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Go ‘green’ for Blue economy sustainability

ocean

There is need to review the NSP alongside the National Land Use Policy to provide for marine aspects. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Water is life’ is a cliché phrase whose synonym is hard to find, because water sustains people’s lives, livelihoods, nature and the economy.

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, stakeholders from across the globe will converge in Nairobi to deep dive into strategic value of world’s oceans. They will put their heads together, share experiences, good practices and forge the way forward in harnessing the potential of water bodies while conserving the same resources for future generations.

To build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, there is need to “green” the blue economy.

Water use and management feature 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.

Under the same blueprint, Kenya recently launched a National Spatial Plan (NSP), which is the first of its kind. It 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.

This means Kenya’s efforts to tap 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 enforced. Globally, discussions are already underway regarding the management of the oceans’ areas beyond national jurisdictions. Kenya cannot actively participate in planning areas beyond its 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.

There is need to review the NSP alongside the National Land Use Policy 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, 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.

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.

ZACHARY MARITIM, Spatial planning manager, WWF-Kenya.

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