| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Maritime strategic planning cannot be done in isolation of marine eco-concerns. Marine species are known to perceive the environment around them through acoustic signals, and depend on sound for numerous functions like foraging, communication and navigation. Noise as a pollutant has found scant reference in the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) document of 1982-the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is yet to include noise as a pollutant in its 1978 MARPOL Convention. The enthusiasm for so-called economic growth and related activities in the absence of a regulatory framework encourages indiscriminate rise in such activities and the resultant increase in the anthropogenic noise, with disastrous impact on the acoustic habitat. A more inclusive maritime strategy is thus called for. In this article, the author presents a unique dimension for Indian maritime strategy.
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