Kota Kinabalu: There is need to establish an Asean Centre of Excellence for Blue Economy Innovation to drive collaborative research, technology development, and cross-country knowledge exchange, whilst positioning Asean within global ocean dialogues.
This is the view of Dato Dr Aileen Tan from the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS) of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
She was speaking at the Plenary 2 session of the 3rd Asean Blue Economy Forum at the Sabah International Convention Centre.
Southeast Asia accounted for 19 per cent of the global fisheries production in 2022 while per capita supply of aquatic foods is nearly twice the global average. Sabah is in this heart of global marine biodiversity being located within the Coral Triangle epicentre.
Under severe pressure are coastal habitat destruction involving mangroves and corals, pollution from plastic and fertiliser nutrient run-off, overfishing and illegal fishing, and climate change - warming, acidification and sea level rise.
“The ocean is under threat from climate change, overexploitation, and pollution. Asean fisheries and aquaculture are key for food security, livelihoods and trade.” Dr Aileen said.
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Among the challenges to be overcome are: ecosystems are at risk from coastal development, unsustainable fishing and aquaculture, pollution and climate stress that also affects corals. Their rapid decline will undermine fisheries, weaken local resilience and release significant stores of carbon, with subsequent effects on biodiversity that will also impact tourism.
What is new about the New Blue Economy? The New Blue Economy uses technology, data and information to catalyse public and private sector innovation and inform smart decision making across all Blue Economy sectors. They remain underutilised due to technical, financial and policy gaps.
The realisation of the Asean Economic Community is better with the success of the Asean Blue Economy with hundreds of communities and thousands of people engaged and uplifted. Millions of hectares of natural areas conserved, restored or sustainably managed.
Asean member states are in the process of implementing and developing marine science and technology cooperative projects.
In contrast to United States President Donald Trump’s opinion that climate change peril is a hoax, Dr Aileen opined in this regard that technological innovation is not optional.
It is transformative for a changing ocean affected by rising pressures. Climate resilience is strengthened with enhanced habitat connectivity for species within these project areas.
“Ocean contributes 25 per cent potential emissions gap reduction by 2025,” she said. There has to be an increased accessibility to data, information, climate financing with replication through capacity building, leading to more successful projects.
A sustainable Blue Economy restores, protects and maintains the diversity, productivity, resilience, core functions and intrinsic value of marine ecosystems - the natural capital upon which its prosperity depends.
It is based on clean technologies, renewable energy, and circular material flows to secure economic and social stability over time, while keeping within the limits of one planet.
A sustainable Blue Economy provides social and economic benefits for current and future generations by contributing to food security, poverty eradication, livelihoods, income, employment, health, safety, equity and political stability.
The Asean Blue Wealth depends on Blue Priority Sectors: fishing, aquaculture, tourism, shipping, renewable energy, minerals and mining.
To recap, the Blue Economy involves the sustainable use of marine resources and environment for economic growth and improved livelihoods, while preserving the health of the ecosystems.
Asean has prioritised leveraging its blue resources - oceans, seas and fresh water - in a sustainable and inclusive way, positioning the blue economy as a new engine for the region’s growth.
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