 up to 2013. With the strong support of the Finnish EU presidency, partners will be consulted on the proposed timetable with a view to endorsing a final version at a gathering of Euro-Med Environment Ministers in Cairo on 20 November. This will be the first Euro-Med environment ministerial held outside the EU.
EU Press Release
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enlarg/med/index.htm
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URL: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MarStudies/2006/22.html