Marine Resources and SDGs

The World Megatrend predicts there will be a scarcity of natural resources in the future.

Sustainable management of marine resources needs to be done immediately by strengthening marine research, funding innovation and improved marine governance.

In December 2018, a national-level maritime meeting was held in Bali with the single agenda of compiling a roadmap for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 14 about under-the-sea life. The meeting was attended by marine and fisheries stakeholders from ministries and government institutions, businesses, academia and the public to address the issues and challenges of utilizing natural sea resources.

All stakeholders acknowledged the sea must be looked after and managed properly because the sea is the engine of the life on earth. Oceans, which cover more than 70 percent of the earth\'s surface, are regulators of the global climate, plant and animal food sources, and even hold many mysteries that support human life.

SDG 14 focuses on marine management to support better human life. More than 50 percent of Indonesians’ daily intake of animal protein comes from fish, including fish caught in the sea. This means that achieving SDG 14 will also contribute to food security and support SDG two -- zero hunger. Moreover, it is also believed that underwater life is closely related, especially ecologically, to the freshwater environment, so SDG 14 is also related to SDG 15 on life on land.

However, among the many challenges to achieve the SDG 14 is climate change due to global warming (SDG 13). Climate change can threaten the lives of marine biota, coral reefs and coastal life, which will in turn lead to a reduction in access to food.

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced in 2017 reached a record -- equivalent to 53.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide. In fact, the sea plays an important role as a carbon dioxide absorber (carbon sink) and oxygen producer (oxygen pump) so that the sea is a regulator of global climate change (climate regulator).

SDG 14 also requires the maintenance of the balance between conservation and responsible utilization of marine resources. The balance between conservation and utilization demands the provision of clear, complete, accountable and transparent data and information so that marine and fisheries development policies will be more easily made, avoiding polemics as to how far natural resources in the sea can be utilized.

Therefore, the achievement of SDG 14 needs to be done in a multidisciplinary manner through three approaches, namely strengthening marine research, funding innovation and better marine governance.

Marine research

Marine research is not cheap. Obtaining data at sea, including reaching the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and continental level, requires a research development strategy in synergy with all research institutions and universities related to the marine sector. Strengthening collaboration among research institutions is also expected to boost science and technology development to help mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, which is especially important given Indonesia consists of thousands of islands.

Recent events, namely the earthquakes and tsunamis in the Sunda Strait, Palu, and Lombok, have had a major impact on the surrounding communities. Thousands of lives were lost. Understanding the behavior of the sea is not easy. We can understand the mystery only if humans constantly explore the sea’s characteristics. We can learn about various phenomena though research.

The Ocean Research Consortium brings together the capabilities of research institutions and universities to achieve SDG 14. Development in the maritime field demands scientific cooperation at various levels to increase scientific knowledge, build research capacity and transfer marine technology. It is highly possible, if all the research power can be gathered toward the agreed targets, a lot of energy and funds can be saved.

The growing focus on R&D institutions to be "put together" can pursued by forming scientific clusters of research institutions to produce innovation for marine policies. There will no longer be overlapping. Moreover, marine research requires a large amount of money, but in essence it is badly needed in order to support maritime diplomacy in order to strengthen the sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.

It is ironic that Indonesia has been left behind by other countries because the investment that has been available to produce technology is not utilized as the development of science and technology in the maritime field moves very fast.

Funding innovation

In response to the huge funding needs to achieve SDG 14, not only for research purposes, but also for other needs, we should take advantage of the existing management of natural resources. A UNEP report states that the world’s coral reefs have enormous potential and can support economic growth if managed properly.

As stated in the report, The Coral Reef Economy, the current economic value of coral reef ecosystems in the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) is US$14 billion, which is generated from tourism, fisheries and the utilization of costal infrastructure. If countries in the CTI region preserve the coral reef ecosystems until 2030, it is estimated that their economic value will increase to $37 billion. Of this amount, $2.6 billion will be generated in Indonesian waters.

The conservation of marine resources provides economic benefits if managed professionally with the involvement of all stakeholders.

One of the obstacles faced by the government in the management of natural resources is the limited provision of development funds. Relying on government funds will be a difficult and long process. Therefore, innovation is needed to devise other funding schemes. Managing natural assets in the sea is

not only the government’s obligation, but also a multi-stakeholder responsibility. For example, natural resource conservation can be funded through blended financing schemes that involve non-governmental organizations.

Funds from financial institutions or other sources that have been designated as production costs can be used to finance efforts to maintain marine biodiversity to support sustainable fishing in the region. This mechanism is ideal for small-scale fisheries that dominate the Indonesian fishery sector.

Significant funds are needed for the small-scale fishery sector. At the 24th conference of the parties (COP) on climate change in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018, Indonesia participated in a discussion forum with several other countries that stated they had and successfully implemented this blended financing mechanism. The government has welcomed this funding model to be applied as a pilot project in Indonesia, with the hope it can be replicated throughout the archipelago.

Marine governance

Funding innovation through blended financing and improving the availability of data and information through continuous research will complement the preparation of Indonesia’s marine development roadmap. Data and information generated from research can be used as a basis for the allotment of marine space based on various functions.

A long-term plan will strengthen spatial arrangements at sea. Indonesia, 70 percent of which consists of ocean, needs continuity in its long-term sea and land spatial arrangements.

Bambang PS Brodjonegoro

National Development Planning Minister and National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Head