Coastal zones are particularly affected by problems related to population growth and industrial and tourism activities. One of the most serious problems affecting coastal areas is the damage resulting from oil and chemical spills.

The series of conferences on “Environmental Problems in Coastal Regions, including Oil and Chemical Spills” was initiated in 1996 in Rio. The South International Conference ‘Coastal Environment 2008’ being organised by Wessex Institute of Technology, UK, and sponsored by WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, will be held in the New Forest UK, from 19th to 21st May 2008.

The conference will deal with problems related to monitoring, analysis and modelling of coastal regions, including sea, land and air phenomena. An important part of the meeting is the discussion of ecological and environmental problems and the issues of water quality.

It will gather researchers, engineers and professionals involved in the field of coastal environmental quality and the related challenges to monitoring and controlling oil spills.

Organised by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the University of Joensuu, Finland, the Fifth Annual Course on Environmental Law- Making and Diplomacy will be held from 29th June to 11th July 2008 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus, South Africa.

The lectures will be given by experienced hands-on diplomats, government officials and members of academia.The lecturers will be from the (a)Climate Change Secretariat; ( b) Diplomatic Academy, Vienna; (c) European Commission, Environment Directorate General; (d) Government of Finland and others.

Intended for experienced government officials, engaged in international environmental regulations as also for representatives of non-government organisations and the private sector, researchers and academics in the field of international environmental law; the course’s themetic focus is on oceans.