Marine Policy & Ocean Governance

Indicative course outline

Introduction & foundations

Students are introduced to the main legal, political and institutional frameworks for ocean governance, moving from global principles to international, regional and national implementation.

International ocean governance
Topics include the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, the BBNJ Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, global fisheries governance and links between ocean governance and climate policy.
- United Nations (1982). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Montego Bay, 10 December 1982.
- Koh, Tommy T. B. (1982). A Constitution for the Oceans. Address, Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, Montego Bay, 10 December 1982.
- Tladi, Dire (2011). Ocean governance: a fragmented regulatory framework. In P. Jacquet, R. Pachauri and L. Tubiana (eds), Oceans: the new frontier – A planet for life, pp. 99–111. Delhi: Teri Press.
Regional ocean governance
Students examine the role of regional seas organisations, regional fisheries management organisations, regional political bodies and transboundary cooperation in addressing shared marine challenges.
- Rochette, Julien and Lucien Chabason (2011). A regional approach to marine environmental protection: the “regional seas” experience. In P. Jacquet, R. Pachauri and L. Tubiana (eds), Oceans: the new frontier – A planet for life, pp. 111–121. Delhi: Teri Press.
- Rochette, Julien et al. (2015). Regional oceans governance mechanisms: A review. Marine Policy 60: 9–19. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2015.05.012
- Ásmundsson, Stefán (2016). Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs): Who are they, what is their geographic coverage on the high seas and which ones should be considered as General RFMOs, Tuna RFMOs and Specialised RFMOs?
- Wright, Glen et al. (2017). Partnering for a Sustainable Ocean: The Role of Regional Ocean Governance in Implementing Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Summary for Decision Makers). Partnership for Regional Ocean Governance.
- Mead, Leila (2021). The “Crown Jewels” of Environmental Diplomacy: Assessing the UNEP Regional Seas Programme. Brief #17, Still Only One Earth: Lessons from 50 years of UN sustainable development policy. International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction
Students examine governance of the global ocean commons beyond national jurisdiction, including the negotiation and implementation of the BBNJ Agreement, area-based management tools such as high seas marine protected areas, and the interplay between UNCLOS and emerging conservation frameworks.
- Wright, Glen et al. (2018). The long and winding road: negotiating a treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. IDDRI Studies N°08/18. Paris: IDDRI.
- Wright, Glen et al. (2019). High Hopes for the High Seas: beyond the package deal towards an ambitious treaty. IDDRI Issue Brief N°09. Paris: IDDRI.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2020). Protecting sites of potential Outstanding Universal Value in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction: The practical modalities. Paris: UNESCO.
- Gjerde, Kristina M. et al. (2022). Getting beyond yes: fast-tracking implementation of the United Nations agreement for marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. npj Ocean Sustainability 1: 6. doi:10.1038/s44183-022-00006-2
- United Nations (2023). Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. A/CONF.232/2023/4 (19 June 2023).
National and local implementation
The course explores how international commitments are translated into national policy, including marine protected areas, marine spatial planning, fisheries management, coastal governance and stakeholder participation.

