“functional aspects of marine genomics including biotechnological applications”

CIESMThe Mediterranean Science Commission

“Functional aspects of marine genomics including biotechnological applications”

Monaco, 12-14 October 2008

2008 Joint EC-US / CIESM Workshop

The Socio Economic Dimension (for Global Reporting and Assessment of the state of the

Marine Environment)

Paulo A.L.D. Nunes

Workshop for the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, under the auspices of

the United Nations, in support of the Regular Process

Egmont Palace, Brussels, Belgium, 27-29 June 2012

Mediterranean Science Commission


1. Recognizing value: a feature of all human societies and communities

2. Demonstrating value: in economic/monetary terms to support decision making

3. Capturing value: introduce mechanisms that incorporate the values of ecosystems into decision making

The socio economic dimension: three pillars

Source: TEEB


Recognizing value

• Oceans and Europe Regional Seas:Are responsible for the provision of a wide range of goods and services and therefore source of socio-economic value, whether or not they enter the marketplace


Marine Ecosystem Services are capital assets

fibre production tourist attraction

navigation

carbon sequestrationflood protection

water purification

shore line protection

biodiversity

recreation

beauty

genetic resources

food production

stabilising micro-climate

recreation

shelter for marine lifegame reserve


Demonstrating value

• Conventional measures of national economic performance (e.g : GDP growth) fail to reflect these natural capital assets and their benefits flows.

“Gross domestic product, the leading economic measurement, is outdated and misleading… it is like grading a corporation based on one day’s cash flow and forgetting to depreciate assets and other costs”

– J. Stiglitz, Nobel Price, economics


All countries rely on System of National Accounts, but some information is missing or invisible :– Depletion and degradation of marine natural capital

offshore oil & gas and minerals, seagrass/coverage, fish stocks, marine genetic materials, water column

– Environmental degradation coastal pollution, loss of coastal tourism productivity

– Ecosystem services carbon storage (blue carbon), coastal flood mitigation, marine cultural heritage and seascapes

Natural Capital Accounting Builds this information as satellite accounts to the

System of National Accounts to fill the gap

What is natural capital accounting


Better indicators for monitoring sustainable development/long-term growth– Is GDP growth sustainable or are we just “living off our

natural capital?”

Why do natural capital accounting?

Better management of natural capital for growth & poverty reduction (especially in the context of socio-economic diversity of the Mediterranean Sea)– What is the real contribution of Natural Capital to GDP

and household livelihoods; how do the poor depend on natural capital?


Why do natural capital accounting?

Better management of natural capital for growth & poverty reduction (especially in the context of socio-economic diversity of the Mediterranean Sea)– How do we weigh tradeoffs among competing users, for

example transport industry, off-shore oil and gas industry, fishermen and coastal tourism?

– How much should be invested in natural capital, such as marine protected areas?

– How can we make ecotourism work for the poor?– How do we balance marine spatial planning, including

tourism, fisheries and other ecosystem services like carbon storage or water quality?

CIESMThe Mediterranean Science Commission22.04.23 9Source: TEEB

Indonesia India Brazil

99 million 352 million 20 millionEcosystem services dependency

Ecosystem services

Ecosystem services as a % of classical GDP

Ecosystem services as a % of “GDP of the Poor”

Natural Capital and inclusive wealth

CIESMThe Mediterranean Science Commission22.04.23 10Source: TEEB

South shore North shore

xxx? million yyy? millionEcosystem services dependency

Ecosystem services

Ecosystem services as a % of classical GDP

Ecosystem services as a % of “GDP of the Poor”

Natural Capital and inclusive wealth: assessment of the role of the Natural Capital hosted by the

Mediterranean sea in terms of poverty alleviation

For socio

-economic asse

ssment


Norms, Regulations& Policies

Markets

EconomicMechanisms

Recognizing value

Demonstratingvalue

Capturingvalue

Regional Plans

Legislations

PES

Certification

MPA Evaluation

Capturing the value


Implementation of Natural Capital Accounting• SEEA

UN’s System of Environmental and Economic Accounting, developed over past 20+yrs.

• SEEA is a comprehensive accounting framework, like the System of National Accounts (SNA), that links the use of natural capital by the economy and the impact of the economy on natural capital

SEEA Central Framework was adopted as an international statistical standard February 2012, like the SNA

This establishes agreed methodology for material natural resources, but more work is needed for the ‘more difficult to measure’ natural capital—ecosystems.


Beyond Rio+20

• WAVES – Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services, launched by WB President Zoellick in October 2010, at CBD COP 10

• '50:50' campaign is a World Bank Group-facilitated initiative that provides a unique opportunity for the public and private sectors to join forces, launched at Rio+20


1. Implement natural capital accounting in countries along the North and South shores

2. Incorporate natural capital accounts in policy analysis and marine spatial development planning

3. Scientific credibility —develop methodology for ecosystem accounting for the SEEA with natural scientists

4. Promote global adoption of natural capital accounting beyond the pilot countries

Bringing WAVES to the Mediterranean Sea with CIESM


Thank you

“functional aspects of marine genomics including biotechnological applications”

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