Ocean conflict resolution
Mapping marine resource conflicts off the coast of Africa.
The Center for Ocean Solutions is working with partners to identify patterns in conflicts over ocean spaces and resources. The hope is that detecting these patterns can inform interventions that prevent or resolve conflicts.
As ocean sectors such as energy, aquaculture, shipping, fisheries, and mining expand, competition over shared spaces and resources can lead to conflicts. Conflicts can include disagreements about marine resources, such as how fisheries are managed or whether sand mining can occur. They can also relate to access to or use of marine areas, such as ports, beaches, or other coastal developments.
Often, conflicts result from planning or conservation measures that fail to engage and consult communities. As a result, they can jeopardize the goals of a blue economy: environmental sustainability and equitable benefit-sharing.
A project team is analyzing conflicts in coastal African countries to understand where conflicts occur, the factors that drive them, and how they evolve over time. Findings will inform how various sectors can anticipate conflicts and design policies to promote equitable conflict interventions.
Nahla Achi | '20 B.A., '21 M.S.
Shinnosuke Nakayama | Senior Data Research Scientist, Center for Ocean Solutions
Elizabeth Selig | Managing Director, Center for Ocean Solutions
Colette Wabnitz | Lead Scientist, Center for Ocean Solutions
This work was funded by the Research Council of Norway.
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