There is now worldwide consensus that the marine environment needs much better management. Urgent calls are being made for greater protection of marine habitats and sustainable use of its biological resources, including fisheries.
The proposed online forums result from the CIESM engagement, within the MARCOM+ EU project, to help enhancing dialogue between marine research, the maritime industry and society so as to advance towards innovative, effective solutions.
CIESM forums have been conceived as “test-case” studies so as to survey the way different stakeholders perceive some urgent problems related to the governance of marine biological resources. They have been built up on two major issues, namely:
- BIOTECH – The marine biodiversity is an extremely rich resource for the development of a wide array of applications in food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics. Among major problems related to its sustainable use, the ‘rights people have to access and use marine genetic resources (MGRs)’ remain an unresolved issue. The inability of governments to reach agreement has clear implication for a potential loss of international public goods and the resulting threats to all countries.
- FISHERY – Global collapse of marine fish stocks is a worldwide concern. Innovative balanced co-management solutions, evolving through interfering activities (such as navigation, fishing, conservation, and the socio-economic growth of the coastal communities) are necessary to face this emergency. New tools shall help to grow awareness and enhance dialogue among the different stakeholders. Videogames may have a great potential.
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