Mapping seascapes of international environmental arrangements in the Coral Triangle

The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI), adopted recently in response to the degradation of coastal and marine environments in the Southeast Asia-Pacific’s Coral Triangle, emphasises the need for using existing international and regional fora to promote implementation. Large-scale marine initiatives, including the CTI, very often must contend with a remarkably complex institutional system. This raises the question of whether and how such complexity can be conducive to marine resources management. To answer this question, this paper aims to better understand the governance context in which the CTI was established (i.e., map governance fragmentation/complexity), and explore how such a context may support the implementation of the CTI goals (i.e., examine normative interplay). To conduct this examination, it uses an objective method that allows users to view and explore institutional arrangements through a network approach. By documenting the system of existing institutions in the Coral Triangle, the study shows that the Coral Triangle governance system is illustrative of those of international environmental governance. It involves multiple policy domains, and features different institutional arrangements and variability in terms of geographical scope and main subject matter. Such a system is complex and fragmented, marked by jurisdiction and functional overlaps. The paper suggests interplay management, such as inter-institutional learning and enhancing institutional synergy, as a promising process to promote inter-institutional coordination.     

Food security and the Coral Triangle Initiative

The Asia-Pacific's Coral Triangle is defined by its extremely high marine biodiversity. Over one hundred million people living in its coastal zones use this biodiversity to support their livelihoods. Hundreds of millions more derive nutritious food directly from the region′s marine resources and through local, regional and global trade. Biodiversity and its values to society are threatened by demographic and habitat change, rising demand, intensive harvesting and climate change. In partnership with international conservation organisations and development funders, the governments of the region′s six countries have come together to develop the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security. The CTI has explicit goals and defined targets for marine biodiversity conservation, but not for the food security of the region′s marine-resource dependent people, despite this being the wider aim used to justify conservation action. This article suggests how the food security aim of the CTI could be made more explicit. It outlines the complex pathways linking marine biodiversity with food security and argues that improved social science analysis, inter-sectoral policy and management interactions are necessary if conserving marine biodiversity is to contribute towards meeting food security challenges in the region.     

Institutional entrepreneurs,global networks,and the emergence of international institutions for ecosystem-based management: The Coral Triangle Initiative

This study explores the role of institutional entrepreneurship in the creation of an international agreement to radically transform management of coastal and marine resources in the Coral Triangle. It analyzes how institutional entrepreneurs develop strategies to overcome barriers to change and navigate opportunity contexts to mobilize support for ecosystem-based management. The analysis shows that institutional change depends on collaboration among several institutional entrepreneurs that have access to different networks and are supported by different types of organizations. It also shows that interplay between institutional entrepreneurship and high-level political leadership plays a critical role in institution building. Institutional entrepreneurs must therefore align their ideas of ecosystem-based management to multiple political priorities and transfer experience and social capital from previous multilateral projects. By supporting the development of new governance arenas for deliberation, institutional entrepreneurs may enhance the fit between domestic and multilateral policy making. Lastly, institutional entrepreneurship may raise critical questions about legitimacy, accountability and ownership.     

A large marine ecosystem governance framework

A large marine ecosystem (LME) governance framework, developed from a need to effectively address the sustainable management of the shared living marine resources of the Caribbean, is proposed. The framework is based on four propositions and focuses on a linked examination of two well-known components of LME-level governance: the policy cycle process by which decisions are made and the multi-level nature of LMEs. It accommodates the diversity of policy cycles at multiple levels and the linkages among them required for effective governance of LMEs. The framework takes into account of factors such as context, purpose, jurisdictional scale, capacity and complexity and provides a means to identify critical areas for intervention.     

Extracting ideology from policy: Analysing the social construction of conservation priorities in the Coral Triangle region

This study presents an analysis of marine resource management activities designed to ameliorate concerns over fish stocks, food and livelihood insecurity in the coastal Asia Pacific region, with a specific focus on the area encompassed by the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF). Firstly, the study explores how the CTI-CFF framing of food insecurity as symptomatic of economic deficiencies at the household level reflects the broader neoliberal conservation agenda driving the CTI-CFF and serves to legitimate the latter as the natural authority for intervention. Secondly, the paper uses an example of local level fishery management to demonstrate how the logic of neoliberalism translates to regulations which fail to recognise social and political complexities confronting fishers, thereby exacerbating the precarity of food and livelihood security in these communities. Thirdly, the paper contrasts the Western scientific emphasis on maintaining food security through managing coral reef fisheries with evidence from Indonesia and the Philippines which demonstrates the much larger contribution from pelagic fisheries and aquaculture to food security. The paper concludes with a call for research and aid-funded interventions on fishery management, livelihoods and food security to better reflect the needs of coastal people in the Asia-Pacific region, rather than the values commonly espoused by Western scientists and conservationists.     

