2024-07-14 01:59:42
“Given the complexity of ocean governance issues, the integration of local and regional knowledge is essential to address the environmental, economic and cultural specificities of each region,” he said during a side event under the theme “Towards an intergovernmental panel for ocean sustainability: the role of science and political action”, held at the European Union pavilion at COP28.
Mr. Sadiki also stressed the importance of putting in place the necessary mechanisms and instruments to support ocean research.
In his speech, the minister cited the recent developments in the fisheries sector in Morocco as a concrete example of the major importance of reliable scientific knowledge for decision-making.
The sustainability of the oceans is crucial for the Kingdom of Morocco, knowing that its fishing vocation on the 3,500 km of maritime coasts depends on maintaining the global ocean in good health and effective preservation of marine ecosystems and fishery resources, he said.
He also noted that thanks to the Halieutis strategy for the development of fisheries, Morocco has invested heavily in fisheries research, with a network of research centers and a fleet of six research vessels aimed at exploring, understanding marine ecosystems and prospecting fishery resources, as well as monitoring environmental and oceanographic conditions along the coasts in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
Scientific research provides the basis for decision-making for governance of the sector, based on the fundamentals of sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources in the temporal dimensions, via the planning of biological rest, and territorial through zoning, he explained.
This policy, he continued, has made it possible to sustainably support the development of the sector, noting that fish production doubled between 2010 and 2022 without compromising the integrity of fish stocks, that more than 95% of catches are managed by management plans established on constantly updated scientific data and that the assessments undertaken by fisheries research have made it possible to adjust exploitation to natural fluctuations, exacerbated by the effects of climate change.
Mr. Sadiki also stressed that in order to preserve marine ecosystems, the Kingdom has established Marine Protected Areas, where fishing is regulated on the basis of reliable and precise scientific elements, emphasizing the adherence of fishermen to sustainable management of the sector.
The Minister expressed, in this regard, Morocco’s strong support for the initiative of the Intergovernmental Panel on Ocean Sustainability (IPOS), stressing that the realization of this initiative is essential to establish a closer link between knowledge and political action, by bringing together all stakeholders for the co-construction of a mitigation and preservation process.
“It is crucial to make research results accessible to all decision-makers, particularly in a context where the challenges related to climate change and ocean degradation are increasingly complex on a global scale,” he concluded.
In a statement to the press, Mr. Sadiki explained that this intergovernmental panel for ocean sustainability is not only crucial to improve decision-making in favor of sustainability, but could contribute to a greater awareness of the urgency of investing massively in the development of ocean research and knowledge in all regions of the world ocean.
For her part, the Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries at the European Commission, Charlina Vladimirova Vitcheva, affirmed that Morocco is a leader working, alongside the EU, to put the cause of the oceans at the center of the global agenda, not only from the point of view of climate change, but also on a more global level.
“Our common goal is to protect the oceans from three challenges, namely climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution,” she said, stressing the importance of integrating the theme of oceans into the Global Stocktake, on which negotiations are still ongoing in Dubai.
This high-level panel, hosted by ministers, experts and leading leaders from around the world, discussed the knowledge needs to protect the oceans, and the scale and type of scientific support needed for innovative solutions for ocean sustainability.
2024-07-14 01:59:42