The Unit 4 assignment for Green Britain asks students to engage with the marine conservation issues they’ve encountered through a legal advocacy exercise. Small groups are required to identify an area of concern, summarise existing policy frameworks affecting the situation, and suggest new directions for ocean governance that would better address the problem. 

The Law of the Sea (Re)Draft is worth 20% of students’ course grade for GEO/PSC300. Students should use the resources highlighted below as well as independent external research to complete the assessment.

Devolution and international law have a lot in common: both systems have to carefully balance a desire for autonomy and local control with the ‘bigger picture’ common good.

The “law of the sea” refers to the various elements of international law that regulate government actions related to marine ecosystems. There is a specific convention, or international agreement, called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. But many other treaties and practices are also part of the overall law of the sea. Learn more via the links below.

Further Resources:

• • “Law of the Sea: A Policy Primer”. 2017. The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

  • “General Principles of the Law of the Sea”. Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, International Law Studies 97.

  • “UNCLOS: the law of the sea in the 21st century”. A Report for the House of Lords, UK Parliament.

  • “Oceans and the Law of the Sea”. Updates from the United Nations on international marine threats and protections.