“Clearly, MERI has an important contribution to make,” Dr. Mann Borgese told the Board. “It is enhancing the needed cooperation between social scientists, natural scientists, and environmentalists around the world. We must achieve a new level of cooperation if we are to succeed in oceans management. MERI’s role as a catalyst will help spell out what biodiversity ultimately means for marine species.”

“Wherever she was, Elisabeth was the driving force,” said Shaw. “She inspired Prime Ministers, Heads of State, and people at all levels to value ocean resources and understand how critical the oceans are to global sustenance. She was especially concerned about starvation, poverty, and social problems associated with environmental degradation and the loss of fisheries in developing countries and small island states. She was a very altruistic, ethical person who literally rose above politics and changed the world.”

Born April 24, 1918, in Munich, Elisabeth Mann Borgese was the second-youngest child of renowned author and Nobel Laureate, Thomas Mann. Dr. Mann Borgese was the Founder and Honorary Chair of the International Ocean Institute, headquartered at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS. Her most famous role was as an advocate for the peaceful use of the ocean and its preservation as the common heritage of mankind. A news release from Dalhousie University said, ``She wanted to see the oceans as the beginning of a world federalism. The ocean is a world heritage, and protection of the oceans is the first step toward more effective global governance.''

Her fascination with the ocean was lifelong. As she said, "The oceans are a great laboratory for the making of a new world order, based on new forms of international co-operation and organization, on a new economic theory, on a new philosophy.”

She organized a pioneering conference on the law of the sea in 1970, called Pacem in Maribus (Peace in the Oceans). Since then, 30 such conferences have taken place worldwide. She is credited with helping bring about a 1982 U.N. treaty on the Law of the Sea after more than a decade of negotiations. Her 1976 book ``The Drama of the Oceans'' was translated into 13 languages. Through IOI, she helped train hundreds of civil servants and university faculty in developing countries in marine resource management.

Her work earned her many laurels, including an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Dalhousie in 1998 and an Order of Canada. Earlier this year, the Government of Germany awarded her the Gosses Bundesverdienstkreuz, one of its highest honors.

One of the greatest tributes came in her recent nomination for the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, where Elisabeth Mann Borgese was called "the brightest star in the firmament of the galaxy of those who have dedicated their life to the cause of global peace and justice. Indeed, she has been called the Mother of the Oceans and has been instrumental in encouraging world leaders to rethink our relationship with the oceans and our management of marine resources and relate it to global issues."

Dr. Mann Borgese is survived by her family, including two daughters, Dr. Nica Borgese, Milan, Italy and Ms. Angelica Borgese, California; and many colleagues and friends.