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12 | STRENGTHENING OCEAN GOVERNANCE

China, highlighting the country’s
significantly expanded mangrove
area and burgeoning blue
economy (marine renewable
energies, seawater desalination,
marine biopharmaceuticals, etc).
Reminding the audience that
only 3% of the global ocean is in
highly or strictly protected areas,
Enric Sala, National Geographic
Explorer-in-Residence, pointed
out the inadequate level of
protection offered by certain
MPAs, some of which (he
cited the United Kingdom) are
authorising highly destructive
bottom trawling.

SESSION 1. Improved science, recognising and integrating
OCEAN PROTECTION AND Indigenous and local knowledge and practices, and
GOVERNANCE: SUCCESS strong partnerships, coalitions and alliances are also
essential for multilateral ocean governance. David
STORIES, LESSONS LEARNED, Obura, Chair of the Intergovernmental Platform on
FUTURE GOALS Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, described these
Significant progress in ocean protection and as “the factors of success that have driven the huge
governance has definitely been made since the first increase in commitment around ocean protection”.
gathering of the Monaco Blue Initiative in 2010: Minna Epps, Director of the International Union for
marine protected area coverage has more than Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Marine and
tripled, awareness of ocean issues and their link to Polar Programme, explained that coinciding with
the climate has grown and international treaties for the looming threat of deep-sea mining in the high
biodiversity, the high seas and plastic pollution have seas, the High Seas Treaty sets a framework for
been agreed. establishing MPAs beyond national jurisdiction and
imposing environmental impact assessments of new
Despite these important steps, the ocean’s health activities in the high seas. However, “the science on
continues to deteriorate. Seawater is warming, these ecosystems and the risks of interfering with
causing new episodes of mass coral bleaching and the largest carbon sinks on the planet is still lacking.
numerous other harmful impacts. Marine resources, Bottom trawling should serve as a warning: if its
exploited to their biological limits, are in danger, impacts had been known 50 years ago, it would
making ecosystems vulnerable and threatening the never have been allowed”, Epps added.
livelihoods and rights of coastal populations. The
science shows in no uncertain terms that ocean “As a maritime country, Portugal
governance and protection today are inadequate and cooperates with other countries
must be improved, accelerated and expanded. This and institutions in the field of
panel session considered the lessons learned from
past successes and failures, to guide more effective ocean sciences and is developing
action in the future. monitoring technologies to
measure key ocean variables.
The need to accelerate, intensify and implement Supported by the European Union,
conservation measures more effectively emerged Portugal’s National Recovery Plan
as crucial. “China continues to strengthen the also engages with the private sector to
protection and restoration of marine ecosystems”, fund ocean regeneration projects.”
said Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of António Costa Silva, Minister of the Economy
Natural Resources and Director General of the State and Maritime Affairs, Portugal
Oceanic Administration of the People’s Republic of