For YOU interested in the economy and the socioeconomy of the marine resources and short and long (sustainable) terms.

The aim of this course is to describe the ownership over the marine and maritime resources, and the main governance systems that regulate these ownerships.

The course will survey the basic elements of marine industrial activities such as fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, off-shore and tourism, and how these activities are managed and regulated in various regions of the world. The role and occurrence of non-industrial recreational and artisan marine and maritime activities and how these relate to the status of the marine ecosystem will also be discussed.

Form of teaching: Lectures, exercises, discussions, and individual and group reports.

The course may be taken as an elective course within a wide range of master programs at the Faculty of Science, Faculty of Law and Economy, Faculty of Social Science.

Course content

The aim of the course is to give a broad understanding for the critical balance between economy and use, on the one hand, and ecosystem sustainability on the other hand, of marine and maritime activities of major importance for the society. The course should also be an introduction to how marine and maritime resources are owned and governed at national, regional and global level, and how different commercial activities can affect the marine environment and how they could be sustainably managed.

Specific contents are:

Economic growth and social, economic and ecological sustainability. Marine governance systems. Laws and regulations of marine and maritime activities.
Environmental impact, management and regulations of international fisheries. Industrial fisheries vs artisanal fisheries. Ecosystem based fishery management.
Opportunities and future challenges of shipping, off-shore industry, and expansion into new environments. Impacts of deep-sea mining and development of the arctic.
Trends and challenges in marine tourism and recreation. Small-scale coastal exploitation and leisure boating. Sustainable uses and new perspectives.
Potential and challenges with marine aquaculture. New products and research. Legal and sustainability issues.
Legal, economic and ecological tools for a sustainable development. Monitoring and status assessment of the marine environment. Valuation of ecosystem services,polluter pays principles and ecological compensation.

Prerequisites

Requirements: A Bachelor's degree (180 credits) including a thesis work.

Selection: Selection is based upon the number of credits from previous university studies, maximum 225 credits.

Grant opportunities

EU/EEA citizens, Swedish residence permit holders and exchange students do not pay fees. More information on: http://www.universityadmissions.se

Learning outcomes

After completion of the course the student is expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

Describe the social, economic and ecological pillars of sustainability
Describe various types of property regimes and international, regional and national laws and regulations of marine and maritime resources, and the main governance systems that regulate the use of the oceans
Describe the basic elements of marine commercial activities such as fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, off-shore industry and tourism, how these activities can affect the marine environment and are managed and regulated in various regions of the world
Describe and exemplify the role and occurrence of non-industrial recreational and artisanal marine and maritime activities and how these relate to the status of the marine ecosystem and complex human-nature relationships
Describe terms and concepts such as green economy, ecosystem services, ecological compensation, no-net-loss, polluter-pays-principle, mitigation hierarchy and habitat banking

Competence and skills

Compare and evaluate the basic components of different management strategies for marine resources
Identify and value marine ecosystem services and their human benefits, and discuss limitations with different valuation methods
Identify and scale compensation measures that will avoid net losses of biodiversity and natural resources

Judgement and approach

Critically evaluate terms such as “sustainable use”, "green economy", "ecosystem service" and "ecological compensation" and discuss their limitations and alternative models Assess sustainable outcomes and short-term and long-term effects of various marine and maritime industrial activities in relation to the UN sustainability goals
Analyse and discuss the reasons and potential solutions of various conflicts over marine resources

The course is sustainability-focused, which means that at least one of the learning outcomes clearly shows that the course content meets at least one of the University of Gothenburg’s confirmed sustainability criteria. The content also constitutes the course's main focus.