Ecosystem-Based Integrated Ocean Management: A Framework for Sustainable Ocean Economy Development

The Blue Doughnut

climate change

ocean acidification

ozone layer depletion

P L

-

A N

G

E T

I N

I L

A R

chemical

C E

Y

B O

A L

pollution

U N

I C

OVERSHOOT

O G

D A

, d

e

O L

t i v

i s

r a

t r i

R I

n e

b u

g e

t i v

air pollution

E S

E C

r e

e

a n

a

nitrogen and

r

d

f o

phosphorus loading

c i

e

r c

U

O

a c

N

F

D

L

A

A

C I

T I

u l

O

s p

O

N

a r

S

s t

o c

water

food

j u

e a

SH O R T F A L L

d

n

a n

biodiversity loss

health

energy

e c

f e

freshwater withdrawals

o n

s a

o

m y

e

t h

education

networks

land conversion

income and work

local habitat

housing

loss

peace and justice

gender equality

E C

social equity

political voice

O L

coastal

erosion

O G

E S

I C

R I

A L

D A

C E

U N

eutrophication of marine I L I N

B O

G -

M

L O

T E

ecosystems

C A

Y S

O S

L

A N

E C

D

L

R E

N A

G

I O

etc. (other local parameters)

Source: adapted from Raworth (2017).

Figure 4. The blue doughnut. The figure illustrates the safe and just space for a sustainable ocean economy that is regenerative, distributive and circular. The inner boundary represents universally applicable wellbeing benchmarks that form the social foundation below which no human should fall. The outer boundary represents ecosystem boundaries that cannot be transgressed, with universally applicable planetary boundaries located along the top half, and local ecosystem boundaries (which need to be defined for each specific study area) illustrated with some examples along the bottom half. The activities comprising the ocean economy should contribute towards the social founda- tion (prioritising those parameters for which there are the most significant shortfalls in a given region) while safeguarding the local and planetary ecosystem boundaries. Figure adapted from Raworth (2017).

A sustainable ocean economy can thus be visu- alized as a ‘blue doughnut’ of safe and just space where people and the ocean ecosystem can thrive. Activities and investments that most directly address human wellbeing shortfalls within a given planning area should be prioritized (pulling people out of the hole or preventing them from falling in), along with those that most reduce contributions to existing planetary ecosystem boundary overshoots, that address or prevent local environmental degra- dation and that restore local ecosystems (particu- larly in heavily impacted coastal areas). This should include investments in resource-efficient technol- ogies, distributive and regenerative activities, and circular material flows. In every investment or plan- ning decision made, both edges of the doughnut must be considered. Framed this way, blue growth per se is neither good nor bad; rather, it shifts from being a central goal to a potential side effect of achieving the goals that really matter.

This vision of the blue doughnut represents the definition of a sustainable blue economy by WWF (2015, p.4), which encompasses a wide range of people-centred objectives and ecosystem goals: “a sustainable blue economy is a marine-based economy that… • Provides social and economic benefits for current and future generations, by contrib- uting to food security, poverty eradication, livelihoods, income, employment, health, safety, equity, and political stability. • Restores, protects and maintains the diver- sity, productivity, resilience, core functions, and intrinsic value of marine ecosystems – the natural capital upon which its prosperity depends. • Is based on clean technologies, renewa- ble energy, and circular material flows to secure economic and social stability over time, while keeping within the limits of one planet.”

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