Aquaculture round-up
The 11th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative goes virtual
T
by Thierry Chopin, Director of the Seaweed and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Research Laboratory, University of New Brunswick, Canada
he 11th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI), planned for March 2020 in Monaco, had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In the spirit of resilience and mobilisation, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, and the Steering Committee of the MBI, wished to keep the momentum going and offer a space for debating and making progress on the themes of the 11th MBI through three online workshops. A lot was covered during these three sessions. I will, however, cover sessions 1 and 3 more briefly in order to focus on session 2, during which an excellent panel of practitioners, directly involved in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), offered very interesting, practical and pragmatic insights and engaged in a very interesting discussion with their remote audience.
Workshop #1 – May 28th, 2020: How can we place marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures at the center of international discussions and act collectively for their development?
Held in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, this first session began with a welcome address by the Prince, who mentioned that the COVID-19 situation shows us both how our world is more vulnerable than we thought, but also that we are collectively capable of rapid change if we so decide. The Prince urged a change in the collective attitude towards the marine environment and marine resources, including with regard to the development and reinforcement of more efficient MPAs, which will require discussions in multilateral forums, but also a more local perspective on how MPAs are managed, with greater involvement by coastal populations. Ten years ago, the international community pledged to protect 10 percent of marine areas, but this target has not been reached, while many – including the Prince – believe the target today should be 30 percent by 2030. MPAs offer very real economic opportunities, which are crucial to their success, and that justify appropriate funding and HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco
sustainable effective management practices, adapted to the regions and ecosystems where they are developed. Prince Albert called for the implementation of a genuine blue economy, reconciling human needs with those of the ocean. To address these often-conflicting challenges, we must take a practical look at things and be unafraid to speak of failures, weaknesses and success stories, to better understand the issues, and assess the actions to take to place the oceans at the heart of our development paradigm. The Prince’s address was followed by a keynote speech from Brune Poirson, Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition of France, who indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic is both a terrible reminder of the increase of human pressure on natural resources, species and habitats, undermining resilience and increasing the risk of disease, but also an opportunity to highlight the need for protecting biodiversity and taking climate changes seriously. France supports protecting 30 percent of land and oceans by 2030. The aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis will either push environmental issues to the backburner or pinpoint them as the causes of this health crisis and increase our will to address them. The second keynote speech was given by Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, who also drew a parallel between the historic health crisis on land and that of the marine environment, upon whose health humans and the planet depend. MPAs and other effective conservation measures (OECMs) are among the most effective ways to address both the biodiversity and climate emergencies at once. Globally, MPA coverage reaches just 7.5 percent, with an even smaller percentage effectively managed, and close to zero protection in the High Seas. The European Commission’s new Biodiversity Strategy proposes to increase the EU’s network of MPAs and OECMs by 19 percent over the next ten years to achieve 30 percent by 2030, with a substantial part under strict protection. The first workshop was, then, moderated by José María Figueres Olsen, Former President of Costa Rica, Co-founder and Board Chair of Ocean Unite. The first panelist, Serge Segura, Ambassador of France for the Oceans, reminded us that 2020 was supposed to be the Year of the Ocean and Biodiversity. France’s objective is Brune Poirson, Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition of France
32 | August 2020 - International Aquafeed