Ocean defenders and human rights

Two pressing and overlapping marine policy issues are related to human rights in and defenders. Human rights issues and violations are on the rise in the ocean due to the ongoing, rapid and unchecked escalation of anthropogenic activities in marine and coastal environments, which undermine the fundamental, civil and political, economic, social, cultural or environmental rights of individuals and groups. In this context, it is essential to recognize, support and safeguard the individuals, groups or communities who are mobilizing, advocating or taking action to protect the marine environment, coastal and oceanic territories, and associated human rights from existential threats. Yet, these ‘ocean defenders’ often face marginalization, intimidation, criminalization, threats, violence and murders. The failure to protect the human rights of coastal populations and ocean defenders needs to be urgently rectified by states, the private sector and civil society. We identify six specific areas of urgent action to confront human rights issues in the ocean and to support and safeguard ocean defender

Environmental conflicts and defenders: A global overview

Recent research and policies recognize the importance of environmental defenders for global sustainability and emphasize their need for protection against violence and repression. However, effective support may benefit from a more systematic understanding of the underlying environmental conflicts, as well as from better knowledge on the factors that enable environmental defenders to mobilize successfully. We have created the global Environmental Justice Atlas to address this knowledge gap. Here we present a large-n analysis of 2743 cases that sheds light on the characteristics of environmental conflicts and the environmental defenders involved, as well as on successful mobilization strategies. We find that bottom-up mobilizations for more sustainable and socially just uses of the environment occur worldwide across all income groups, testifying to the global existence of various forms of grassroots environmentalism as a promising force for sustainability. Environmental defenders are frequently members of vulnerable groups who employ largely non-violent protest forms. In 11% of cases globally, they contributed to halt environmentally destructive and socially conflictive projects, defending the environment and livelihoods. Combining strategies of preventive mobilization, protest diversification and litigation can increase this success rate significantly to up to 27%. However, defenders face globally also high rates of criminalization (20% of cases), physical violence (18%), and assassinations (13%), which significantly increase when Indigenous people are involved. Our results call for targeted actions to enhance the conditions enabling successful mobilizations, and for specific support for Indigenous environmental defenders

Ocean defenders and human rights

Two pressing and overlapping marine policy issues are related to human rights in the ocean and the situation of ocean defenders. Human rights issues and violations are on the rise in the ocean due to the ongoing, rapid and unchecked escalation of anthropogenic activities in marine and coastal environments, which increasingly undermine the fundamental, civil and political, economic, social, cultural or environmental rights of individuals and groups. In this context, it is essential to recognize, support and safeguard the individuals, groups or communities who are mobilizing, advocating or taking action to protect the marine environment, coastal and oceanic territories, and associated human rights from existential threats. Yet, these ‘ocean defenders’ often face marginalization, intimidation, criminalization, threats, violence and murders. The failure to protect the human rights of coastal populations and ocean defenders needs to be urgently rectified by states, the private sector and civil society. We identify six specific areas of urgent action to protect human rights in and related to marine and coastal environments and to support and safeguard ocean defenders

The political ecology of marine finfish aquaculture in europe: discourses, implicit assumptions, commodity frontiers and environmental justice