Exploring diverse ocean issues

Seabed mining
Governance of mineral resources in the international seabed area, with attention to scientific uncertainty, environmental risk, equity, precaution and institutional legitimacy.
- WWF International (2021). In Too Deep: What We Know, and Don’t Know, About Deep Seabed Mining. Gland: WWF International.
- Blanchard, Catherine et al. (2023). The current status of deep-sea mining governance at the International Seabed Authority. Marine Policy 147: 105396. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105396
- Sumaila, U. Rashid et al. (2023). To engage in deep-sea mining or not to engage: what do full net cost analyses tell us?. npj Ocean Sustainability 2: 19. doi:10.1038/s44183-023-00030-w
- Wright, Glen et al. (2023). Digging deep: critical questions remain in the rush to regulate seabed mining. IDDRI Policy Brief N°04. Paris: IDDRI.
Fisheries
The political economy of fisheries management, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, monitoring, control and surveillance, and tensions between conservation, livelihoods and trade.
- Garcia, S.M. et al. (2003). The ecosystem approach to fisheries. Issues, terminology, principles, institutional foundations, implementation and outlook. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No. 443. Rome: FAO.
- Earle, Michael (2021). Maximum sustainable yield in the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy – a political history. ICES Journal of Marine Science 78(6): 2173–2181. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsab037
- Patrick, Wesley S. and Jason S. Link (2015). Myths that Continue to Impede Progress in Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management. Fisheries 40(4): 155–160. doi:10.1080/03632415.2015.1024308
- Cardinale, Massimiliano et al. (2017). Mediterranean Sea: A Failure of the European Fisheries Management System. Frontiers in Marine Science 4: 72. doi:10.3389/fmars.2017.00072
Marine protected areas
The design, effectiveness and politics of marine protected areas, including questions of enforcement, ecological connectivity, equity and “paper parks”.
- Edgar, Graham J. et al. (2014). Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features. Nature 506: 216–220. doi:10.1038/nature13022
- Bakker, Karen (2022). Smart Oceans: Artificial intelligence and marine protected area governance. Earth System Governance 13: 100141. doi:10.1016/j.esg.2022.100141
- Relano, Veronica and Daniel Pauly (2023). The ‘paper park index’: Evaluating marine protected area effectiveness through a global study of stakeholder perceptions. Marine Policy 151: 105571. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105571
- Pike, Elizabeth P. et al. (2024). Ocean protection quality is lagging behind quantity: Applying a scientific framework to assess real marine protected area progress against the 30 by 30 target. Conservation Letters 17: e13020. doi:10.1111/conl.13020
- Horta e Costa, Barbara et al. (2025). Marine protected areas stage of establishment and level of protection are good predictors of their conservation outcomes. Cell Reports Sustainability 2: 100345. doi:10.1016/j.crsus.2025.100345
- Fuchs, Gregory et al. (2026). Towards climate-ready marine protected areas: challenges and strategic pathways. npj Ocean Sustainability 5: 15. doi:10.1038/s44183-026-00184-3
Marine spatial planning
Tools and conflicts involved in allocating ocean space among conservation, fisheries, offshore energy, shipping, tourism and other uses.
- Ehler, Charles and Fanny Douvere (2009). Marine spatial planning: a step-by-step approach toward ecosystem-based management. IOC Manual and Guides No. 53, ICAM Dossier No. 6. Paris: UNESCO.
- UNESCO-IOC/European Commission (2021). MSPglobal International Guide on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning. IOC Manuals and Guides No. 89. Paris: UNESCO.
- Flannery, Wesley et al. (2020). A critical turn in marine spatial planning. Maritime Studies 19(3): 223–228. doi:10.1007/s40152-020-00198-8
- Trouillet, Brice (2020). Reinventing marine spatial planning: a critical review of initiatives worldwide. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning 22(4): 441–459. doi:10.1080/1523908X.2020.1751605
- Zuercher, Rachel et al. (2022). Enabling conditions for effective marine spatial planning. Marine Policy 143: 105141. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105141
- Holness, Stephen D. et al. (2022). Using systematic conservation planning to align priority areas for biodiversity and nature-based activities in marine spatial planning: A real-world application in contested marine space. Biological Conservation 271: 109574. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109574
- Boussarie, Germain et al. (2023). Marine spatial planning to solve increasing conflicts at sea: A framework for prioritizing offshore windfarms and marine protected areas. Journal of Environmental Management 342: 118045. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118045
- Pegorelli, Camila et al. (2026). Aligning socio-economic and governance criteria to support better integration marine spatial planning, marine protected areas and other conservation approaches. Ocean & Coastal Management 272: 107985. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107985
Ocean and climate linkages
Interactions between climate change, ocean ecosystems and governance, including mitigation, adaptation, blue carbon, offshore renewable energy and climate-related ocean impacts.
- IPCC (2019). Summary for Policymakers. In: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, V. Masson-Delmotte, P. Zhai, M. Tignor, E. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Nicolai, A. Okem, J. Petzold, B. Rama, N.M. Weyer (eds.)]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781009157964.001
- Gattuso, Jean-Pierre et al. (2015). Contrasting futures for ocean and society from different anthropogenic CO₂ emissions scenarios. Science 349(6243): aac4722. doi:10.1126/science.aac4722
- Nereus Program (2016). Climate Change in Oceans Beyond National Jurisdictions. Nereus Scientific & Technical Briefs on ABNJ series.
- Dobush, Bobbi-Jo et al. (2022). A new way forward for ocean-climate policy as reflected in the UNFCCC Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue submissions. Climate Policy 22(2): 254–271. doi:10.1080/14693062.2021.1990004
- Christianson, Anne B. et al. (2022). The Promise of Blue Carbon Climate Solutions: Where the Science Supports Ocean-Climate Policy. Frontiers in Marine Science 9: 851448. doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.851448
- Elsler, Laura G. et al. (2022). Protecting ocean carbon through biodiversity and climate governance. Frontiers in Marine Science 9: 880424. doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.880424
Pollution and plastics
Governance responses to marine pollution, including plastics, land-based sources, shipping, waste management and ongoing international negotiations.
- VanderZwaag, David L. and Ann Powers (2008). The Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Pollution and Activities: Gauging the Tides of Global and Regional Governance. International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 23(3): 423–452.
- Osborn, David and Anjan Datta (2006). Institutional and policy cocktails for protecting coastal and marine environments from land-based sources of pollution. Ocean & Coastal Management 49(9–10): 576–596. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2006.06.020
- da Costa, João Pinto et al. (2020). The Role of Legislation, Regulatory Initiatives and Guidelines on the Control of Plastic Pollution. Frontiers in Environmental Science 8: 104. doi:10.3389/fenvs.2020.00104
- Rochette, Julien et al. (2020). The fight against marine plastic litter: state of play and perspectives. IDDRI Policy Brief N°20. Paris: IDDRI.
- Dauvergne, Peter (2023). The necessity of justice for a fair, legitimate, and effective treaty on plastic pollution. Marine Policy 155: 105785. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105785
- Guggisberg, Solène (2024). Finding equitable solutions to the land-based sources of marine plastic pollution: Sovereignty as a double-edged sword. Marine Policy 159: 105960. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105960
- Aanesen, Margrethe et al. (2024). Insights from international environmental legislation and protocols for the global plastic treaty. Scientific Reports 14: 2750. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-53099-9
Rights of nature and ocean defenders
Emerging legal and political debates around recognising the inherent rights of ecosystems and the threats faced by the human defenders of those rights.
- Harden-Davies, Harriet et al. (2020). Rights of Nature: Perspectives for Global Ocean Stewardship. Marine Policy 122: 104059. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104059
- Mührel, Jasper. Ocean Rights: Challenges and Prospects. Goettingen Journal of International Law (pre-published article). doi:10.59609/1868-1581-2293
- Bennett, Nathan J. et al. (2023). Ocean defenders and human rights. Frontiers in Marine Science 9: 1089049. doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.1089049
- Le Billon, Philippe et al. (2025). Ocean governance and the protection of ocean defenders. In J. Alger and U.R. Sumaila (eds), A research agenda for sustainable ocean governance, pp. 25–38. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi:10.4337/9781035325757.00012
- The Ocean Defenders Project (2025). Ocean Defenders: Protectors of our ocean environment and human rights. The Peopled Seas Initiative, Vancouver, Canada.
- López de la Lama, Rocío et al. (2026). The critical role of allied organizations in supporting ocean defenders. Marine Policy 187: 107060. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2026.107060

