25 November 2018 The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an oral note in response to the Spanish protest, stating that the Algerian government does not recognize the largely exorbitant coordinates of Royal Decree 236/2013, which overlap with the coordinates of Presidential Decree No. 18-96 establishing an exclusive economic zone off the Algerian coast. The Algerian Government wishes to emphasize that the unilateral delimitation of Spain is not in conformity with the letter of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and has not taken into account the composition, specificities and circumstances of the Mediterranean, particularly for the two countries whose coasts face each other. and the objective rules and relevant principles of international law for the just delimitation of the maritime zones between Algeria and Spain in accordance with article 74 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Algeria has expressed its willingness to negotiate a just solution[43]. The concept of exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was adopted by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982. Under international law, a coastal nation within its EEZ defines as: In general, a State`s exclusive economic zone is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea that extends out to sea to a maximum distance of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its coastal baseline. The exception to this rule occurs when exclusive economic zones overlap; That is, the state`s coastal baselines are less than 400 NMI (740 km) apart. If there is overlap, it is up to States to determine the actual maritime boundary. [3] In general, each point in an overlapping area defaults to the nearest state. [4] A state`s exclusive economic zone begins at the edge of the territorial sea and extends 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the baseline. The exclusive economic zone extends much farther into the sea than the territorial waters, which end 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the coastal baseline (if the rules of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea are respected).
[5] The exclusive economic zones therefore also include the contiguous zone. States also have rights to the seabed of the continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles (650 km) from the coastal baseline, outside exclusive economic zones, but these zones are not part of their exclusive economic zones. The legal definition of the continental shelf does not correspond directly to the geological sense of the term, as it also includes the elevation and inclination of the continent, as well as the entire seabed within the exclusive economic zone. The practice of claiming an EEZ is an example of how the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea has led to customary international law. The United States, for example, is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but claims an EEZ that extends up to 200 nautical miles from its baseline. Canada has even adapted the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to meet its exclusive fishing zone needs. The seas of Mauritius comprise an exclusive economic zone of 1.9 million km2 with an additional maritime area of 396,000 km2, which is jointly managed with Seychelles. The Republic of Mauritius comprises several tropical islands, the three inhabited are Mauritius, Rodrigues and Agalega. Mauritius is of volcanic origin and dates back about 8 million years (millions of years ago).
Mauritius is the fourth and sixth most densely populated tropical country in the world and has experienced significant land and coastal development, including rapid vegetation clean-up. Rapid changes in land use patterns have reduced native forest area to nearly <-2% since colonization in 1638. Coastal and marine ecosystems are exposed to anthropogenic and climate change-related impacts that are difficult to separate. In some coastal areas, < 5% of living coral cover is still preserved. While the terrestrial and coastal ecosystems of the Republic of Mauritius are fairly well studied, marine ecosystems need further scientific studies and explorations, as well as sustainable and adaptive management strategies in an ever-changing global environmental climate. Japan also refers to different categories of "navigation zones" – smooth-water zone, coastal zone, main or large coastal zone, high seas zone – but it is not clear whether they are supposed to have territorial or economic effects.