L'aqüicultura és el subsector productiu agroalimentari amb més creixement des dels anys setanta. El seu percentatge en la producció alimentària marina ha crescut de manera ininterrompuda. En un context de captures decreixents i estocs pesquers en risc, l'aqüicultura ha estat proposada com la solució a la creixent demanda de productes pesquers. Aquesta tendència ha transformat les pràctiques de producció marina, passant de la pesca a la granja, alhora que ha ofert noves fronteres per a l’entrada del capital a través del desenvolupament d'inversions i d’innovacions sociotecnològiques. Aquesta tesi tracta de contribuir a la millor comprensió d'aquesta transformació i de les relacions socials i ecològiques desiguals produïdes. Es centra en el cas europeu, i planteja la pregunta de com i per què l'aqüicultura transforma les relacions de producció en l'àmbit marí i la seva governança. S'han fet servir diverses metodologies qualitatives, en el marc de l'ecologia política, i s'han abordat tres objectius: (i) analitzar els discursos europeus aqüícoles i identificar de quina manera es relacionen amb els processos de confinament i mercantilització del medi marí; (ii) identificar els conflictes socioambientals relacionats amb les granges aqüícoles a Europa des de la perspectiva de la justícia ambiental; i (iii) explorar l'expansió geogràfica, espacial i taxonòmica de les fronteres extractives associades a l'aqüicultura marina intensiva. Els resultats de la investigació suggereixen que l'aqüicultura de peixos marins condiciona i transforma els espais i les relacions productives marines a través de l'expansió contínua del capital, l'extensió a noves fronteres extractives i el confinament de béns comuns. Un procés que és facilitat pels discursos dominants com ara l'imperatiu del creixement. A través de la recerca de vies per a una major acumulació de capital, la transformació de la pesca cap a l'aqüicultura intensiva marina canvia les relacions socials i ambientals en l'àmbit marí. La reconfiguració resultant de l'accés i el control sobre els comuns marins exclou diversos actors, i això al seu torn genera conflictes socioambientals i demandes de justícia ambiental relacionats amb les granges aqüícoles. La investigació assenyala que aquesta expansió produeix nous règims naturals, espacials i socioeconòmics amb la intenció de superar les crisis d'acumulació del capital vinculades al decreixement dels estocs i captures pesqueres, i es produeix mitjançant el confinament i la mercantilització del medi marí. A través de la investigació realitzada, aquesta tesi contribueix a la literatura d'ecologia política vinculada a l'aqüicultura així com als debats teòrics més amplis associats als confinaments, el canvi agrari i socioambiental i la governança ambiental neoliberal.La acuicultura es el subsector productivo agroalimentario con mayor crecimiento desde los años setenta. Su porcentaje en la producción alimentaria marina ha crecido de manera ininterrumpida. En un contexto de capturas decrecientes y stocks pesqueros en riesgo, la acuicultura ha sido propuesta como la solución a la creciente demanda de productos pesqueros. Esta tendencia ha transformado las prácticas de producción marina, pasando de la pesca a la granja, al tiempo que ha ofrecido nuevas fronteras para la entrada del capital a través del desarrollo de inversiones e innovaciones socio-tecnológicas. Esta tesis trata de contribuir a una mejor comprensión de esta transformación y de las relaciones sociales y ecológicas desiguales producidas por ella. Se centra en el caso europeo, y plantea la pregunta de cómo y por qué la acuicultura transforma las relaciones de producción en el ámbito marino y su gobernanza. Se han usado diversas metodologías cualitativas, en el marco de la ecología política, y se han abordado tres objetivos: (i) analizar los discursos europeos acuícolas e identificar de qué manera se relacionan con los procesos de confinamiento y mercantilización del medio marino; (ii) identificar los conflictos socioambientales relacionados con las granjas acuícolas en Europa desde la perspectiva de la justicia ambiental; y (iii) explorar la expansión geográfica, espacial y taxonómica de las fronteras extractivas asociadas a la acuicultura marina intensiva. Los resultados de la investigación sugieren que la acuicultura de peces marinos condiciona y transforma los espacios y relaciones productivas marinas a través de la expansión continua del capital, la extensión a nuevas fronteras extractivas y el confinamiento de bienes comunes. Un proceso que es facilitado por los discursos dominantes como por ejemplo el imperativo al crecimiento. A través de la búsqueda de vías para una mayor acumulación del capital, la transformación de la pesca a la acuicultura intensiva marina cambia las relaciones sociales y ambientales en el medio marino. La reconfiguración resultante del acceso y el control sobre los comunes marinos excluye a diversos actores, y esto a su vez genera conflictos socioambientales y demandas de justicia ambiental relacionados con las granjas acuícolas. La investigación señala que esta expansión produce nuevos regímenes naturales, espaciales y socioeconómicos con la intención de superar las crisis de acumulación del capital vinculadas al decrecimiento de los stocks y capturas pesqueras, y se produce por medio del confinamiento y la mercantilización del medio marino. A través de la investigación realizada, esta tesis contribuye a la literatura de ecología política vinculada a la acuicultura así como a los debates teóricos más amplios asociados a los confinamientos, el cambio agrario y socioambiental y la gobernanza ambiental neoliberal.Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food-production sector globally—since the 1970s, its share in total seafood production has increased uninterruptedly. In the context of falling captures and endangered fish stocks, aquaculture has been proposed as the solution for supplying the rising global seafood demand. This trend has transformed the practices of seafood production from capture to farming, while opening new frontiers for capital with new types of investments and socio-technical innovations. In this thesis, I contribute to understanding this transformation and the resulting uneven social and ecological production relations. By focusing on the case of Europe, I address the question of how and why marine finfish aquaculture transforms the relations of seafood production and marine governance. Adopting a range of qualitative methodological approaches informed by political ecology, my analysis has three objectives: (i) to analyze discourses on European aquaculture and uncover the way they relate to processes of enclosure and commodification of marine areas; (ii) to identify socio-environmental conflicts related to fish farms in Europe and examine them through the lens of environmental justice; and (iii) to explore the geographic, spatial, and taxonomic expansion of commodity frontiers associated with intensive marine aquaculture. The research findings presented in this thesis suggest that marine finfish aquaculture shapes and transforms marine spaces and production relations through the continuous expansion of capital into new commodity frontiers and the enclosure of marine commons, enabled by dominant discourses like growth imperative. By seeking further capital accumulation, the transformation from capture fisheries to intensive marine aquaculture changes social and ecological relations within marine area. The resulting reconfiguration of access to and control over marine commons excludes a variety of social actors, and leads in turn to socio-environmental conflicts related to fish farms informed by environmental justice demands. I claim that such a continuous expansion underpins how capital produces nature, space, and socio-ecological regimes with the intention of overcoming accumulation crises related to declining stocks and capture fisheries through further enclosing and commodifying marine areas. Through these findings, this thesis contributes to literatures on the political ecology of aquaculture as well as to broader theoretical debates on enclosures, agrarian and socio-environmental change and on neoliberal environmental governance

