Manage shipping in harmony with marine ecosystems

Eva-Lotta Sundblad,
Scientific Coordinator,
Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment,
Sweden

Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) is a strategy, recognized by the UN member states to ensure that ecosystem structure and function are sustained for the benefit of present and future generations. EBM means that human activities are to be managed in an integrated and cross-sectoral way and based on the best understanding of the ecological interactions. The UN states have also adopted the sustainability goal Life Below Water (no 14) as the oceans and coastal seas are under severe environmental pressure with an urgent need to reduce the negative impacts. A healthy marine ecosystem is in the interest of all individuals. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air, are all provided and regulated by the sea. EBM may seem good and reasonable, but the implementation is complex. Sectors and authorities meet many challenges such as how to get knowledge of the varying aspects of the ecosystem, how to handle conflicting societal goals and trade-offs, how to clarify who can decide and how to reach stakeholder acceptance for measures.

Shipping is one of all sectors that needs to adapt as vessels need to operate at the same time as environmental pressure needs to be reduced. Ships have several on-board systems that releases hazardous, acidifying and eutrophicating substances, noise. Ships also contribute to the spread of invasive species.

It is the responsibility of the shipowner to reduce their environmental impact, but it is not easy to know what to prioritize and how to consider the state of the ecosystem at each place. As a help, obliging regulations and guidelines are provided by authorities and actors. With increasing awareness and knowledge new legislation arises. Today, ships need to limit their pressure within the limits of the aggregated environmental pressure at each place. Hence, ships travelling far can meet many different requirements which also may vary over time.

The Baltic Sea is an example of an ecosystem which is sensitive and differ from the neighboring Atlantic. Baltic Sea is brackish with severe problems of eutrophication, toxic substances and overfishing. The nine nations around the Baltic provide a whole puzzle of decisions aiming at a reduction of marine pressures from many sectors. Local authorities and ports have the mandate to decide within their mission. HELCOM and EU also deliver cross-national measures to steer towards Good Environmental Status in the marine waters. The ambition by politicians to transport more goods and people with ships provides a goal conflict with marine environmental ambitions if shipowners and their regulators do not take more action to reduce pressures from ships.

The global regulator for shipping, IMO (International Maritime Organization), within the UN, has decided and implemented rules to reduce some pressure, such as sulphur air emission and TBT in antifouling paint. However, the regulations and processes are not yet coherent with the 17 UN sustainability goals, targeted between 2020 and 2030. IMO processes are extremely slow and need to adapt to meet requirements of marine ecosystems as well as the service to mankind.

One example from IMO rules that seems out-of-date, is that each substance/emission is handled separately regarding the pressure on marine waters. Consideration in regulation is not taken to that there are more than one type of emission from each ship and how these may interact with each other. In addition, consideration is not taken to that ships operate in fleets, or that there are pressures from other sectors. This contrasts with EBM which advocates a wider perspective.

National authorities also need to adapt in how they cooperate with UN. A worrying recent example from Sweden concerns a decision of one authority to establish a marine protected area in line with the UN goal to protect 10 % of the ocean to the benefit of marine mammals, fish and birds, at the same time as another authority establishes a new international shipping lane through the same area (finally decided by IMO). Implementation of EBM requires more understanding and coordination between authorities to handle trade-offs.

Despite a growing concern for the sea and ocean the environmental status is deteriorating rapidly, while processes to act in favor of the ecosystems are slow. This is especially valid in the shipping sector for which the global regulatory process is very slow. Nations need to work more intensively towards EBM to overcome these challenges. However, the results are also dependent on the cooperation between many of us.

Email: eva-lotta.sundblad@havsmiljoinstitutet.se

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