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The world is gearing up to grow ever more reliant on the ocean for food, energy provision and material resources. This collection - the result of a collaboration between the Ocean Panel and the Nature journals - examines the potential for sustainable, equitable and profitable growth in the ocean economy and what would it take to achieve this.
In 2018, fourteen heads of state and government, co-chaired by the prime minister of Norway and the president of Palau, formed the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. Their aim: to develop an agenda for transitioning to an ocean economy that embodies effective protection, sustainable production and equitable prosperity. The panel commissioned an international team of researchers to synthesize knowledge on the state of the ocean and to identify opportunities for action, documented in a series of Blue Papers and Special Reports, and two synthesis documents outlining transformations and solutions. Here we present adaptations of some of these Blue Papers, along with comment and opinion pieces on the overarching project.
Fourteen nations have made an unprecedented and welcome commitment to use marine ecosystems sustainably. It is equally important to establish a system to hold them to account.
Modelled supply curves show that, with policy reform and technological innovation, the production of food from the sea may increase sustainably, perhaps supplying 25% of the increase in demand for meat products by 2050.
The ocean genome is the genetic material present in marine biodiversity. While technological advances are enabling exploration, conservation and innovation of this resource, the associated capacities are inequitably distributed among countries.
Oceans provide important natural resources, but the management and governance of the ocean is complex and the ecosystem is suffering as a result. The authors discuss current barriers to sustainable ocean governance and suggest pathways forward.
There is an urgent need to ensure that marine ecosystems are able to support biodiversity and the services they sustain in the face of rapid global change. Here, the authors argue that a holistic approach of integrated ocean management can ensure a sustainable and resilient ocean economy.
Poor ocean governance enables illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing with negative impacts on seafood value chains, environment, society and global food security. A new Blue Paper outlines strategies — based on transparency and international cooperation — that could turn the tide on IUU fishing practices.
The authors review how the presence of organized crime in the fisheries sector hinders progress towards the development of a sustainable ocean economy and highlight practical opportunities to address this problem at both the local and the global level.