The Policy Persuasian

Nov 05 2009

Written by Ava

Scotland and the UK are undergoing radical reform in the way the oceans and coasts are managed and one man to help them engage in this smoothly is Dr. Tavis Potts, a social scientist and member of the Scottish Association for Marine Science with a keen interest in marine and coastal policy on local, national, and international levels, application of environmental policy instruments, and 'green' innovation/urban environmental geography.

Tavis wants to get the world (not just those living on the coasts) interested in marine planning, policy, and helping the world's marine life and marine environment.

Keeping up his blog Sustainable Seas, a forum for discussion and dissemination of news, views, and ideas about the management of coastal and ocean ecosystems, science and policy, is just one of the ways Tavis is doing this. Other ways include education, research on Antarctic geography, and helping to formulate marine bills and other forms of public policy.

As you read the answers to his Q&A below, you'll see that Tavis is well on his way!

How did you get interested in marine biology and the environment, particularly public policy?

I can remember a very clear driver – a fun field trip in biology class at high school in Australia. We went to a wetlands centre in a place called Newcastle – I remember that I really clicked with being outside and exploring the natural world. I also loved geography – we had great teachers. When it came to make university choices it was environmental science or journalism….I went science. The transition to public policy and geography came in the early days of my PhD when I was researching Antarctic fisheries. I wanted to engage in research that involved social change, that tacked the social causes of environmental problems, yet still engaged with the science. The two I believe are inseparable.

You are interested in marine policy effectiveness at regional, national, international levels.

Environmental problems, particularly those in the marine and coastal environment, manifest at different scales. Some are clearly local, some are national, and some are international. What is often left out of the discussion or the analysis is the relationship between scales. This is quite important, as attempting to solving an issue at a local scale may be a difficult when its driver is international. Take for example fisheries management in Europe. Problems with the Common Fisheries Policy at the EU scale, at the scale of negotiations at the national scale, and in developing a sustainable industry at the local scale. All three need to be addressed.

What are the emerging Scottish, UK initiatives for marine policy?

Scotland and the UK are undergoing radical reform to the way the oceans and coasts are managed. Marine Bills have been introduced in both Scotland and the UK, which aim to reform the way the marine environment is planned, the way we plan for conservation including marine protected areas, and the way we regulate different activities. These are big changes! One of the poster items is the introduction of marine spatial planning – this is looking at what activities are allowed in different parts of the coast and ocean and coordinating between users such as fisheries, aquaculture, renewable energy, and tourism etc. This needs to rest on a platform of prosperity within ecosystem limits. We’re working hard at SAMS to ensure that this is real reform – not just the shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic.

What for you are some of the biggest issues facing the marine world (the kind of thing we need marine policy for?)

I think the greatest challenge is raising the awareness of the oceans and their fundamental importance in the mind of the public. We are talking about our life support system here – the oceans are critical for the life on this planet. Whether it is food, a stable climate, receiving our wastes, transport, or recreation - our social and economic wellbeing and survival are dependant on healthy functioning ocean and coastal ecosystems. This needs to be recognised in government not as something we address in an ad hoc fashion when convenient, but is central to public policy. Public awareness and understanding that contributes to political pressure, or importantly, support to make changes, is critical. One area I work in is sustainable fisheries. I believe that while the public are concerned about where our seafood comes from and the resulting impacts on biodiversity, this concern tends to stop when we purchase seafood. People need to ask their retailer or waiter ‘where does this fish come from?’ There is clearly a gap between what we think and what we do.

What are your goals in terms of marine policy for the future?

We need to ensure that communities are engaged in the development of marine planning and that it is not the usual suspects. Everyone has a stake in this – not just those living on the coast. I would like to see the phase out of unsustainable practices in the oceans, the development of science based marine protected areas and fisheries production zones, and use of the seas to develop innovative industries such as renewable energy, sustainable tourism and low impact food production that sustain communities. Most importantly, we need to actively restore ecosystems to their past productivity before they were severely degraded. Just ask fisherman on the West coast of Scotland what fisheries were like 20 or 30 years ago.

What are some of the goals of the Scottish Association of Marine Science?

SAMS is an independent research and educational institution that works towards the objective of the sustainable use of our oceans. We are active in places ranging from the tropics to the Arctic, from the coast to the deep seas. SAMS has a fantastic scientific heritage, and is one of the oldest oceanographic institutions in the world. We cover fields as diverse as physics, sea ice and technology; earth sciences; ecology; and microbial biology. We are now moving very strongly in the social sciences – one of the reasons I’ve been working at SAMS for several years. It is a very exciting place to work.

What are some of the issues facing the Arctic and Antarctic regions that you are researching?

The Arctic is one the places that could be considered the ‘canary in the cage’ in terms of global climate change. We are seeing a rapid disappearance of summer sea ice, and this is backed by the scientific data. The disappearance of the ice is essentially creating a new ocean in terms of economic opportunities for mineral resources, shipping, tourism and fisheries. However, we don’t yet have the systems in place to ensure this is managed to minimize the impacts on the fragile Arctic. Also, those who stand to lose the most, the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, need to be engaged in this process and have a say over the future of development in their home. There is a lot of head in the sand moments – we talk about developing oil and gas resources, without questioning the fact that this is precisely the problem causing disappearance of sea ice. There is also a huge growing international interest in the Arctic that is increasing pressure for development.

Tell me about your blog Sustainable Seas?

I’m finding Sustainable Seas to be a very useful tool to engage people in a discussion about the oceans, the problems that face them, and the solutions. I think new media is a valuable tool that can be used for public engagement and to get the message ‘out there’ and I’m trying to encourage many of my scientific colleagues to post. I still think we have a way to go on getting science out into public discourse, and to get people interested. This is a great way to achieve that. I also find it a valuable way to informally think out loud – the blog is about ideas and debate and a link from the research community into the public.

Based on problems uncovered by your research, what can the average person do to help conserve the marine environment?

As I’ve mentioned above, the single greatest thing is to be aware and engaged. To ask questions, write letters to the newspaper, think about what you buy and how you consume, call your local member of parliament and discuss it with your friends and familiy. Improving the sustainability of our seas requires political and social change, and we cannot achieve this unless we have pressure and support form the community.

What have you uncovered in your exploration of the application of sustainability indicators in fisheries and ICZM and use of market-based instruments in fisheries and aquaculture?

Market based instruments such as ecolabels are an important tool for improving the management of fisheries and aquaculture. However, they are only one tool – we still need political reform to fisheries management and marine planning and conservation. As with other market instruments (such as carbon trading) they require public awareness and acceptance to work. If no one recognizes an ecolabel or what it stands for, people will not prefer to buy it over another product that is potentially cheaper. The ecolabelling industry is a growing one and has a lot of power in influencing the marine resource debate. One problem is that it is a victim of its own success – the proliferation of labels is incredible and this is leading to confusion in the market. I think we need to regulate over label quality to ensure a set standard and quality like we have for organic. I also do not want to see the creation of a two tier system – one where we have sustainable labeled products going to one source and unsustainable products going to another. This defeats the whole purpose.