ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses India’s activities linked to the sustainable development goals set up in 2015 – conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources. India’s endeavours to preserve the marine ecosystem are examined with the highlight of the Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System, tracking the levels of marine pollution along the coastline. International organisations monitor sustainable fishing within the FAO system, where the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is the most significant. India’s positive contribution to IOTC is presented, with a particular emphasis on its capacity-building impact on smaller littorals of IOR. In the exploitation of seabed resources, India is an active member of the International Seabed Authority, which regulates the exploration and exploitation of non-living marine resources of oceans in international waters. India was the first country to have received the status of a pioneer investor in 1987. It was allocated an exclusive area in the Central Indian Ocean Basin by the United Nations (UN) for exploration and utilisation of nodules. With such prerogatives, India cooperated with several littorals of IOR, allowing them to jointly exploit deposits of valuable mineral resources on the seabed.
