| Abstract: | The associated development of global change research programs and the adoption of a global approach to the ocean by Agenda 21, Chapter 17 have generated an increasing need for investigations into coastal, deep ocean, and island management. To contribute to the development of ocean sciences vis-à-vis this need, in 1996 the International Geographical Union (IGU) launched the Oceans program. In 1998, the International Year of the Ocean, this program was implemented and converted into the Oceans 21 program, convened by the IGU and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. The epistemological and conceptual backgrounds of this program framework, jointly with its key contents, are presented and discussed, as well as its consistency with the program areas and sectoral issues of Agenda 21. |