The political ecology of marine finfish aquaculture in europe : discourses, implicit assumptions, commodity frontiers and environmental justice /

Bibliografia.L'aqüicultura és el subsector productiu agroalimentari amb més creixement des dels anys setanta. El seu percentatge en la producció alimentària marina ha crescut de manera ininterrompuda. En un context de captures decreixents i estocs pesquers en risc, l'aqüicultura ha estat proposada com la solució a la creixent demanda de productes pesquers. Aquesta tendència ha transformat les pràctiques de producció marina, passant de la pesca a la granja, alhora que ha ofert noves fronteres per a l'entrada del capital a través del desenvolupament d'inversions i d'innovacions sociotecnològiques. Aquesta tesi tracta de contribuir a la millor comprensió d'aquesta transformació i de les relacions socials i ecològiques desiguals produïdes. Es centra en el cas europeu, i planteja la pregunta de com i per què l'aqüicultura transforma les relacions de producció en l'àmbit marí i la seva governança. S'han fet servir diverses metodologies qualitatives, en el marc de l'ecologia política, i s'han abordat tres objectius: (i) analitzar els discursos europeus aqüícoles i identificar de quina manera es relacionen amb els processos de confinament i mercantilització del medi marí; (ii) identificar els conflictes socioambientals relacionats amb les granges aqüícoles a Europa des de la perspectiva de la justícia ambiental; i (iii) explorar l'expansió geogràfica, espacial i taxonòmica de les fronteres extractives associades a l'aqüicultura marina intensiva. Els resultats de la investigació suggereixen que l'aqüicultura de peixos marins condiciona i transforma els espais i les relacions productives marines a través de l'expansió contínua del capital, l'extensió a noves fronteres extractives i el confinament de béns comuns. Un procés que és facilitat pels discursos dominants com ara l'imperatiu del creixement. A través de la recerca de vies per a una major acumulació de capital, la transformació de la pesca cap a l'aqüicultura intensiva marina canvia les relacions socials i ambientals en l'àmbit marí. La reconfiguració resultant de l'accés i el control sobre els comuns marins exclou diversos actors, i això al seu torn genera conflictes socioambientals i demandes de justícia ambiental relacionats amb les granges aqüícoles. La investigació assenyala que aquesta expansió produeix nous règims naturals, espacials i socioeconòmics amb la intenció de superar les crisis d'acumulació del capital vinculades al decreixement dels estocs i captures pesqueres, i es produeix mitjançant el confinament i la mercantilització del medi marí. A través de la investigació realitzada, aquesta tesi contribueix a la literatura d'ecologia política vinculada a l'aqüicultura així com als debats teòrics més amplis associats als confinaments, el canvi agrari i socioambiental i la governança ambiental neoliberal.La acuicultura es el subsector productivo agroalimentario con mayor crecimiento desde los años setenta. Su porcentaje en la producción alimentaria marina ha crecido de manera ininterrumpida. En un contexto de capturas decrecientes y stocks pesqueros en riesgo, la acuicultura ha sido propuesta como la solución a la creciente demanda de productos pesqueros. Esta tendencia ha transformado las prácticas de producción marina, pasando de la pesca a la granja, al tiempo que ha ofrecido nuevas fronteras para la entrada del capital a través del desarrollo de inversiones e innovaciones socio-tecnológicas. Esta tesis trata de contribuir a una mejor comprensión de esta transformación y de las relaciones sociales y ecológicas desiguales producidas por ella. Se centra en el caso europeo, y plantea la pregunta de cómo y por qué la acuicultura transforma las relaciones de producción en el ámbito marino y su gobernanza. Se han usado diversas metodologías cualitativas, en el marco de la ecología política, y se han abordado tres objetivos: (i) analizar los discursos europeos acuícolas e identificar de qué manera se relacionan con los procesos de confinamiento y mercantilización del medio marino; (ii) identificar los conflictos socioambientales relacionados con las