Saving the Ocean through Law: Ocean Litigation
Ocean Vision Legal
(
Other relevant actor
)
#OceanAction57842
Description
Ocean Vision Legal is committed to judicially enforcing marine protection laws, ensuring that legal obligations to safeguard the Ocean are upheld in practice. Despite the existence of international and national laws aimed at marine conservation, enforcement remains weak, allowing harmful human activities such as bottom trawling, potential deep-sea mining, and illegal fishing to continue unchecked. By holding governments and corporations accountable, Ocean Vision Legal is leading a global wave of strategic litigation to transform conservation commitments from voluntary targets into legally binding obligations. A core focus is contributing to the 30 by 30 goal, ensuring at least 30% of the Ocean is effectively protected by 2030.
Ocean Litigation employs a strategic and multi-layered approach to ensure legal enforcement of marine protections:
1. Challenging Legal Violations: Taking direct legal action against States and corporations that fail to uphold their obligations under treaties such as UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and environmental laws.
2. Strengthening Judicial Precedents: Leveraging court rulings to establish binding interpretations of legal obligations, setting precedents that enforce conservation measures and expanding marine protection frameworks.
3. Targeted Legal Cases: Filing lawsuits to address key threats to the marine environment such as bottom trawling, (potential) deep-sea mining, illegal fishing, and the failure to designate and enforce marine protected areas (MPAs).
4. Advancing Rights-Based Approaches: Incorporating emerging legal frameworks such as the Rights of Nature and the Human Right to a Healthy Environment to strengthen protections for marine ecosystems.
5. Collaborating with Partners: Working with NGOs, governments, Indigenous communities, and legal experts to develop robust cases that align with both scientific evidence and legal principles.
6. Global Advocacy and Capacity Building: Publishing legal assessments, engaging in international tribunals, and supporting grassroots legal movements to amplify the impact of Ocean litigation worldwide.
Ensuring that litigation leads to real-world conservation outcomes requires ongoing monitoring and enforcement. This includes: tracking advisory opinions and whether they are effectively implemented by governments and industries; refining legal approaches based on judicial decisions and evolving threats to marine ecosystems; and supporting local communities, Indigenous groups, and policymakers to ensure continued advocacy and enforcement beyond the courtroom.
By holding actors accountable, shaping legal precedents, and strengthening global governance frameworks, Ocean Litigation ensures that marine protection laws are not just words on paper but enforceable commitments, leading to lasting, systemic change for the Ocean.
Ocean Vision Legal (other relevant actor)
Gallifrey Foundation (Philanthropic organization)
Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. (Non-governmental organization (NGO))
SDGS & Targets
Goal 14
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
14.1
By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
14.1.1
(a) Index of coastal eutrophication; and (b) plastic debris density
14.2
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
14.2.1
Number of countries using ecosystem-based approaches to managing marine areas
14.3
Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels
14.3.1
14.4
By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
14.4.1
14.5
By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information
14.5.1
14.6
By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation
14.6.1
Degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
14.7
By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
14.7.1
Sustainable fisheries as a proportion of GDP in small island developing States, least developed countries and all countries
14.a
Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
14.a.1
14.b
Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets
14.b.1
Degree of application of a legal/regulatory/policy/institutional framework which recognizes and protects access rights for small‐scale fisheries
14.c
Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of "The future we want"
14.c.1
Number of countries making progress in ratifying, accepting and implementing through legal, policy and institutional frameworks, ocean-related instruments that implement international law, as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| 14.1 | By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution |
| 14.2 | By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans |
| 14.3 | Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels |
| 14.4 | By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics |
| 14.5 | By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information |
| 14.c | Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of "The future we want" |
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Anna, Dr., CEO