A blog by Jetske Germing, MD at Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, from the World Ocean Summit 2023, Lisbon
Last month I had a speaker slot on the Innovation Stage at the World Ocean Summit in Lisbon. I expected to connect with and learn from other partnerships all doing similar work. What I found was both encouraging, and a little surprising.
It’s estimated more than 3 billion people rely on the ocean for their food, jobs and livelihoods. Yet the impacts of climate change, overfishing, development and pollution are putting our oceans at increasing risk. There was widespread agreement that sustainable coasts need to focus on the communities and the people that live and work there, but it turns out Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum is quite unique. Even on the world-stage, when it comes to our work on stakeholder engagement, there is no-one quite like us. The very idea of a Coastal Partnership Network is still a pipedream for many.
With the conference programme ranging from blue finance (investment in a sustainable ocean economy), to climate solutions, pollution and biodiversity loss, aquaculture, wave and tidal energy and plastics reduction, I realised Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum’s work is already touching most of these global challenges.
The World Ocean Summit is an annual global event bringing together a wide cross-section of the ocean community – from business and finance to governments, policymakers, civil society and academia. Organisers, Economist Impact, celebrated the 10th anniversary this year with a focus on fostering bold thinking and new partnerships to overcome common, collective challenges.
Competition for space
Marine environments are much harder for people to connect with than those on land. Partly because we understand what we can see, and with the ocean, so much is hidden from view. But wildness and inaccessibility do not guarantee protection. Competition for marine space has never been greater – from shipping to fisheries and now the latest roll-out of marine renewable energy.
On one panel, Kilaparti Ramakrishna, of the Marine Policy Center and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the USA, warned against applying the same logic to the sea as we do on land. An environment that is not owned must be used for public good, and we need the highest data standards to inform our decisions.
Louisa Hooper, from the UK-branch of Calouste Gulbenkian, highlighted the challenges around siloed knowledge and the importance of people understanding why the ocean matters. This links to our work as part of the Wales Coastal Literacy Task and Finish group. She also highlighted the need for collaboration, designing in communications and engagement from the beginning, and a diversity of voices to help find solutions. Louisa finished with, ‘Have you asked the local community?’ – a key point for our work in PCF!
Marine renewable energy was a hot topic. The focus on co-location and using our marine space effectively was very relevant to the work of Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum’s Marine Energy Wales programme. I’m pleased to say we hosted a panel on co-location at our annual MEW2023 Marine Energy Wales conference in Swansea just a few weeks later!
Take offshore wind as an example. It is recognised that the huge rise in generation capacity will require large areas of the sea, which may impact on traditional activities like fishing. Co-design takes time, and that is why we are lucky in Wales to have our own National Marine Plan. When awarding large areas of seabed rights for development, co-existence is key, not just the lowest cost of energy. An important criteria for any commercial award should be, how does this project bring value to the local economy?
Blue Economy
This is the term used for the sustainable use of the oceans for economic growth, jobs and ecosystem benefits. Tiago Pitta e Cunha, of the Oceano Azul Foundation in Portugal spoke about the role the blue economy will play in decarbonisation by contributing nature-based solutions and placing a value on natural capital. As 38% of carbon emissions come from destroying nature systems, restoring them needs to be part of the solution, and governments need to be the first investors until such solutions become investable. Mwanarusi Mwafrica, from the Vanga Blue Forest Project in Kenya, talked about how projects need to be indigenous led and ‘move with the speed of trust’ among local communities.
The panel on ‘developing the multiple benefits of seaweed’ would have resonated well with our local players, Câr-y-Môr, who indeed should take centre stage next year. The multiple uses for seaweed, and the fact the main drivers behind the industry are young people, signals the need to grow the model where businesses, communities and individuals all come together for the common good.
When considering communication, the power of storytelling was another interesting topic. One panel discussed how plastic has been a powerful campaigning tool, because it is right under our noses, in our very homes and kitchens, making it an issue we can easily relate to. On day three, filmmaker Alexandra Cousteau encouraged us to step out of echo chambers, to work collectively and to use technology ‘where people are’, something her famous grandfather, Jacques Cousteau, did so well by appearing on our television sets.
I took home a long list of organisations to follow up with, but also the sense that collectively we need to be more vocal about the good work we undertake and harness the power of storytelling to greater effect. Taking our message to people with whatever resonates for them. There are so many interesting projects and initiatives happening on our shores, the World Ocean Summit gives me confidence that Wales has a fantastic story to tell, and I hope to see a greater presence from local colleagues at next year’s event.