COS Co-Directors discuss major ocean milestones from the past 50 years
As part of the Stanford Reflects on Earth Day at 50 project, COS co-directors Fio Micheli and Jim Leape reflect on major ocean milestones from the past 50 years. Parts of this Q&A are featured on Stanford News.
Fio Micheli on Marine Protected Areas
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) – nationally designated zones that restrict human activity for conservation purposes – have yielded important benefits not only for our oceans and the many species that live there, but also for people by sustaining and recovering fisheries and tourism, and providing other benefits through, e.g. increased resilience to climate change impacts and carbon sequestration. President Theodore Roosevelt created the first one in 1903 – the Pelican Island National Refuge in Florida.
Why are marine protected areas significant?
MPAs conserve, manage and protect vital marine resources that provide food, habitat, livelihoods and inspiration, and protect coastlines and people from climate extremes. Globally, MPAs now cover almost 8 percent of the ocean.
What led to this change?
Increasing pressure on ocean ecosystems from climate change and acidification, coastal pollution, habitat conversion and overfishing led to a growing sense of urgency. Since the 1980s, several MPAs have been established in response to national policies and global commitments.
What lessons can we learn from this success story?
Global campaigns and commitments, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity biodiversity targets, can mobilize bold action for conservation and inspire governments to do more. Also, it’s important to engage stakeholders in the protected areas’ implementation and monitoring and establish inclusive and transparent processes to ensure protection is effective and that benefits are realized. We’ve realized that some MPAs need improved management to ensure their effectiveness and close gaps in protections. Co-design and co-management of MPAs by coastal communities in Mexico, Chile, Antarctica and other areas offer important models for successful implementation that delivered both ecological and socioeconomic benefits.
Learn More
- Learn more about the Palau National Marine Sanctuary >
- Learn more about our Sustainable Ocean Economies initiative >
- Learn more about MPA success stories through a COS-led special issue in Frontiers in Marine Science >
- Learn more about Micheli’s work on MPAs >
Jim Leape on the Sustainable Seafood Movement
Image: Monterey Bay Aquarium
Why is the sustainable seafood movement important?
Over the last couple of decades, scores of consumers, fishers, processors, retailers and chefs have committed to producing and selling seafood from well-managed fisheries. As of 2019, over 15% of the world’s marine wild-caught fish is Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified, which means catch is harvested in a way that allows the population to remain healthy and productive for generations to come. Today, more than 38,000 sites, including supermarket chains, restaurants, fishmongers and hotels around the world are certified to sell seafood with the blue MSC label.
What led to this change?
There was growing popularity for eating fish at a time when fish stocks were in serious decline. A collaboration between business and civil society drove momentum for effective and sustainable management of marine life.
How will the sustainable seafood movement inform future progress?
Certification is helping to grow and maintain sustainable fish populations, leading to increased yields, sustainable harvests and reduced bycatch. The movement also highlights the use of market-based economic instruments to drive environmental change. Based on the successes of the sustainable seafood movement, there is an increasing awareness and commitment to addressing human rights, equity and workers’ conditions in fisheries and aquaculture certification and improvement projects.
Learn More
Fio Micheli on Promising New Avenues for Science and Action
In recent years, there have been notable successes as marine scientists, engineers and social scientists have grappled with the many challenges facing oceans and those who depend on them. Nevertheless, these successes often receive less attention than grim impact scenarios. This has resulted in a widespread failure to recognize what has worked and is working, why the success has occurred, and what is needed to scale up and replicate the success. COS, in collaborations with other partners, has supported the identification and dissemination of solutions-oriented research and action in oceans, through summits (Ocean Visions 2019), ocean solutions panels and sessions (Ocean Sciences 2020), and now a special issue and the permanent Ocean Solutions section of Frontiers in Marine Science.
Fiorenza Micheli is the David and Lucile Packard Professor of Marine Science in the School of Humanities & Sciences, co-director of the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Her research focuses on the processes shaping marine communities and coastal social-ecological systems, and incorporating this understanding in marine management and conservation.
Jim Leape is the William and Eva Price Senior Fellow in the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. He also serves as co-director of the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions. Through research, writing and direct engagement with private and public sector leaders, Jim looks at how to drive large-scale systemic shifts to sustainability, with a particular interest in expanding private sector leadership on sustainability globally.
