Work

On the Jurisdictional Situations of Arctic Large Marine Ecosystems

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The Arctic Council has identified and delineated 18 large marine ecosystems (LMEs) to provide a basis for the implementation of the ecosystem approach to management (EAM) in the Arctic. However, the ‘natural boundaries’ of these LMEs largely misalign with the ‘artificial boundaries’ established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This raises the question of how EAM could be effectively implemented across diverse and multiple jurisdictions of the Arctic LMEs. By visualising the so-called jurisdictional situation of all 18 Arctic LMEs, this food-for-thought article highlights the inequitable and delicate position that the zonal approach of UNCLOS creates for the protection of Arctic LMEs.

Source: ICES Journal of Marine Science

DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsaf006

Authors: César Soares de Oliveira, Katharina Heinrich

Institutions: University of Eastern Finland, University of Helsinki, University of Lapland

Language: English

Topic: Arctic and Russian Policy Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Life below water

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,686