A New Governance Approach to Designing an Effective Arrangement for the Sustainable Management of Renewable Marine Resources in the Eastern Caribbean States

Abstract

The study’s main purpose is to propose a governance framework that meets the priority of sustainable development for the regulation of offshore renewable resources in the OECS region. The study develops an analytical framework for evaluating the recently adopted “Round 3 model of governance” for the regulation of offshore wind and other marine activities in the United Kingdom. The focus is on the licensing procedures applicable to offshore wind development. Thereafter, the study examines the appropriateness of the application of the Round 3 model to the regulation of marine renewables in the OECS, and makes recommendations in that regard. Additionally, through the study of marine renewable resource development, this thesis looks at general conditions for effective ocean governance. In this regard, the thesis argues that strict hierarchical governance of the marine environment is not a desirable approach to effective ocean governance.