Promoting sustainable marine innovation to facilitate Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Conservation

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The theme of World Oceans Day 2020 is “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean”. As a civil society concerned with marine conservation, we call on the entire society to pay attention to the protection of marine biodiversity and support multi-level marine innovations from institutions to management and technology.

The World Oceans Day was originally suggested at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and was officially adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008, which designated June 8 each year as the date to promote global debates on conservation and sustainable use of the ocean.


In the past decade or so, people have gained a broader and deeper understanding of the important and unique role of the global marine ecosystem in the sustainable development of mankind, as well as the forms and scale of threats to the oceans posed by human activities. According to the global assessment report published by Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), driven by global scale drivers such as climate change, the marine ecological environment is deteriorating rapidly, meanwhile the time window for effective action is closing. The international community needs to take more ambitious protective actions quickly to ensure that the ocean will continue to serve human well-being in the future even in the 2 degrees Celsius warming scenario.


As civil organizations that concerned with and promotes the conservation of biodiversity, we noticed a series of progress being made in the field of marine conservation around the world over the past decade, including the setting up of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) “Life Below Water”, the advancement of negotiations on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), the commitment of the shipping industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the creation of large-scale marine protected areas, the development of marine issue under the UN Convention on Climate Change, and the actions and commitments made by governments and non-governmental organizations. The 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP15) is a key opportunity for global actions on biodiversity conservation. The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework is expected to achieve more ambitious marine conservation goals.


We also noticed the progress China made in ecological civilization construction, especially China's leading role in the global actions against climate change. It is also indicated that China’s ecological civilization construction is highly dependent on the sustainable development and utilization of oceans. As the host country of CBD-COP15, China has put forward the theme of “Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”. The global spread of COVID-19 this year has provided a more profound background for discussions on this topic. As President Xi pointed out in his speech at the 73rd World Health Assembly, it is necessary for us to come together and work as one, make concerted efforts to protect the life and health of people in all countries, and work together to safeguard planet Earth, our common home.


The theme of World Oceans Day 2020 is “Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean”. As a civil society concerned with marine conservation, we call on the entire society to pay attention to the protection of marine biodiversity and support multi-level marine innovations from institutions to management and technology. These innovations can include:


1. Based on the concept of ecological civilization, it is necessary to have a deeper understanding of the value of marine ecosystem services, the complexity of marine ecosystem and its uncertainty and potential risks in the context of climate change. We should also actively promote the mainstreaming of biodiversity, and apply ecosystem and precautionary approach in ocean management. The ocean-related content of 14th Five-Year Plan need to further combine the construction of ecological civilization with the construction of a maritime superpower.


>>Existing actions and the 2020 plans:


China Association for NGO Cooperation (CANGO):

In 2020, CANGO will cooperate with Greenpeace East Asia to carry out a series of publicity and interactive activities to advocate the importance and urgency of biodiversity conservation, encourage the establishment of a large-scale network of ocean sanctuaries, as well as the sustainable use of marine biological resources in order to protect marine biodiversity and support Chinese experts to participate in international communication and cooperation by a series of scientific research and policy advocacy activities, and support China to play a greater role in the global biodiversity protection issue.


In 2020, in cooperation with China Dialogue, CANGO will be building a bridge that connects civil society organizations, the public and the international community to interpret and disseminate China's actions to climate change and biodiversity protection. Through workshops, seminars and other forms, we help the public to better understand the policies and measures related to climate change and biodiversity protection, facilitate social organizations to respond to climate change and biodiversity conservation, and enhance international and domestic cooperation in addressing climate change and biodiversity protection.


SEE Foundation:

Mangroves, known as the "coast guard", are a forest vegetation that grow only in tropical, subtropical coasts and estuarine intertidal areas. These trees are like a natural barrier along the seaside because of its unique way of survival and reproduction ability. They can not only protect the coasts and intertidal areas, reduce the red tide, but also protect the farmland and cottages along the coast by blocking the wind and consolidating the dams. Following on the construction of marine ecological civilization and focusing on the value of ecosystem services, the SEE Foundation will cooperate with the Restoration Department and the Third Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources on World Oceans Day, June 8, to launch a joint non-profit project——crowdfunding campaign for “Restoration of Mangrove Forest to Safeguard the Coast”. This project is located in Fugong Protection Station, Jiangkou, Jiulong, Fujian Province, where there is the largest single tract of Kandelia obovata in China. SEE Foundation hopes to advocate public participation in crowdfunding to protect mangrove through pilot demonstration, further stimulate public awareness of the conservation of coastal ecosystem including mangroves, enhance the awareness of the value of ecosystem services, and try to cooperate with the government in the form of crowdfunding to complete the restoration of mangrove.


2. The “blue economy” should be a sustainable marine economy that takes into account both fairness and the health of ocean ecosystem. On one hand, the sustainable blue economy development needs to eliminate outdated and surplus capacity in the industry through policy innovation; on the other hand, it also needs to focus on fairness in the process of development to secure the interest of professionals who have long been committed to the ocean causes.


