Rio+20 – Are We Doing Enough For Our Oceans?
Timothy Walker, Consultant, Conflict Management and Peacebuilding Division, ISS Pretoria
Activists attending this week’s Rio+20 United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development have expressed satisfaction that attention was being given to issues of ocean management - a key environmental concern for the global community. This enthusiasm comes despite the preparation of a lukewarm and watered down negotiating text, put before world leaders at the conference.
In a key section of the Rio+20 text, the drafters have stated that ‘we note decision X/2 of the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, that by 2020, 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are to be conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures’. This points to a failure to offer firm endorsements or commitments to targets for ocean and marine management, giving the impression of indifference or disregard.
It was hoped that the Rio+20 proposal would be demonstrable proof of a determination to initiate processes that will alleviate causes for concern and insecurity among the public, civil society organisations, businesses and states regarding the protection of the world’s oceans. However, the issue has subsequently become controversial and promises to capture a great deal of global attention. Kumi Naidoo, head of Greenpeace International, stated at the conference that the group would likely increase its acts of civil disobedience if the text was not altered to respond more thoroughly to the threat to the world’s oceans.
Humanity is increasingly hard pressed to demonstrate that it is taking environmental security concerns seriously enough. Now, seemingly more than ever, there is a sense that our responsibility towards the effective management of our planet’s oceans is being recognised. A number of encouraging initiatives and events have helped to raise the profile of this issue, while successive civil society calls from groups such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) help keep public attention on this issue.
Some of the major ocean management events have also involved the creation of Marine Protection Areas (MPAs). The UK designated the area around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean as an MPA, while Australia has created a similar network that extends beyond the vulnerable Great Barrier Reef to encompass a great swath of ocean. South Africa has thus far created 21 similar MPAs under the Marine Living Resources Act No. 18 of 1998 (MLRA).
These area/zones, once declared as such, require monitoring and the South African Navy is already mandated to protect South Africa’s MPAs, as well as its territorial waters and any marine resources located therein, be they minerals, oil and gas reserves, or fish and other ocean life. Therefore, as the incremental movements towards careful ocean management become evident, it is inevitable that the first priority is protection. In this regard, the question can be asked whether South Africa is capable of fulfilling this task.
South Africa’s maritime commitments are easy to underestimate, as it has the third longest coastline in Africa, bordering the Atlantic and Indian oceans, with an Exclusive Economic Zone that includes, under the terms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the contiguous area around the remote and storm-battered Prince Edward Islands in the sub-Antarctic region of the Indian Ocean. The islands were annexed by South Africa in 1948 to prevent any country establishing a sovereign and potentially antagonistic presence in the area. The areas were classified as MPAs, which entitles them to protection, but also obligates South Africa to patrol and deter potential illegal activities.
The decision in 2010 to return border responsibilities to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has produced a number of additional activities and responsibilities that at present South Africa is struggling to fulfil. Given the 2012 Defence Review’s emphasis on a mandate-driven approach, and the broadness of the activities to be secured against, it is likely that a major challenge will remain fulfilling obligations and responsibilities given South Africa’s strained naval capacity. Its immediate tasks will be preventing the apparently intractable problem of Somali piracy spreading southwards through Operation Copper, containing it north of the Mozambique Channel through vigilant patrolling. Its other tasks will be to ensure that the maritime resources are not abused, and this task is crucial if these resources are to be sustained through prudent stewardship.
The South African Navy’s Project Biro indicates that forthcoming capacity is to be better aligned with and orientated by the mandate, as well as complement the work of South Africa’s environmental protection ship, the SAS Sarah Baartman.Project Biro is one of a number of projects that will complement its existing fleet through the creation of suitable craft such as offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). Expansion of the ability to protect is welcome, as these craft will be capable of long-range patrolling, the investigation of suspicious vessels and activities and taking appropriate action in the case of any misdemeanours.
A number of inshore patrol vessels will also be acquired. Several caveats, however, should be noted. Firstly, South Africa faces no real external threat from a state, landward or maritime based, and yet its naval capacities have been largely designed to counter such threats. Secondly, it must be borne in mind that all forthcoming military acquisitions will be unavoidably clouded in controversy given the ramifications of the strategic acquisition package or ‘arms deal’, as it is commonly known.
The South African Navy will therefore be relatively well equipped compared to regional and continental partners, but arguably at present remains under-equipped for the tasks it has been set. While the responsibility to safeguard sovereignty trumps other goals in defence thinking, it is vital to stress the increasing value and importance of marine resources. Indeed, food insecurity resulting from illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing, pollution and hazardous and toxic waste dumping, is a huge threat to human security in Southern Africa.
Widespread IUU activities contribute towards dwindling fish stocks as local and global demand is forecast to continue rising, though it is by no means the sole cause of this problem. Nevertheless, the dietary, nutritional and development needs of Africa’s littoral populations will largely be met through sustainably accessing marine resources. This does not mean that such areas are to be reserved for fishing, but that necessary restrictions need to be in place to protect vulnerable species, as well as encourage environmentally friendly fishing practices. The creation of MPAs/marine reserves is therefore to be encouraged, so long as it is accompanied by clear legislation, transparent creation processes and the necessary political will and capacity to secure these areas from illegal activities and ensure good ocean management.
