In view of the global evaluation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) that will be carried out by the Commission in 2021, the author highlights the key points which will need to be assessed from the perspective of the impacts on African coastal communities. The author also suggests essential improvements to be made for the future of SFPAs so that they better respond to the needs of these communities.
The launch on Friday of the report on oceans by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is an opportunity to challenge the ecological credentials of the ‘blue growth’ concept. This dangerously claims that economic growth in ocean industries can be done in a sustainable way. However it is now urgent that this unproven claim is scrutinised, and alternatives to economic growth for ocean economies are given more serious attention.
The idea of the blue economy, presented on the international stage at Rio+20, has led to a surge in interest for achieving 'blue growth'. The idea of blue growth has led to different interpretations, including the EU's Blue Growth Strategy and the FAO's Blue Growth Initiative. For the small-scale sector these efforts to achieve blue growth offer both opportunities and risks. The policy implications need to be considered further so that small-scale fishers can play a proactive role in shaping blue growth reforms and investments.