granjas acuícolas en Europa desde la perspectiva de la justicia ambiental; y (iii) explorar la expansión geográfica, espacial y taxonómica de las fronteras extractivas asociadas a la acuicultura marina intensiva. Los resultados de la investigación sugieren que la acuicultura de peces marinos condiciona y transforma los espacios y relaciones productivas marinas a través de la expansión continua del capital, la extensión a nuevas fronteras extractivas y el confinamiento de bienes comunes. Un proceso que es facilitado por los discursos dominantes como por ejemplo el imperativo al crecimiento. A través de la búsqueda de vías para una mayor acumulación del capital, la transformación de la pesca a la acuicultura intensiva marina cambia las relaciones sociales y ambientales en el medio marino. La reconfiguración resultante del acceso y el control sobre los comunes marinos excluye a diversos actores, y esto a su vez genera conflictos socioambientales y demandas de justicia ambiental relacionados con las granjas acuícolas. La investigación señala que esta expansión produce nuevos regímenes naturales, espaciales y socioeconómicos con la intención de superar las crisis de acumulación del capital vinculadas al decrecimiento de los stocks y capturas pesqueras, y se produce por medio del confinamiento y la mercantilización del medio marino. A través de la investigación realizada, esta tesis contribuye a la literatura de ecología política vinculada a la acuicultura así como a los debates teóricos más amplios asociados a los confinamientos, el cambio agrario y socioambiental y la gobernanza ambiental neoliberal.Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food-production sector globally-since the 1970s, its share in total seafood production has increased uninterruptedly. In the context of falling captures and endangered fish stocks, aquaculture has been proposed as the solution for supplying the rising global seafood demand. This trend has transformed the practices of seafood production from capture to farming, while opening new frontiers for capital with new types of investments and socio-technical innovations. In this thesis, I contribute to understanding this transformation and the resulting uneven social and ecological production relations. By focusing on the case of Europe, I address the question of how and why marine finfish aquaculture transforms the relations of seafood production and marine governance. Adopting a range of qualitative methodological approaches informed by political ecology, my analysis has three objectives: (i) to analyze discourses on European aquaculture and uncover the way they relate to processes of enclosure and commodification of marine areas; (ii) to identify socio-environmental conflicts related to fish farms in Europe and examine them through the lens of environmental justice; and (iii) to explore the geographic, spatial, and taxonomic expansion of commodity frontiers associated with intensive marine aquaculture. The research findings presented in this thesis suggest that marine finfish aquaculture shapes and transforms marine spaces and production relations through the continuous expansion of capital into new commodity frontiers and the enclosure of marine commons, enabled by dominant discourses like growth imperative. By seeking further capital accumulation, the transformation from capture fisheries to intensive marine aquaculture changes social and ecological relations within marine area. The resulting reconfiguration of access to and control over marine commons excludes a variety of social actors, and leads in turn to socio-environmental conflicts related to fish farms informed by environmental justice demands. I claim that such a continuous expansion underpins how capital produces nature, space, and socio-ecological regimes with the intention of overcoming accumulation crises related to declining stocks and capture fisheries through further enclosing and commodifying marine areas. Through these findings, this thesis contributes to literatures on the political ecology of aquaculture as well as to broader theoretical debates on enclosures, agrarian and socio-environmental change and on neoliberal environmental governance

