Oceans incessantly remind us of their significance. As one of the most vulnerable to climate change and pollution, marine ecosystems have a way of reminding us of the interconnectedness of the planet. We do not control the flow of natural resources here which makes it easy to exploit and difficult to control policies and practices across national boundaries. It is therefore crucial that the oceans are protected, and that marine resources are managed efficiently. In order for this to happen, there needs to be a high level of cooperation between coastal (and other) countries.
The Blue Economy, not to be confused with Gunter Pauli’s Blue Economy, is like the green economy, “but it is wet” (Paul Siegel, Former Marine Advisor for the WWF). COP 11 Abidjan raised concerns about inter-governmental cooperation along this coastline, considering the unstable nature of politics on the West African coast. It was put forward that peace, security and stability is key to promoting the Blue Economy in this area. The United Nations is currently considering this in the formation of the new MDGs post-2015 (possibly to be called SDGs).
In Africa, governments are increasingly aware of the importance of the oceans to economic growth. From the 17-21 March, Cape Town saw the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) host COP 11 Abidjan, focusing on the “Sustainable Management of Marine Resources”. The countries in attendance from the West and Central African regions, were Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo (DR), Congo (Rep of), Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia (The), Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome e Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Togo, totalling 22 countries. The conference was declared open Director General Nosipho Ngcaba (Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa). Ngcaba spoke about the importance of ensuring environmental sustainability in potential growth areas such as marine transport and manufacturing activities, offshore oil and gas exploration, and aquaculture and marine protection services.
The Abidjan Convention lists the causes of pollution that necessitate control, including ships, dumping, land-based activities, exploration and exploitation of the seabed, and pollution from or through the atmosphere. The importance of inter-governmental cooperation comes across where the need for environmental management arises. Cooperation is needed to address coastal erosion, combating pollution in cases of emergency and environmental impact assessment.
Coastal tourism, trading ports, fisheries, and industry are all key contributors to the socio-economic wellbeing of citizens in coastal communities. However, these livelihoods are under threat, and floods and coastal erosion results from the devastation of critical habitats, exacerbated by climate change.
In one of our favourite TED talks, oceanographer Sylvia Earle explains why it matters “that in 50 years we have eaten more than 90% of the big fish in the sea, why you should care that nearly 50% of the coral reefs have disappeared, why a mysterious depletion of oxygen in large stretches of the ocean is not only concerning to the creatures that are dying…”. Watch the video here.
The Western Cape includes a significant proportion of South Africa’s coastline. It is crucial that we remember the importance of our oceans to the health of our communities, economy and environment.
The Western Cape Government’s Green Economy programme is embarking on a project to explore possibilities for aquaculture in the Western Cape. This, however, will be done with a twist. Dubbed as the “Triple Green Aquaculture” project, large areas of land within the Matzikama aquaculture development zone offer the opportunity to reuse pumped water three times – for abalone, seaweed and salmon farming. This project has a large potential to create jobs and uplift the area in question.
For the COP11 Abidjan conference report see here.