High-level political commitments
High-level political commitments in favour of sustainable oceans are needed to balance the use of ocean resources and maintenance of livelihoods with the conservation of fisheries habitat, protection of the complexity of trophic levels and food webs. This balance is key to addressing fairness in international relations amongst nation states. Such political commitments start with states prioritizing oceans governance within their own jurisdictions first and require engagement with citizens and communities to enhance their understanding of sustainable use of oceans. This can complement and extend current policies and programs on a global scale but implementation by nations is likely to be varied as norm-shifts are notoriously difficult to achieve. Action to support a ”sustainable 2030” scenario will also require support of other governance measures beyond governments, such as market driven third party organisations, to respond to broader community and societal concerns. Community trust in these hybrid forms of governance and new approaches to government policy will need to increase if a sustainable 2030 is to be achieved (Klijn, Edelenbos and Steijn 2010; Siddiki, Kim and Leach 2017).
Pathways to ensure socio-economic benefits while conserving the marine environment are supported by a number of international initiatives (e.g. the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14) but hinge on action by national governments. Such pathways need to link high level principles such as fairness and sustainability to guide decision-making ensuring structural characteristics guide institutional arrangements (Turner et al. 2014: 106). Focusing on the principle of fairness is likely to lead to enhanced societal capacity, and enhanced effectiveness of these institutions – all seen as core principles contributing to ‘good governance’ (Trouillet et al. 2011). It will also increase trust between institutions and society. In contrast, failure to build inclusive, principled, pathways are likely to lead to knowledge gaps, compartmentalised approaches to decision-making, limited stakeholder participation and challenges in integrating decisions at different scales (Trouillet et al. 2011). The governance failures that inevitably could arise if the path to fairness is not followed could result in reduced community and individual social well-being and reinforce governments’ constrained capacity to address change.