14 Life Below Water
- Essential component of the Earth’s ecosystem and are critical to sustainable development.
- Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and various decisions taken by the Commission on Sustainable Development.
- Rio+20 outcome document “The future we want” they stressed the importance of “ the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and seas and of their resources for sustainable development … “
- Oceans, seas and marine resources are increasingly threatened, degraded or destroyed by human activities, reducing their ability to provide crucial ecosystem services.
- Oceans are crucial for global food security and human health and also are the primary regulator of the global climate
The tourism sector
The tourism sector
- Coastal and maritime tourism rely on healthy marine ecosystems.
- Tourism development must be a part of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in order to help conserve and preserve fragile marine ecosystems and serve as a vehicle to promote a blue economy, contributing to the sustainable use of marine resources.
An example
An example
Norway tourism policy in voluntary national review (VNR)
Norway tourism policy in voluntary national review (VNR)
Norway’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) 2016 addresses the responsible use and protection of oceans and marine environments.
- This is important for Norway whose livelihoods and welfare depend on the sea.
- Clean oceans and seas are a common good, and crucially linked to the efforts to address climate change.
- Norway has comprehensive measures in place to safeguard healthy oceans and the ocean is one of its’ top research priorities for sustainable blue growth.
