Join us on 21 June, 9-10.30 am Paris time for our second webinar on:
"Marine protected areas, a relevant tool for the Pacific?"
In the Pacific, small island developing states are aspiring to become large ocean states. In proportion to their populations, the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the region’s island countries, such as the Cook Islands (112 km² of EEZ area per person) or the Marshall Islands (33 km²) are relatively much larger than those of countries like France (0.18 km²) or the United Kingdom (0.1 km²). The budgets allocated to EEZ management are much smaller, however, despite the fact that marine resources are central to the Pacific region’s economies: over 60% of the population in coastal areas depends on fisheries. Such vital resources must be protected and sustainably managed so as to maintain the resources over time but also deter some countries’ from displaying predatory attitudes.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a potential solution for helping the region’s countries manage their maritime areas. Their management requires access to scientific data but also consideration of their economic benefits, as Pacific countries are heavily dependent on marine resources for development. “Managing” may mean full protection but could also imply the integrated and sustainable use of the EEZ. Local community support for these measures is also essential. Taking part in the webinar will be experts of the region, a political leader, an oceanographer and an anthropologist so as to properly address this multifaceted issue.
The webinar will be held on Zoom, in English.
PROGRAMME:
Moderator: Céline Pajon, Coordinator of the Pacific Islands Program, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
- Steven Victor, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, Republic of Palau
- Jérôme Aucan, Head of the Pacific Community Centre for Ocean Science (PCCOS)
- Pierre-Yves Le Meur, Anthropologist, French Development Research Institute (IRD), New Caledonia
- Karina von Schuckmann, Oceanographer, Mercator Ocean International