Green Economy in a Blue World-Full Report

could play an important role. (Sharma, 2009; Allison, et al ., 2011; Coulthard, et al. , 2011) The transition towards sustainable green fisheries will also require significant investments for reducing fishing capacity and abolishing – or at least mitigating – destructive fishing practices. Up-front costs of this transition could be potentially recovered in the medium and long term by the additional resource rents generated by well -managed fisheries. The greater economic returns could also become a source for social service investments to the benefit of small-scale communities (Kurien & Willmann, 2011). Developing a stronger framework for governing fisheries using private, community and state- based systems of access and use rights is a current priority in fisheries governance (FAO, 2011). If appropriately tailored to the variety of fisheries systems, such a transition to ‘rights- based fisheries’ can help sustain fisheries and aquaculture and realize and distribute their benefits equitably. Community-based management regimes or co-management arrangements that decentralize management powers to the local level and assign fishing rights such as territorial use rights (TURFs) have been shown to be effective in small-scale fisheries. Bringing decision-making closer to the people tends to allow for better accountability and transparency. However, the effectiveness of community-based management and co- management is strongly dependent on the quality of leadership and of the strong adoption and enforcement of resource conservation measures (Cochrane & Garcia, 2009 and Gutiérrez, et al., 2011). This governance reform requires investments in capacity building with small-scale fisheries organizations to strengthen their ability to participate meaningfully in fisheries policy- making and management and to draw on their unique knowledge and experience. There is also a need for regulatory frameworks that allow for and support the implementation of decentralized tenure systems. If successful, resource users may become resource stewards, participating in policy making processes and as strong implementers of the resulting management schemes. The creation of appropriate incentive systems and decentralized easily enforceable regulations engage stakeholders and facilitate their ability to comply with these regimes. In small-scale fisheries, participatory monitoring, control and surveillance measures carried out by users themselves have a greater opportunity to succeed, especially in remote and marginalized fishing communities. A regulatory framework led by the users can, in

certain circumstances, be more cost effective, thus freeing up resources for other areas 3 . Regulatory frameworks and institutional arrangements must also consider the need for cross-sectoral integrated coastal area management and marine spatial planning processes. This applies to both fisheries and aquaculture. Aquaculture development affects and is affected by many other activities and there is a need for the sectoral integration of various activities. A number of sectoral integration dimensions need to be considered: • ‘Policy (institutional) integration: minimizing intersectoral conflict and coordinating policy and management measures to ensure consistency and a situation that is fair for all. • Operational (or enterprise-level) integration: ensuring that the various activities pursued by a particular enterprise are coordinated and mutually reinforcing. This may include recycling of wastes. • Waterbody integration: promoting a balance between different activities or sectors within an aquatic system in order to maximize the reuse of nutrients or other materials, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing pressure on the environment. • Provision of ‘green infrastructure’: maximizing the delivery of ecosystem services, including waste assimilation, by ensuring that areas or corridors of a range of habitat types are conserved or re-created and managed appropriately.’ Recognizing the importance of ecosystem linkages, including both bio-ecological and human dimensions, the need for integrated approaches such as EAF and EAA are becoming widely accepted. The further application of such approaches will require a much closer coupling of science, policy and management. It will also require fundamental changes in the institutional arrangements governing fisheries management and aquaculture development, including mechanisms for effectively involving the broadened definition of stakeholders in decision-making and management, provisions for devolution of authority and the setting up of decentralised management systems (e.g. co-management) and increased coordination, cooperation and communication within and among relevant institutions and resource user groups, in fisheries and aquaculture as well as outside the sector (tourism, industrial development, etc) (FAO, 2009; FAO, 2010b).

in a Blue World

3. Available comparative studies on the cost effectiveness of different forms of management focus primarily on OECD countries (OECD, 2003; Schrank et al., 2003; Hauge &Wilson, 2009)

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