Marine Protected Areas: SDG catalysts? |23 June 2017
• Marine Protected Areas are catalysts for achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals
The first ever Ocean Conference held by the United Nations has placed the protection of marine biodiversity and ecosystems at the heart of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Delegates participated in a well attended side event (June 7), hosted by the Government of Seychelles and the United Nations Development Programme, to discuss the critical role played by marine protected areas in achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Opening the side event, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change Didier Dogley said: “Marine protected areas when designed properly and cover a diverse representation of key marine biodiversity areas and ecosystems are instrumental in supporting key economic activities, sustaining livelihoods and a high quality of marine environment. These have benefitted greatly the communities that live within the vicinity of these MPAs.”
Minister Dogley also noted that “We need to look beyond MPAs, and apply sustainable management in what GEF terms the productive landscapes. This is why Seychelles and a number of island states have chosen the Blue economy approach. It allows the governments to put together a coherent and integrated plan to develop and better manage the coastal and marine space, while conserving and protecting key biodiversity. In other words, MPA can be the catalyst for implementing the SDGs but its effectiveness will have to be supported by a nationwide integrated cross-sectoral approach.”
Adriana Dinu, executive coordinator of UNDP GEF, said: "Healthy and diverse marine ecosystems deliver multiple sustainable development benefits. Oceans sustain the livelihoods of over 925 million people – employing one out of every eight people on earth. Local and global fisheries supply 4.3 billion people with 15% of their annual protein. Seagrass beds sequester about a quarter of global carbon emissions. They are also the world’s most valuable ecosystem, worth nearly $20,000 per hectare because of their role in mitigating the annual damage of up to $100 billion to coastal infrastructure. Marine protected areas play a pivotal role in delivering all of these results. But they are particularly beneficial for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities. Two recent studies show that MPAs increase marine organism biomass by 446%, density by 166%, size by 28%, and marine community species richness by more than 20%. By doing so, MPAs tackle the multiple dimensions of poverty, including income, education, alternative livelihoods, social cohesion, cultural traditions and benefits to women, among others. In short, MPAs are a catalyst for achieving not only SDG 14 but multiple SDGs, and for ensuring the basic principle of leaving no one behind."
Ms Dinu also took the opportunity to highlight a new UNDP publication, launched in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) titled ‘Sea, My Life: Protecting Oceans, Sustaining the Future’, which demonstrates how marine protected areas play a critical role in protecting and effectively managing fragile marine and coastal habitats. The selected case studies in the report highlight proven approaches - including from Seychelles - with a focus on strategies for creating, expanding and strengthening the management of marine protected areas. It highlights innovative approaches for increasing the extent and effectiveness of marine protected areas, managing multiple use land and seascapes through ecosystem-based approaches at both local and multi-country scales, and engaging production sectors and communities in sustainable use and management of marine and coastal resources.
Contributed by Penny Stock
UNDP GEF Regional Technical Specialist for Ecosystems and Biodiversity – Africa