lectures by thomas

Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) Focus

• The Sustainable Blue Economy´s focus is within the EU.
• SBE connects to the EU Mission Ocean, EU Nature Legislation, Marine Ecosystem Accounting, and Nature-Based Solutions.

Learning Objectives

• Explain and discuss nature-focused objectives within the EU SBE Strategy.
• Discuss the EU agreements and laws that support these objectives.
• Describe and discuss the EU strategy to improve environmental status.
• Create a Nature-based Solution (NbS) that complies with the European Commission (EC) NbS definition.

Underpinning Concepts

• The ocean is essential for life and basic needs.
• Healthy seas are vital for resilience and profitability in blue sectors.
• Ocean health and long-term economic productivity will be obtained through the management of human activities.

Services Provided by Oceans

• 80% of world trade is facilitated by oceans.
• Ocean plants produce 50% of atmospheric oxygen.
• Coral reef-related tourism generates over $37 billion annually.
• Marine fisheries and aquaculture support over 10% of the global population's livelihoods.
• Coastal ecosystems protect communities from storm surges and catastrophic events.
• Over 50% of around 5000 pathogen genes from marine species are used in medicines.

EU Approach to the Blue Economy

• The EU Blue Economy Report was published in 2022 by the European Commission.
• Blue growth and development is reliant on the maintenance and restoration of marine ecosystems.
• This is especially true in the face of a changing and erratic climate.
• Preserving and increasing the natural capital of the seas and oceans is critical.
• It ensures the delivery of valuable ecosystem services.
• Blue natural capital includes all abiotic (water, oxygen, dissolved nutrients) and biotic (living organisms).
• Marine ecosystem services are the flow of benefits to humans that originate from blue natural capital.

EU Objectives for Nature

• Protecting 30% of the EU's waters.
• Restoring marine ecosystems and 25,000 km of free-flowing rivers.
• Preventing and eliminating pollution.
• Reducing plastic litter at sea.
• Avoiding nutrient losses.
• Minimizing the use of chemical pesticides by 50%.
• Creating a climate-neutral and circular Blue Economy.

European Green Deal

• This encompasses preserving Europe's natural capital.
• This looks towards Sustainable Transport
• It enables a transition to a Circular Economy.
• Includes, Farm to Fork and a Green CAP
• It aims for climate neutrality.
• It supports clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
• It is financing the transition.
• This will involve taking everyone along in a transition mechanism.
• Climate neutrality aims for zero pollution and circular economy.
• Preservation and restoration of biodiversity supports climate adaptation and coastal resilience.
• Sustainable food production involves improving space at sea management.

EU Strategy

• Focuses on Marine Ecosystem Accounting and Nature-based Solutions.

Nature-Based Solutions (NbS)

• Defined by the European Commission as solutions inspired and supported by nature.
• NbS are cost-effective and simultaneously provide environmental, social, and economic benefits to help build resilience.
• NbS should bring more nature and natural processes into cities, landscapes, and seascapes and use locally adapted, resource-efficient, and systemic interventions.
• NbS must benefit biodiversity and support the delivery of a range of ecosystem services.
• Includes ecosystem-based approaches.
• Involves managing, restoring, offering protection.
• Addresses societal challenges and human well-being.
• Enhances biodiversity benefits.

Types of Marine Nature-Based Solutions

• A. Sustainable use and protection of natural marine ecosystems.
  • Includes large marine protected areas and rebuilding of stocks of marine life.
• B. Improved multifunctionality of managed marine ecosystems.
  • Includes seagrass and seaweed meadow restoration, and shoreline protection.
• C. Novel, restored, or deliberately designed artificial marine ecosystems.
  • Includes nature-inspired surfaces on built marine infrastructure and low trophic aquaculture.
• D. Nature-inspired designs which reduce environmental pressures.
  • Includes wind-powered shipping and nature-based antifouling agents on ships.

Societal Challenges addressed with Marine NbS

• Climate change mitigation and adaptation.
• Disaster risk reduction.
• Economic and social development.
• Human health.
• Food security.
• Water security.
• Environmental degradation and biodiversity loss.

Let's Get Started: Cases on Nature-Based Solutions

• Cases on NbS are to be studied within the Dutch North Sea.
• The activity includes work in small groups for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Ideas will be pitched (short PP) in 10 minutes.

Case 1: MPA in Dutch North Sea

• Create a detailed plan for a Marine Protected Area (MPA).
• Base the plan on new EU strategies and legislation.
• Determine the plan based on natural values/processes.
• Decide where to place areas within the Dutch North Sea (DNS).
• The MPA as NbS should comply with the European Commission definition.
• Determine the impact on other activities within the Blue Economy (BE).
• Use IUCN Global Standard criteria for Nature-based Solutions.
• Use FUTURE BRIEF with The solution being in nature (European Commission).
• Consider examples from FutureMARES projects.