Collaborative fisheries management in the Northeast US: Emerging initiatives and future directions

The nature of participation by fishing organizations in fisheries management in the Northeast US is changing. Evidence of this is the number of groups that are actively seeking opportunities for group governance of marine resources. This article explores emerging collaborative or co-management arrangements in this region (a process whereby decision-making is shared between federal/council level and fishery stakeholder groups) and the shift towards an ecosystem-based approach to the management of marine fisheries.This research suggests that it is an opportune time for the development of a regional policy in the Northeast that provides an enabling environment in support of decentralized governance of federally managed marine fisheries. It also suggests that these initiatives can play a key role in operationalizing ecosystem-based management.     

印太交汇区海洋生物多样性中心形成演化机制研究进展与展望

印太交汇区是当前全球海洋生物多样性的中心,中心的形成演化是地质历史、气候、海洋环境和生命过程协同作用的结果.本文从印太交汇区海洋生物多样性分布格局、形成演化、成因假说与环境驱动机制等角度,概述了相关研究进展,并梳理了研究存在的问题.迄今对印太交汇区多样性中心形成的关键过程和机制的认识仍相当有限.基于近岸浅海研究判定的全...     

印太交汇区海洋鱼类多样性格局与演化研究进展

印太交汇区不仅是热带物理海洋海气能量汇聚中心、地质板块活跃中心以及生物多样性中心,而且也是用于开展地球系统物质能量交换与全球气候变化以及海洋生物多样性起源研究的理想靶区,因此一直受到世界科学家们的广泛关注.作为全球34个生物多样性热点区域之一,印太交汇区的珊瑚礁三角区孕育了全球76％的造礁珊瑚、75％的红树林、50％的...     

Crisis sentinel indicators: Averting a potential meltdown in the Coral Triangle

The Coral Triangle (CT) includes some or all of the land and seas of six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste (CT6). It covers only 1.1% of the world's area, but is the global hotspot for marine biodiversity and a rich spawning area for tuna. One-third of the CT6 population and millions more from outside the region are dependent on these resources. However, a range of human pressures threaten the biological health and diversity in the CT, affecting the food security and livelihoods of these people. A set of Crisis Sentinel Indicators (CSI) has been proposed to discuss the current state of affairs of the Coral Triangle based on the three dimensions of sustainability: Ecological, Socioeconomic, and Governance indicators. Furthermore, a Pressure-State-Response (PSR) analysis was performed for each CT6 country, using the three dimensions of sustainability, to capture and discuss the local state of affairs.     

Guiding ecological principles for marine spatial planning

The declining health of marine ecosystems around the world is evidence that current piecemeal governance is inadequate to successfully support healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and sustain human uses of the ocean. One proposed solution to this problem is ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP), which is a process that informs the spatial distribution of activities in the ocean so that existing and emerging uses can be maintained, use conflicts reduced, and ecosystem health and services protected and sustained for future generations. Because a key goal of ecosystem-based MSP is to maintain the delivery of ecosystem services that humans want and need, it must be based on ecological principles that articulate the scientifically recognized attributes of healthy, functioning ecosystems. These principles should be incorporated into a decision-making framework with clearly defined targets for these ecological attributes. This paper identifies ecological principles for MSP based on a synthesis of previously suggested and/or operationalized principles, along with recommendations generated by a group of twenty ecologists and marine scientists with diverse backgrounds and perspectives on MSP. The proposed four main ecological principles to guide MSP—maintaining or restoring: native species diversity, habitat diversity and heterogeneity, key species, and connectivity—and two additional guidelines, the need to account for context and uncertainty, must be explicitly taken into account in the planning process. When applied in concert with social, economic, and governance principles, these ecological principles can inform the designation and siting of ocean uses and the management of activities in the ocean to maintain or restore healthy ecosystems, allow delivery of marine ecosystem services, and ensure sustainable economic and social benefits.     

