The New York ocean and Great Lakes ecosystem conservation council shall:

1. Promote the understanding, protection, restoration and enhancement of New York's ocean and Great Lakes ecosystems while promoting sustainable and competitive economic development and job creation;

2. Ensure that community needs and aspirations are accommodated, recognizing the interdependent goals of community well-being, environmental quality and economic viability;

3. Define and implement an adaptive approach building upon existing laws and programs to advance activities that affect coastal ecosystems in order to ensure the coexistence of healthy ecosystems with human activities;

4. Integrate and coordinate ecosystem-based management with existing laws and programs;

5. Develop guidelines for agency programs and activities that affect coastal ecosystems to advance the policy and principles delineated in section 14-0103 of this article;

6. Encourage scientific research and information sharing that will inform ecosystem-based management decisions and enhance ecosystem management capabilities;

7. Use New York's private and public academic, research and non-profit institutions more effectively in developing and advancing coastal ecosystem-based management;

8. Facilitate regional coordination and cooperation to address complex coastal resource issues which cross political and jurisdictional boundaries.