Environmental and sociocultural claims within maritime boundary disputes

Coastal livelihoods and marine environmental protection are key ocean governance concerns. Consequently, the international legal framework addresses these needs in a holistic manner. Maritime boundary delimitation should not be exception. Increasingly, courts tribunals being asked to incorporate wider range of issues resolution maritime disputes. Therefore, drawing on full compendium dispute cases from 1969 2021, this paper examines how litigation over disputes reflects broader objectives. It concludes that, first, court boundaries increasing, second, sociocultural motives gaining prominence pleas made by nations. Moreover, our analysis suggests that: a) arguments progressively emphasize ecosystem-based management recognition traditional ocean-related living practices; b) although called weigh other types factors, they still more receptive conventional embodied UN Convention Law Sea (UNCLOS). We argue that newer have greater influence during conflict processes, particular, given need for sustainable equitable governance.