海洋生态修复研究进展与热点分析

海洋生态修复是遏制海洋生态系统退化的重要途径,受到全球越来越多学者的关注。本研究以科学引文索引(Science Citation Index Expanded,SCIE)数据库为数据源,采用文献计量统计分析方法,结合VOSviewer知识图谱可视化分析软件,定量分析了1980—2019年国际上在海洋生态修复领域发表的相关文献,梳理了近40年来该领域研究的发展脉络、前沿热点和未来方向。结果表明,近40年间,海洋生态修复领域的发文数量随时间呈上升趋势,尤其2000年后增长速度加快,以北美洲、大洋洲、欧洲国家居多,其中美国占绝对领先地位。海洋生态修复领域涉及的学科主要有环境科学、生态学、海洋及淡水生物学等,Journal of Coastal Research、Restoration Ecology、Ecological Engineering和Estuarine,Coastal and Shelf Science是该领域的主要发文期刊。当前海洋生态修复研究热点主要包括植被恢复、海洋生物种群恢复、滨海湿地修复与生物地球化学、气候变化与生态系统管理等主题,其中关于缓解和适应气候变化、生态系统的自然恢复途径、生态系统服务功能提升等方面的研究愈来愈受到关注,是未来一段时间内海洋生态修复领域的研究热点。随着我国《国民经济和社会发展第十四个五年规划》拉开序幕以及海洋生态文明建设不断深化,我国海洋生态修复研究将驶入快车道,建议在应对气候变化的海洋生态修复、区域性海洋生态系统修复规划、海洋生态退化机理与修复关键技术、适应性管理等方面加强研究和探索。     

Effects of rapid livelihood transitions: Examining local co-developed change following a seaweed farming boom

This paper examines the development and effects of a rapid livelihood transition on households, and reflects on how it fits within historic trends of livelihood change for people living in highly variable and vulnerable environments. It also discusses the implications of livelihood dynamism for local governance of natural resources. In recent decades, seaweed cultivation has expanded exponentially in coastal communities across the Asia-Pacific. A case study is presented of a remote small-island community in eastern Indonesia where over the last ten years a dramatic shift in livelihood focus has occurred. Previous dependence on diverse low-productivity livelihood activities transitioned to a predominant focus on seaweed farming. The case shows how social, economic and cultural environments co-develop as people move out of conditions of collective poverty and into more nuclear household-oriented livelihood activities. Specific attention is given to the influence on a marine resource co-management program operating on the island to illustrate how local livelihood dynamics relate to broader paradigm-driven conservation and rural development initiatives. While alternative livelihood programs seek to relieve pressure on resource stocks and provide opportunities for coastal people, this case study provides timely insights into the kinds of unintended effects, trends and impacts that are associated with rapid change in the way people make a living. This study argues that, in addition to achieving higher standards of income and well-being, livelihood improvement interventions need to adequately ensure that conditions under which new livelihood arrangements come to function can be maintained locally.     

A glaring omission in Australia’s marine conservation planning

The primary goal of Australia’s National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA) is to establish a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of MPAs. This study identifies a glaring contradiction to this policy. The provinces of Christmas and Cocos Islands are among the most unique and threatened marine bioregions in Australia, yet receive no protection from the NRSMPA. The lack of protection appears to be due to difficulties with multiple governance arrangements and other political priorities. These issues have already caused biodiversity loss in the terrestrial environment of these bioregions. The Australian Government must include the Christmas and Cocos provinces in the NRSMPA otherwise it risks irreversible loss of marine biodiversity in these unique bioregions.     

Ecosystem-based marine management in European regional seas calls for nested governance structures and coordination—A policy brief

Marine governance in European seas is at a crossroad aiming towards implementation of eco-system based marine management (EBMM) through integration of different EU policies or directives to protect the environment, while at the same time expected to facilitate growth and employment in support of the blue economy. This article shows that the governance landscape at the regional sea level is very complex, fragmented and faced with several dilemmas. It examines the present governance structures in the four European seas (Baltic, Black, and Mediterranean Seas and North East Atlantic Ocean). It is argued that the implementation of EBMM at the regional sea level is characterized by a highly fragmented European governance system where there is lack of coordination between relevant DGs within the European Commission, between EU, International organisations, Regional Sea Conventions and the Member States and between sectoral governance arrangements that should provide sectoral management measures that support EBMM. The article develops suggestions for a nested governance system in which institutions, policies, laws and sectors are nested into a tiered, internally consistent and mutually re-enforcing planning and decision-making system. Developing institutional interaction and soft modes of governance between the EU, the Regional Sea Conventions, Member States and the governance arrangements of the different marine sectors will be crucial in evolving towards such a nested governance system for EBMM. Moreover, there is no one size fits all approach in implementing EBMM, which means that for each European Sea a context-dependent nested governance system should be developed.     

