'Greening the blue' to achieve sustainable economy

A fisherman rows a raft on Lake Victoria, Kisumu County. It is important to establish the level of human footprint in our waters and design appropriate strategies to reduce the impact to the aquatic environment and resources. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • To ensure that the blue economy is sustainable, there is need to review the National Spatial Plan, alongside the National Land Use Policy.

  • Due to the growing population, it is important to ensure that planning takes into consideration equitability in the provision for the needs of people and nature.

"Water is life" is a phrase that does not require clarification because water sustains people’s lives, livelihoods, nature and the economy. Water actually covers 70 percent of our planet, therefore there has never been a better time to discuss how to actualise the sustainable utilisation of our water resources.

STRATEGIC

Kenya will co-host the first ever, and one of the biggest, conferences yet to discuss the economy and water, in what has been dubbed ‘The Sustainable Blue Economy Conference’. For three days, between November 26-28, 2018, various stakeholders from across the globe will converge in Nairobi for the sustainable blue economy conference to dive deep into strategic value of world’s oceans. 

FUTURE

Over 4,000 people will put their heads together, share experiences, good practices and forge the way forward in harnessing the potential of water bodies and how their utilisation can support a vibrant economy, impact the lives of people, while conserving the same water resources for future generations.  

DYNAMICS

In order to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, there is need to “green” the blue economy. Sustainable blue economy in itself is somewhat a repetition. Blue economy as opposed to ocean economy is naturally carrying aspects of both ecological and economic dynamics of marine and maritime resource utilisation.

Water use and management features prominently in Kenya’s vision 2030 agenda, from the social pillar where environment, water and sanitation are featured and to the economic pillar where agriculture, irrigation, fisheries development and management are highlighted.

POLICY

Under the same development blueprint for the country, Kenya recently launched a National Spatial Plan (NSP), which is the first of its kind in history. The plan is a policy document that provides for an organised distribution of human activities and populations within a limited scope in space and time. Owing to insufficient technical capacity, the plan did not cover aspects of integrated ocean management and ecosystem-based management using marine spatial planning as a tool.

POPULATION

This means Kenya’s efforts to tap on the potential of the blue economy may not be achieved until her Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is appropriately studied, planned, managed and accompanying policies and legislations crafted, implemented and enforced. Globally, discussions are already underway in various fora regarding the management of the oceans’ areas beyond national jurisdictions. As a country, Kenya cannot even actively participate in planning areas beyond national jurisdiction when our own territorial waters have not been adequately planned. Due to the growing population and rapid rate of economic development, it is important to ensure that planning takes into consideration equitability in the provision for the needs of people and nature.

ECOLOGICAL

To ensure that the blue economy is sustainable, there is need to review the National Spatial Plan, alongside the National Land Use Policy so as to provide for marine aspects. These resources include the delicate coastal and marine ecosystems, namely the mangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses beds, nearshore and offshore waters which are facing threats from unsustainable fishing practices, unsustainable coastal tourism, dredging, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, large scale infrastructure projects such as ports with associated risks posed by oil spills along shipping lines and in areas of ecological significance.

FOOTPRINT

In general, it is important to establish the level of human footprint in our waters and design appropriate strategies to reduce the impact to the aquatic environment and resources therein. There is also need to zone out - using Marine Spatial Planning techniques the different marine uses and how they will be managed to achieve socio-economic transformation, while maintaining the ecological integrity of the oceans to achieve sustainable blue economy.

NUTRITION

The prioritisation of a sustainable blue economy by the Kenyan government in a bid to drive the vision 2030 development agenda is in line with the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, as well as  SDG 1 (end poverty in all its forms everywhere) and SDG 2 (end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, promote sustainable agriculture) and SDG8 ( promote, sustained, inclusive sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all).

Zachary Maritim is a Marine & Terrestrial Spatial Planning, RAP & Acquisition Expert and the Spatial Planning Manager at WWF-Kenya