Broadening the perspective on ocean privatizations: an interdisciplinary social science enquiry

Privatization of the ocean, in the sense of defining more exclusive property rights, is taking place in increasingly diverse ways. Because of more intensive and diversified use patterns and increasing sustainability challenges, it is likely that this process will continue into the future. We argue that the nature of privatization varies from one oceanic domain to another. We differentiate four idealtypical domains: (1) resources, (2) space, (3) governance control, and (4) knowledge, and nine criteria for the assessment of privatization. We apply those criteria to a selection of examples from the realm of marine life (from micro-organisms to fish) to highlight similarities and differences and establish foundations for broader analysis. We aim hereby to develop the groundwork for a balanced, interdisciplinary perspective on ocean privatization. Our analysis demonstrates that privatization has multiple dimensions and cannot be condemned or embraced in its entirety. Instead it requires more nuanced assessment and deliberation

Environmental conflicts and defenders : A global overview

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MRecent research and policies recognize the importance of environmental defenders for global sustainability and emphasize their need for protection against violence and repression. However, effective support may benefit from a more systematic understanding of the underlying environmental conflicts, as well as from better knowledge on the factors that enable environmental defenders to mobilize successfully. We have created the global Environmental Justice Atlas to address this knowledge gap. Here we present a large-n analysis of 2743 cases that sheds light on the characteristics of environmental conflicts and the environmental defenders involved, as well as on successful mobilization strategies. We find that bottom-up mobilizations for more sustainable and socially just uses of the environment occur worldwide across all income groups, testifying to the global existence of various forms of grassroots environmentalism as a promising force for sustainability. Environmental defenders are frequently members of vulnerable groups who employ largely non-violent protest forms. In 11% of cases globally, they contributed to halt environmentally destructive and socially conflictive projects, defending the environment and livelihoods. Combining strategies of preventive mobilization, protest diversification and litigation can increase this success rate significantly to up to 27%. However, defenders face globally also high rates of criminalization (20% of cases), physical violence (18%), and assassinations (13%), which significantly increase when Indigenous people are involved. Our results call for targeted actions to enhance the conditions enabling successful mobilizations, and for specific support for Indigenous environmental defenders

Sowing potential transformative changes in the fishing and agrifood systems - Conference report

4 pages, supplementary material https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105673.-- Data Availability: No data was used for the research described in the articleThe need to better understand the trade-offs between food production, trade and consumption; social and environmental impacts of food systems and food health requirements remains a challenge. Additionally, there is an urgency to transform the food system to reach the dietary patterns required to address the current diet-environment-health trilemma. Transformative changes are required to deal with the food system crisis. To this end, it is necessary to strengthen the links in the food chain and establish solid alliances between production and consumption with the objective of designing alternative food systems. In this context, the Agroecosystems History Laboratory of Pablo de Olavide University and Alimentta-Think tank for the transition of agrifood systems, organised the IX International Congress of Agroecology between the 19th and the 23rd of January, 2023, in Seville (Spain). Its theme was “Cultivating local agroecological-based food systems”. Within the Congress, a hybrid panel of “Sowing initiatives with transformative potential in the fishing sector” was held to bring together initiatives with the capacity to generate transformative changes and enhance the value of fisheries in the field of agroecology and food sovereignty. The panel included communications related to seafood consumption, food sovereignty, co-management, inequalities, collaborative experiences, waste management, transformation processing and commercialisation. As a conclusion of the panel, a new perspective is required to redesign the agrifood systems and promote desirable multiple transformative changes that help to establish analytical and political action strategies in the field of fisheries as a food systemWith the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe