Obligations to protect marine ecosystems under international conventions and other legal instruments.

During the past decade, a number of international conventions have included new obligations for management activities regulating uses of the oceans. The conventions (and codes) make explicit reference to protection of ecosystem features. The overarching convention in this respect is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Other international legal instruments include the UN Agreement on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. In response to these international agreements, national legislation and policies have been put in place to more explicitly incorporate ecosystem considerations within national ocean management regimes.