ABSTRACT
Oceans governance is a relatively recent phenomenon, with the protection of marine biodiversity generally emerging later in the twentieth century, after the agreements that focused on oceans resources and management were established. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a conservation agreement, is an exception to the generalization in that it has the authority to adopt binding regulations and compliance mechanisms. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea outlines a vision for an integrated approach to ocean governance in its preamble which acknowledges that 'the problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need to be considered as a whole'. Although negotiated in a separate process, the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity are closely linked to the principles set out in the 1992 Rio Declaration and the action programme contained in Agenda 21 for integrated and ecosystem-based management of the environment including its marine components.
