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Review
. 2020 Jul 17;11(1):3600.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17410-2.

A transition to sustainable ocean governance

Tanya Brodie Rudolph  1 , Mary Ruckelshaus  2 , Mark Swilling  3 , Edward H Allison  4   5 , Henrik Österblom  6 , Stefan Gelcich  7 , Philile Mbatha  8
Affiliations
Review

A transition to sustainable ocean governance

Tanya Brodie Rudolph et al. Nat Commun. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Human wellbeing relies on the Biosphere, including natural resources provided by ocean ecosystems. As multiple demands and stressors threaten the ocean, transformative change in ocean governance is required to maintain the contributions of the ocean to people. Here we illustrate how transition theory can be applied to ocean governance. We demonstrate how current economic and social systems can adapt to existing pressures and shift towards ocean stewardship through incorporation of niche innovations within and across economic sectors and stakeholder communities. These novel approaches support an emergent but purposeful transition and suggest a clear path to a thriving and vibrant relationship between humans and the ocean. 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.

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Conflict of interest statement

H.Ö. is leading the scientific efforts associated to the SeaBOS initiative (with funding that is independent from the companies of the initiative).

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Dynamics of system-level change in the ocean economy.
The elements of the ocean social-economic system undergoing systemic change as a result of interactions between culture, existing regimes, and niche innovations, all of which are influenced by landscape pressures. Redrawn from Narberhaus and Sheppard, with permission from the author and in compliance with the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, 2015 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Elements of a governance transition to ocean stewardship.
Elements informing a transition to a more adaptive and responsive global ocean governance system for ocean stewardship driven by three primary levers: reconfiguring nation state governance; empowering the commons through justice, equity and knowledge; and making ownership generative by integrating rights with responsibilities. Concepts based on Bollier.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. IPCC. Summary for Policy Makers. in Special Report on the Ocean and Cryoshphere (eds Pörtner, H. O. et al.) (IPCC, 2019).
    1. IPBES. Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. in IPBES eds (Díaz, S. et al.) (IPBES Secretariat, 2019).
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    1. OECD. The Ocean Economy in 2030 (OECD, 2016).
    1. Bennett NJ, et al. Towards a sustainable and equitable blue economy. Nat. Sustain. 2019;2:991–993.

Publication types