Case 2: Restoration in Dutch North Sea

• Create a detailed plan for a restoration project.
• Base the plan on new EU strategies and legislation.
• Determine what species or habitat should be restored.
• Decide where to place project within DNS and determine the scale and timeline.
• The restoration project as NbS should comply with the European Commission definition.
• Determine the impact on other activities within the Blue Economy.
• Use IUCN Global Standard criteria for Nature-based Solutions.
• Use FUTURE BRIEF with The solution being in nature (European Commission).
• Consider examples from FutureMARES projects.

Conserving Biodiversity

• Preservation and restoration of biodiversity supports climate adaptation and coastal resilience.
• Sustainable food production involves improving space at sea management.
• Climate neutrality aims for zero pollution and circular economy.
• Scales for consideration are initiatives that promote blue carbon.
• Initiatives provide financial conservation benefits and engage in national dialogue.
• Not all preservation/restoration efforts are equal in designation, management, and enforcement.
• Requires holistic approach (i.e. land-sea nexus)

Renewable Energy Considerations

• Renewable energy development requires considering several factors.
• These include flow alteration, wave climates, current patterns, and sediment/nutrient transport.
• Additional considerations are the disturbance to benthic habitats, artificial reefs, MPAs, biofouling, pollution, electromagnetic fields, collision risk, noise, and behavioral responses.
• Wind energy presents impacts like wildlife safety, biosystem disturbance, noise, visual pollution, electromagnetic interference, and local climate change.
• Turbine collisions result in around 234,000 bird deaths per year in the US.
• Renewable energy production can address biodiversity issues but requires mitigation of potential threats and scaling-up considerations.

The Issue with Funding of Branching Coral Restoration

• Branching coral restoration has limited long-term impacts.
• It may have poor coral growth and survival, high costs, and overlooks the broader ecosystem scope and habitat quality.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

• MPAs are not all created equal.
• The 'Frisian Front' is protected for only one bird species, the common guillemot.
• BES Islands' Yarari marine sanctuary covers 24,867 km2.
• MPAs are limited by illegal fishing in no-take zones, impacting community empowerment and enforcement.
• Ecosystems rely on diversity at genetic, species, population, community, and ecosystem levels.
• MPA networks can adapt to climate change.

Preservation and Restoration - Scales for Consideration

• The TRY Oyster Woman’s Association in the Gambia (2006) is a fisheries project and has NGO links to Gambia
• Aims to address unemployment and coastal degradation.
• The project reduced pressure on the mangrove system through increasing harvesters’ cooperation.
• Vezo Community Fishers, Madagascar (2004) is a community addressing the need for a sustainable octopus fishery.
• Established locally managed marine areas with government policies and seafood export company involvement.
• Mikoko Pamoja in Kenya is a "pay for ecosystem services project."
• It restores mangroves degraded by cutting through carbon credit sales.
• The project is supported by KMFRI that trades 3000t CO2.
• Local communities safeguard 117 hectares, and carbon credits are sold through the Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services (ACES).
• Carbon verification is through Plan Vivo, with benefits supporting the Gazi village

Sustainable Food Production

• Eliminating by-catch, setting quotas to allow for stable or growth within fished species populations, while eliminating process related damage and reducing pollution.
• Important to use of conservation areas to support sustainable recruitment of alternative options like aquaculture and seaweeds.
• Phenotypic management and ecosystem phase shifts should be considered.

Sustainable Food Production - Aquaculture Risks

• Fisheries induced selection against schooling behaviors occur in marine fish
• It relies on additional feed or enhancement of ecosystem services.
• Blue carbon emissions as well as habitat destruction both occur
• It is a pillar of the Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) valued ~$264 Billion/year.

Sustainable Food Production - Solutions

• Includes carbon sequestration (“blue carbon”) and “Greening” of marine aquaculture applying lessons from the land.
• Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) and Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture (IAA) are also solutions.
• Must have a higher productivity waste filtered prior to discharge, while having high energy demand.

Aquaculture Solutions

• Polyculture (Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture) promotes synergies and enhances system resilience.
• It may reduce nutrient discharge and incorporate eco-engineering of an E-BS approach.
• Bivalve culture with mussels, oysters, and clams store carbon in tissue and shell material.

Algae Culture in Aquaculture

• Algae culture is a local scale production for re-population and economics.
• In 2014, carbon sequestration from maricultured seaweed was 57.64 tons CO2/ha/year and 12.38 tons CO2/ha/year for pond-cultured seaweeds.
• It works through accumulation.
• Not all algae produce at the same efficiency
• Also necessary to have reduced / eliminated by-catch, process-related damage, and effective protection (MPAs)
• Potential carbon sequestration through preservation and culture.

Contribution to Society

• Ocean-based economies contribute to society through employment opportunities, raw material and food security, capacity building and social programs, economic revenues, and infrastructure development.
• The SBE has the potential to address existing conflicts and prevent future injustices.