Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Derecho y políticas ambientales en el País Vasco (Segundo semestre 2019)

Jurisprudencia ambiental en el País Vasco (Segundo semestre de 2019)

Jurisprudencia ambiental en Illes Balears (Segundo semestre 2019)

Derecho y políticas ambientales en Cataluña (Segundo semestre 2019) 

Jurisprudencia Ambiental del Tribunal Supremo(Segundo semestre 2019)

Derecho y políticas ambientales en Portugal (Primer semestre 2019)

This study analyzes the external action of the European Union for the preservation of marine protected areas in the Antarctic Ocean and their legal articulation both within the framework of the Union institutions and within the framework of the institutions created by the Antarctic Treaty that we will refer to as Antarctic governance with special emphasis on the Commission for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources of the Antarctic, since it is within the framework of this institution where the European Commission and the Member States have proposed “the creation of marine protected areas and (…) Of special areas for the scientific study of maritime space, climate change and the retreat of ice shelves ”. The judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in cumulative cases C-626/15 and C-659/16 has highlighted the growing interest that the European Union and its member states have in the marine protected areas of the Antarctic Ocean, an interest that has evolved beyond the protection of marine biological resources to deepen the protection of marine biodiversity in a sustainable way, and that also inspires its external action. The right of participation of the Member States together with the European Union in the Antarctic governance system is what this judgment has recognized.

Aquest treball pretén exposar els èxits i els dèficits de la cooperació internacional a l'Oceà Àrtic en relació a l'establiment de les àrees marines protegides. El primer apartat presenta breument les característiques dels ecosistemes de l'Oceà Àrtic, que els fan particularment vulnerables y que  actualment es troben sota una tensió molt important a causa dels efectes del fenomen del canvi climàtic. El segon apartat d'aquest treball aborda l'anàlisi del marc jurídic internacional global aplicable als espais marins protegits a l'Oceà Àrtic, que per ara és el que ofereix el Conveni de Nacions Unides sobre el Dret del Mar. Seguidament, el tercer apartat es centra en l'estudi de l'abast dels instruments jurídic internacionals de caràcter sectorial que promouen la designació d’àrees marines protegides així com la seva adequació a les característiques d'aquest espai polar. El seu estudi es planteja des de la triple perspectiva de la protecció internacional del medi ambient, la regulació de les pesqueries i la navegació marítima. El quart apartat, des d’un enfoc regional, es dedica a l'examen del treball realitzat en el marc del Consell Àrtic, principalment a través del Grup de Treball per a la Conservació de la Flora i la Fauna de l'Àrtic i el Grup de Treball per a la Protecció del Medi Marí de l'Àrtic. Finalment, el treball conclou amb unes de consideracions finals.

The Strait of Gibraltar is a unique geographical zone. Communication route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, it is the meeting place of two continents. Its special characteristics determine the existence of an extraordinarily valuable marine area with a rich diversity, in addition to being a privileged route of migration of birds and marine species.Over this territory, of paramount geostrategic importance, an array of political and legal controversies of the three States present in the area, Spain, Morocco and the United Kingdom (Gibraltar) is projected. Consequently, there are no maritime delimitation agreements or cross-border cooperation schemes.Environmental protection depends fundamentally on the internal regulations of the States. There are not any MPAs in the zone in accordance with any of the possibilities existing in international environmental regulations. However, there are several areas included in the European Natura 2000 network under Spanish and British responsibility presenting certain discontinuities and a striking overlap.If the United Kingdom decides to leave the European Union, the exit would have direct consequences on the environmental protection and the scheme of protected areas generating a scenario of uncertainty.

The Spanish legislator defines Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as natural spaces designated for the protection of ecosystems, communities, biological or geological elements of the marine environment, including intertidal and subtidal areas that, due to their singularity, fragility or importance, they deserve special protection. The legal framework of MPAs is complex and diverse. A variety of regulations and mechanisms are projected on them, which require an analysis aimed to establish rational ways to improve their monitoring and control processes. This paper intends to deepen at development of Marine Protection Areas since its incorporation into the Spanish legislation in 2007 through the Natural Heritage and Biodiversity Law; this law connects the environmental legal regime of these spaces with other sectorial policies and environmental projects that are linked to the same area. In a global context of climate change and environmental degradation, the management of MPAs should be based on the combination of ecological and socio-economic criteria in order to guarantee sustainability models, reaching a wider recognition at national and international levels.