Ocean Governance: A tertiary educational perspective in the Mauritian context

Ocean governance provides for the norms and tools needed to ensure the sustainable use and management of marine resources. In order to implement effective ocean governance and tools, there is a need to train all stakeholders involved in the management and sustainable use of ocean resources. This is where education, particularly tertiary education, has an important role to play. The objective of this paper is to examine the contribution of tertiary education in promoting good ocean governance. The paper assesses the role and current involvement of a tertiary education institution, the University of Mauritius, in enhancing ocean governance in Mauritius. The findings will demonstrate that, although ocean governance modules are incorporated in some undergraduate and postgraduate programmes offered at University level, a more interdisciplinary approach and further collaboration is needed to promote training in this field.


Introduction
The contribution of the oceans to the development of humanity cannot be underestimated. According to Gee (2019), many societies and civilizations were built based on the oceans and the resources they provide.
Today, there is unanimous agreement by states that the ocean and its resources have to be protected. Post-World War II, steps were taken by the United Nations to ensure that there was a global agreement which regulates how countries use and benefit from the ocean. The objective of this paper is to share the educational tools that the university uses to transmit knowledge about ocean governance to various stakeholders, thereby playing an important role in the discourse around ocean governance in Mauritius.
As more and more countries voiced their views and interests to ensure further protection and sustainable use of the oceans and its resources, the United Nations and its various agencies developed further agreements and strategies to ensure the sustainable use of the oceans. In 1992, through the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Chapter 17 of Agenda 21) and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, countries were required to devise and implement ocean and coastal government and policy approaches. In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were developed and attention was drawn to the oceans, with SDG 14: 'Life below water'. This SDG encourages countries to take the necessary actions to protect the ocean and seas by ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources.
Ocean governance can guide countries in this endeavor. Although there is no universally accepted definition of the term ocean governance, many commentators have put forward that ocean governance relates to a set of norms, rules and practices that regulate maritime activities with a view to protect the marine ecosystem and reap economic benefits from the use and exploitation of marine resources (Singh and Ort, 2020). According to Bailet (2002), ocean governance involves three elements: a legal foundation, an institutional framework and mechanism of implementation.
At national, regional and international levels, the international community as well as individual states have taken steps to implement Bailet's (2002)

Recommendations
At university level, there is a need to move towards a more multi-disciplinary and interfaculty approach for research and teaching. For example, at the UoM, the By encouraging exchanges between the UoM and other universities in the region, students throughout the Western Indian Ocean could benefit from the course and contribute to regional ocean governance understanding. Furthermore, the University can partner with regional and international organizations to contribute to, and benefit from, trainings and workshops that the partners provide. Collaboration between academics of the UoM and academics from other universities in the region will promote research, build capacity, and ensure the transfer of knowledge and technology among academics in the region.
The UoM provides a model that can be adopted and expanded to other countries in the region to develop undergraduate, Masters and research programmes in ocean governance.
The UoM has the potential to contribute to ocean awareness and the understanding of ocean governance at all levels of society. By collaborating with the Mauritius Institute of Education, which is the authority that trains primary and secondary school teachers, academics can train these teachers on ocean-related matters and thus encourage the inclusion of ocean studies in school curricula. This will improve the understanding of ocean issues at all educational levels.
In addition, the UoM could organize trainings and short courses targeting governmental agencies, NGOs and local coastal communities on ocean related matters, such as environmental protection, shipping and maritime activities and the potential of the sea to contribute to economic growth.

Conclusion
The importance of effective ocean governance is gaining recognition worldwide. There is a need to educate people about ocean governance and how its norms and tools are important in protecting and sustainably using marine resources. Various international organizations, such as the United Nations and its agencies, have recognized the important role of education and how it can be a tool to promote ocean governance. Worldwide, universities are developing curricula which take into consideration ocean governance elements such as the law of the sea, environmental impact assessments or marine spatial planning. By including these tools in curricula the knowledge and skills necessary for the implementation of a well-functioning ocean governance framework are created and nurtured. In Mauritius, the UOM, through its various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, has included elements of ocean governance in its curriculum. However, in order to further enhance knowledge about ocean governance in the country, the university should encourage a multidisciplinary approach and collaborate with regional and international organizations. Training in ocean issues should start from primary and secondary school because having a population educated on ocean matters in Mauritius and regionally will ensure that decisions and actions taken will promote good governance and sustainable marine resource use, thus contributing to the protection of the marine environment for future generations.