Patrizia Ziveri attends the West Africa’s Blue Oceans Conference in Liberia

This was the first environmental and marine conference in West Africa, representing a historic moment for the country. ICTA-UAB researcher Patrizia Ziveri took part in the conference talking about climate change. She also attended a side event organized by the members of the OA-Africa network, in cooperation with the Abidjan Convention. 

“This conference provides a platform to identify ground-breaking solutions to ensure the sustainable management of our ecosystem. Protecting our beaches, coastal and marine resources are key to our survival as a nation and its in direct alignment with Liberia National Development Agenda; the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development there is no time for excuses.” said Nathaniel Blama, the Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, speaking on behalf of the government’s Steering Committee which he chairs along with  Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA) and the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA).

By focusing on the themes of marine pollution, climate change, sustainable fishing, and the blue economy, the conference identified innovative solutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of Africa’s marine environment and to reverse the decline in the health of the ocean for people, the planet and prosperity.

The ocean has a large depository of plastic debris and other pollutants including riverine discharges, agricultural, sediment, solid waste and agricultural run-offs. In addition, coastal and marine habitats and resources are under threat from pollution, over-harvesting of resources, inappropriate development in the coastal zone, and poor inland and land-based management. 

Most of the Liberian population lives within 30 miles of the coast where they are increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Challenges associated with climate change and ocean acidification require enhanced vulnerability and impact assessments, mitigation and adaptation plans, resilience building and disaster risk reduction strategies. The conference built on the impact being made thus far and increased the likelihood of furthering the policies needed to address climate change.

West Africa is rich in marine resources but often much of the potential benefits from fisheries do not flow back into the region. The fishing sector must be built on thriving, diverse ecosystems and governance structures and fisheries management must support the interests of Liberians. 

The call for a “Blue Economy” focused on the decoupling of socio-economic development from environmental degradation. Two particularly significant pieces of current and future blue economic growth across in Liberia are tourism and shipping. We will continue to work on using the ocean as a key resource for Liberia’s economy.

This conference came at a great time as Liberia is looking towards diversifying the economy for broader growth. “Building off the momentum of the conferences in both New York and Nairobi, we are excited to take the conversation forward and look at practical next steps for West Africa’s Ocean Conservation. This is a major opportunity for Liberia to join global efforts to conserve our oceans,” said Conservation International Liberia Country Director, Jessica Donovan.

Side event

The side event organized during the conference aimed at presenting the current status of ocean acidification research and awareness-raising efforts throughout Africa. White papers for three major regions of Africa (West, East and North) were presented. This event increased awareness about ocean acidification and research efforts in Africa and fostered a dialogue with scientists attending the Blue Oceans Conference. The white papers lay out the needs and vision for future ocean acidification research in Africa and will help guide OA projects in Africa to effectively report on SDG 14.3.

Directly following the Blue Oceans Conference, the OA-Africa Steering Committee met to identify priorities and opportunities to advance ocean acidification monitoring, biological and societal response studies throughout Africa. The Steering Committee meeting was hosted with support from the International Atomic Energy Agency Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (IAEA- OA-ICC) and The Ocean Foundation (TOF).