Adaptive management, international co-operation and planning for marine conservation hotspots in a changing climate

Acknowledgements This work received funding from the MASTS pooling initiative (The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland) and their support is gratefully acknowledged. MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (Grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Editorial: Bridging the gap between policy and science in assessing the health status of marine ecosystems

Human activities,both established and emerging, increasingly affect the provision of marine ecosystem services that deliver societal and economic benefits. Monitoring the status of marine ecosystems and determining how human activities change their capacity to sustain benefits for society requires an evidence-based Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach that incorporates knowledge of ecosystem functioning and services).Although,there are diverse methods to assess the status of individual ecosystem components, none assesses the health of marine ecosystems holistically, integrating information from multiple ecosystem components. Similarly,while acknowledging the availability of several methods to measure single pressures and assess their impacts, evaluation of cumulative effects of multiple pressures remains scarce.Therefore,an integrative assessment requires us to first understand the response of marine ecosystems to human activities and their pressures and then develop innovative, cost-effective monitoring tools that enable collection of data to assess the health status of large marine areas. Conceptually, combining this knowledge of effective monitoring methods with cost-benefit analyses will help identify appropriate management measures to improve environmental status economically and efficiently. The European project DEVOTES (DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status) specifically addressed these topics in order to support policymakers and managers in implementing the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Here, we synthesize our main innovative findings, placing these within the context of recent wider research, and identifying gaps and the major future challenges

Bridging the gap between policy and science in assessing the health status of marine ecosystems

Human activities, both established and emerging, increasingly affect the provision of marine ecosystem services that deliver societal and economic benefits. Monitoring the status of marine ecosystems and determining how human activities change their capacity to sustain benefits for society requires an evidence-based Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach that incorporates knowledge of ecosystem functioning and services). Although, there are diverse methods to assess the status of individual ecosystem components, none assesses the health of marine ecosystems holistically, integrating information from multiple ecosystem components. Similarly, while acknowledging the availability of several methods to measure single pressures and assess their impacts, evaluation of cumulative effects of multiple pressures remains scarce. Therefore, an integrative assessment requires us to first understand the response of marine ecosystems to human activities and their pressures and then develop innovative, cost-effective monitoring tools that enable collection of data to assess the health status of large marine areas. Conceptually, combining this knowledge of effective monitoring methods with cost-benefit analyses will help identify appropriate management measures to improve environmental status economically and efficiently. The European project DEVOTES (DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status) specifically addressed t hese topics in order to support policy makers and managers in implementing the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Here, we synthesize our main innovative findings, placing these within the context of recent wider research, and identifying gaps and the major future challenges

Public Perceptions of Europe's Seas: A Policy Brief

This survey across several European countries explores the values, concerns and aspirations of individuals regarding the marine environment. The policy agenda in Europe is moving forward as a result of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive; for planning and maritime development; through the Integrated Maritime Strategy; and in reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Concerning the oceans, the views of communities across Europe are relatively unknown. While the positions of organised stakeholder groups are captured through responses to policy consultations, the opinion of the 'person in the street' is difficult to include in the decision making process. Yet, crucially, it is the collective choices made by communities in the resources they use, the places they visit, and live in that drive many pressures on the marine environment. Public viewpoints on the oceans will play an important (if yet undetermined) role in supporting reforms such as marine planning, the large scale deployment of marine renewables, and marine protected areas that have considerable social and economic consequences. Understanding the perspective of communities will be critical in how the policy process unfolds

Global Impacts Report 2017

Our fifth Global Impacts Report reflects on the progress of the MSC over the past 20 years, examines the sustainability performance of certified fisheries around the world and highlights areas of future interest

The Socio-economic Impacts of Fisheries Management and Policy Designed to Achieve Biodiversity Conservation

This report responds to a request from the Tubney Charitable Trust to carry out a basic review of current knowledge of the socio-economic impacts of fisheries management and policy designed to achieve biodiversity conservation. The fisheries sector is having a significant impact upon marine biodiversity in UK waters. The report discusses the importance and diversity of socio-economic knowledge and how it can help to place fisheries into the broader, more holistic, framework of sustainable development. It emphasises the complexity of the policy environment and the need to understand the conflicting and contrasting motives of the different stakeholders. Understanding what motivates policymakers and fishers is the first step to changing their behaviour. The report discusses the divergence between policy and policy implementation, and the complexity of policy instruments

Maritime confidence building measures in the South China Sea conference

ASPI hosted a conference on Maritime Confidence Building Measures (MCBMs) in the South China Sea, 12-13 August 2013 in  Sydney. The objective of the conference was to develop proposals for prospective MCBMs for the South China Sea.  This report includes speeches by Senator Bob Carr, then Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Professor Dr Hasjim Djalal, Senior Advisor to the Indonesian Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and Indonesian Naval Chief of Staff and VADM Ray Griggs, Australia’s Chief of Navy. Papers by Dr Sam Bateman, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Captain Justin Jones, Sea Power Centre – Australia and Mr Kwa Chong Guan, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore further inform on the topic. The report contains a summary record of the conference and the Chairman’s final statement from the conference

Maritime Indonesia and the Archipelagic Outlook; Some Reflections From a Multidisciplinary Perspective on Old Port Cities in Java

The present paper reflects on Indonesia\u27s status as an archipelagic state and a maritime nation from a historical perspective. It explores the background of a multi-year research project into Indonesia\u27s maritime past currently being undertaken at the Humanities Faculty of Universitas Indonesia. The multidisciplinary research uses toponymy, epigraphy, philology, and linguistic lines of analysis in examining old inscriptions and manuscripts and also includes site visits to a number of old port cities across the archipelago. We present here some of the core concepts behind the research such as the importance of the ancient port cities in a network of maritime trade and diplomacy, and link them to some contemporary issues such as the Archipelagic Outlook. This is based on a concept of territorial integrity that reflects Indonesia\u27s national identity and aspirations. It is hoped that the paper can extend the discussion about efforts to make maritime affairs a strategic geopolitical goal along with restoring Indonesia\u27s identity as a maritime nation