>>Existing actions and the 2020 plans:


Greennovation Hub:

Greennovation Hub will actively promote China’s participation in global and regional sustainable fisheries management, and plan to organize a series of online sharing lectures and offline seminars in 2020; conduct Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Regional Fishery Organizations (RFMOs) management research and then issue relevant reports; implement research in the field of blue economy


WWF:

WWF is in the early stage of developing sustainable blue economy project. It will first carry out some research and discussions with stakeholders, and on this basis, WFF will continue to leverage more domestic and international resources to support sustainable blue economic development.


GEI:

GEI has actively carried out research on the optimization of fishing gear, and plan to cooperate with fishermen to make such optimization into practice to reduce the by-catch of marine protected animals in fishing operations, promote sustainable fisheries, and contribute to ocean governance and blue economy development.


QMCS:

QMCS will explore a combined means of policy, technology and market to guide and support fisheries and aquaculture in the process of green development to continuously enhance the protection of natural habitats, species and genetic diversity.


3. We need to strengthen the coordination among the relevant authorities of ocean affairs, and further integrate the enhancement of administrative capacity of ocean regulation and the reinforcement of scientific and technological support on ocean policy and diplomacy into the construction of a maritime power. Through technology and management innovation, we could build transparent oceans and smart oceans to serve the ecological civilization.


4. We need to further promote the construction of Marine Protected Area/Marine National Park System, push for the establishment of strictly planned and well-managed Marine National Parks based on the existing marine ecological red lines/foundation, and strictly protect hotspots and key habitats in the sea areas under China’s jurisdiction. On the basis of constantly improving the selection and management of coastal and marine protection areas in China, we need to further explore the planning methods for large marine protected areas and actively participate in relevant international cooperation in areas beyond the national jurisdiction.


>>Existing actions and the 2020 plans:


WWF:

WWF will investigate and compile development initiatives of protected areas in the Yellow Sea eco-region with experts, including sorting out the status, problems and gaps of marine protected areas. In the future, it will put forward suggestions on spatial layout planning, species and habitats protection and management, and leverage stakeholder to engage in relevant discussions and participation.


SEE Foundation:

SEE Foundation would like to take the flagship species, sea turtle, as an example to improve the marine biodiversity conservation in multiple sectors through the promotion of cross-sectoral cooperation, and further increase the social public awareness for the CBD in 2020. On World Turtle Day and the upcoming World Oceans Day, the SEE Foundation, together with other organizations such as the China Sea Turtle Conservation Alliance and WildAid, is working jointly to carry out publicity activities on World Ocean Day, and prepare for the landing project of turtle protection - to work with communities to reduce the incidental catch of turtles.


5. We need to actively participate in the processes of the global marine protection, and increase input in scientific and international cooperation that supports those processes. We needto contribute wisdom and solutions to the health of global oceans based on the concept of a shared destiny of humankind and a shared future for all life on earth. Meanwhile, we need to seize the historic opportunity of CBD-COP15, promote an ambitious marine protection goal for 2030, and lead the way for the global marine actions in the next decade.


>>Existing actions and the 2020 plans:


Greennovation Hub:

Greennovation Hub will actively participate in the negotiations of marine conservation of CBD, Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC), and actively be involved in biological conservation discussions of regional fisheries including the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), and keep a track on other developments on marine protection. Meanwhile, it will actively participate in the discussion on marine protection of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework of CBD COP15, and produce the analysis report related to oceans and marine protection objectives in CBD..


WWF:

WWF will cooperate with its global network to participate in various international conferences and negotiations; it will also actively participate in the discussion on marine protection of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework of CBD COP15.


Shan Shui Conservation Center:

Shan Shui Conservation Center will conduct research and data collection related to marine protection: summarize and organize the basic information and protection status of China’s national marine protected areas, integrate the basic information data of threatened marine fish habitat in China’s seas, and collect species information to explore the distribution and threatened status of marine fish in China, as well as the analysis of coastal waterbird conservation priority areas in China, and identify gaps in protection, so as to provide a basis for marine conservation. 


As social organizations concerned with and conserve biodiversity, we are looking forward to working with all sectors of society to make continuous innovations and attempts to restore the health and resilience of marine ecosystems and contribute to the shared future for all life on earth.


World Oceans Day, June 8, 2020




Introduction to Civil Society Alliance for Biodiversity Conservation

Civil Society Alliance for Biodiversity Conservation (CSABC) is a joint effort initiated by the Paradise Foundation, SEE Foundation and WWF China Program,One Earth Foundation, Global Environmental Institute,Greenovation Hub, Shan Shui Conservation Center and Friends of Nature. CSABC aims to engage NGOs in working under the CBD’s 2020-2030 framework and to coordinate NGOs’ participation in the COP15 Kunming Conference. CSABC will launch the Non-state Actors’ Determined Contribution Initiatives prior to the COP15 conference.


CSABC will organize exchange and dialogue among Chinese and international NGOs and will coordinate the NGO parallel forum during the COP15 Kunming Conference.