Marine environmental governance networks and approaches: Conference report

The development of maritime law and policy is one of the most important tasks for nation States. The implications of globalisation and the importance of the rule of law, the protection of maritime rights and interests and the marine environment should be realised through effective, reasonable and equitable legal systems, within which both public and private law can be utilised to deal with the wide range of marine governance challenges. In October 2013, Shandong University School of Law organised with the support of Zhongcheng Renhe Law Firm the “2013 International Conference on Marine Environmental Governance” to bring together academics, policy makers and maritime law practitioners to examine developments and dispute resolution mechanisms in this field of research. We provide a brief report of the key issues discussed during the workshop which may assist in developing better understanding of ocean governance approaches in different regions and their application to decision-making processes.