Understanding divergent perspectives in marine governance in Kenya

To understand the subtle institutional conditions that underlie marine governance, beyond broad conceptualisations of property rights or pre-defined institutional designs, it is necessary to situate governance structures and human interactions within their historical and current social and political context. A two-tiered stakeholder analysis was developed to facilitate this. This analytical tool illuminates divergent perspectives between actors in two marine social-ecological systems in Southern Kenya. Investigating these differences emphasises the variety of historical contexts, social geographies, and current power relations in which different groups are situated. These historical and contextual factors mediate how groups perceive and respond to governance. They, therefore, have important implications for how institutions function.     

南海深海生物多样性国际研究态势与热点分析

南海是西太平洋边缘海,有陆架、陆坡、岛礁、深海平原、海山、冷泉等多种生境,近10年来南海逐渐成为世界深海研究的热点。南海是中国海洋生物多样性最高的区域,与作为海洋生物多样性中心的印太珊瑚大三角区具有一定的环境与生物连通性,对南海的深海生物探测研究可丰富对西太平洋及印太交汇区生物多样性及地理分布格局的认知。目前有关南海的生物多样性研究主要集中在北部陆架浅海及岛礁,对于深海生物多样性认知明显不足。本研究梳理了全球深海生物多样性的主要国际战略布局,并对南海深海生物多样性SCIE论文发表情况进行了综合分析,探讨了南海深海生物多样性研究态势,对未来南海深海生物多样性调查与研究提出了研究展望和建议。     

Spatial and ecologic distribution of neglected microinvertebrate communities across endangered ecosystems: meiofauna in Bali (Indonesia)

Biodiversity estimations, particularly in vulnerable tropical regions, are essential to understanding ecosystem structure, function and conservation. While threats to marine and terrestrial ecosystems have fueled increased interest in biodiversity research, information on meiofauna, a key trophic and ecologic community of microscopic organisms that lives within sediments, is still lacking. Here we report the results of a faunistic investigation conducted in Bali, Indonesia. The results reveal that the biodiversity of marine meiofauna in Bali is very high. Meiofauna from coral reefs, sand flats and seagrass beds differed significantly in abundance and diversity. Nonetheless, overall community compositions show that meiofauna communities are affected by environmental variables. The high meiofaunal diversity observed in Bali, a low diversity region of the Coral Triangle, indicates the importance of further meiofaunal research across this region and across a broader diversity of habitats. The data presented provide an important baseline for future studies on biodiversity conservation in the face of environmental changes due to anthropogenic impacts and/or natural events.     

Ecosystem-based fisheries management in small-scale tropical marine fisheries: Emerging models of governance arrangements in the Philippines

There has been a gradual evolution in fisheries management over the past decades from a focus on sustainability of a single species or stock and resources to a focus on marine ecosystems. Among the issues to be addressed for effective implementation of ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) are the appropriate governance arrangements and scale for management. The purpose of this paper is to examine these issues of governance and scale as related to EBFM in tropical developing countries through an analysis of approaches being taken in the Philippines to manage fisheries on a multi-jurisdictional level. The management of fisheries and coastal resources in a number of bays and gulfs, which represent marine ecosystems, is presented. The opportunities and constraints to ecosystem based fisheries management in the Philippines are discussed and lessons for broader application of these governance structures in tropical developing country marine ecosystems are presented.     

印太交汇区海洋软体动物生物多样性研究进展

印太交汇区珊瑚礁大三角是全球海洋生物多样性最高的区域,孕育了印度-西太平洋海域接近60％的软体动物种类,同时也有很高比例的特有物种.该海域是全球软体动物生物多样性研究的热点区域.已有不同国家的学者相继对印太交汇区软体动物的多样性、分类与系统演化等方面开展了研究,并取得了一系列重要的成果.基于此,本文从软体动物的生物多样...     

Governing global fish provisioning: Ownership and management of marine resources

Contemporary fish provisioning, in the era of globalization, is linking distant locations through the catchments and consumption of fish, and as more and more fish stocks are coming under threat there are unprecedented challenges emerging for environmental governance. The conventional nation-state-based regulatory arrangements of the past are becoming inadequate and in response alternative arrangements emerge. This article will compare two of these innovative fish governance arrangements addressing problems of sustainability, notably the Marine Stewardship Council and the WTO. This comparison provides support for the claim that environmental governance of global fish provision puts the traditional notions of ownership and sovereignty under pressure, while simple alternative governance arrangements are not (yet) available.