Student presentations

Individual presentations give students practice in analysing live governance debates and communicating policy arguments to a specialist audience.

How well does it work?
Students present a particular institution or framework and assess whether it is fit for purpose and effective, where governance gaps remain, and what reforms may be needed.
Is it a good idea?
Students assess a current proposal for a new ocean governance framework or technology, weighing its potential benefits, risks and political feasibility.
PechaKucha
Short, visual presentations in the PechaKucha format (20 slides × 20 seconds), giving students a fast and engaging way to communicate complex ocean policy issues clearly and concisely.

Group exercises

Applied teamwork complements lectures and readings, giving students hands-on experience of the politics and practice of ocean governance.

International negotiation simulation
Students take on stakeholder roles in a simulated negotiation on issues such as high seas marine protected areas, seabed mining or biodiversity governance.
Marine spatial planning exercise
Students consider how competing uses of marine space can be balanced, including conservation, fisheries, offshore energy, shipping and coastal community interests.
Building an ocean rights observatory
Students develop a proposal for an observatory tracking legal and policy developments related to ocean rights, rights of nature and marine governance innovation.
Interviewing an expert
Students prepare and conduct an interview with a practitioner or expert, using it to connect course themes to current policy debates and professional practice.

Past guest speakers

Testimonials

This was one of my favourite classes of my time at Sciences Po. It was so engaging and your passion and expertise just made this such an enriching experience! I loved how interactive it was and the guest speakers were all such interesting people with such diverse research interests and I learned so much!

I loved this class! I had never studied ocean governance before so a lot of the content was new to me, and I can confirm that I learned a lot. I loved that they invited many different actors to present their work, this enabled us to see more practically what happens.

The depth and breadth of research and professional knowledge brought by the professors was the highlight of this course. They did an excellent job exploring varied themes and questions, and bringing them back to the central themes/issues.

This was my favourite class of the year. It had a lot of technical content, allowing us to have a holistic view of the mechanisms and the key topics and challenges of ocean governance. The class was also very engaging […] with insights on career guidance in ocean governance which is super helpful in a master’s degree.

I appreciated how approachable and knowledgeable the professor was. I also appreciated that he went beyond just the course content and provided tips on how to write a good academic paper and what software we could use to make this easier.