SSF Perspective on an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and Oceans

Sebastian Mathew

International Collective in Support of Fishworkers

Emerging Concerns of Fishing Communities: Issues of Labour, Trade, Gender, Disaster Preparedness, Biodiversity and Responsible Fisheries, 4 - 6 July 2006, SESC, Fortaleza, Brazil

United Nations

• There is no internationally agreed definition of “ecosystem approach”

• It is interpreted differently in different contexts

• A comprehensive science-based approach to the conservation and management of natural resources

Management of Human Activities that Affect or Might

Affect the Ecosystem

• According to the United Nations Report of the SecretaryGeneral on Oceans and the Law of the Sea 2006:

• Activities that should be managed include: land-based industries using or producing hazardous substances, either on the coast or on rivers flowing towards the oceans; agricultural run-off that could result in eutrophication; coastal developments, industrial, residential or touristic; port construction and operation; construction and placement of installations and structures on the seabed; extraction of sand and gravel; dredging of harbours and channels and disposal; offshore oil and gas exploration and production; seabed mining; waste disposal; scientific research; carbon sequestration; maritime transport activities; tourism; the laying of pipelines and cables; capture fisheries, aquaculture and shellfish harvesting.

Salient Aspects of EAF

• Does not give pre-eminence to environmental considerations over socio-economic and cultural ones

• EAF is not narrowly limited to management, it includes other areas that are covered by the CCRF

Definition of EAF

• “An ecosystem approach strives to balance diverse societal objectives, by taking account of knowledge and uncertainties of biotic, abiotic and human components of ecosystems and their interactions and applying an integrated approach to fisheries within ecologically meaningful boundaries”– FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible

Fisheries (4, Supplement. 2)

Definition of the Ecosystem Approach in CBD (1992)

• “The ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water, and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way” to reach a balance “of conservation; sustainable use; and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources”

• EA recognizes that human beings, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of ecosystems

UNICPOLOS 7th Meeting, 2006

• Ecosystem approaches to oceans management should be focused on managing human activities: – to maintain and restore ecosystem

health– to provide social and economic benefits

for food security– to sustain livelihoods– to conserve marine biodiversity

UNICPOLOS 7th Meeting, 2006

• The application of ecosystem approaches to be guided mainly by UNCLOS “the legal framework for all activities in the oceans and seas…”

• address impacts on marine ecosystems in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction, taking into account the integrity of the ecosystems concerned.

Elements of an Ecosystem Approach

• Be inclusive, with stakeholder and local communities’ participation in planning, implementation and management

• Be based on best available knowledge, including traditional, indigenous and scientific information and be adaptable to new knowledge and experience

• Apply precautionary approach• Take into account ecological, social,

cultural, economic, legal and technical perspectives

Some of the Mechanisms to be Considered for Implementation of EA

• Strengthening regional fisheries management organizations, adapting their mandates and modernizing their operations

• Elimination of destructive fishing practices, establishment of marine protected areas consistent with international law and based on scientific information, including representative networks by 2012 and time/area closures for the protection of nursery grounds and periods, proper coastal land use and watershed planning and the integration of marine and coastal areas management into key sectors

Implications for SSF• EA recognizes the importance of traditional

knowledge; participatory decision making• Could be an effective check against indiscriminate

bottom trawling and other forms of destructive fishing gear and practices but how will unorganized SSF fare in comparison with organized industrial fisheries?

• What are the pros and cons of MPAs?• While there is an EA to fisheries and EA to aquaculture

there is no EA to oil and gas exploitation—are the weakest sectors proposed to be the most regulated under EA?