Need for the Scuba Diving Industry to Interface with Science and Policy: A Case of SIDS Blue Workforce

Abstract

To achieve coral reef resilience under Agenda 2030, island governments need to institutionalise a competent blue workforce to expand their reef resilience initiatives across economic organisations and industries. The ability of island governments to shape new policies for sustainable island development relying on natural capital, such as coral reefs, has been hampered by structural and institutional deficiencies on both sides of the science-policy interface (SPI) at the UN. Using a qualitative research design, this article explores the science-policy interface (SPI) policy paper, Rebuilding Coral Reefs: A Decadal Grand Challenge and the role of this SPI in guiding UN coral reef financing for island states. This article uses the dive industry to investigate the needs of policymakers in island states via a conceptual framework for policy analysis. This article highlights the gaps of the SPI from the perspective of the global south and is beneficial for the islands selected under the Global Coral Reef Investment Plan. The article highlights the results of the SPI to island decision makers, which indicate that, without a policy framework that includes space for industrial policy within UN SPI, island governments will continue to fall into financial traps that constrain their efforts in operationalising their blue workforce. The study concludes that interlinked SDGs, such as SDG 9 and SDG 8, which focus on linking industrial innovation and infrastructure with decent work, as well as SDG 16 and 14.7, provide SIDS institutions with integrated policy approaches capable of bridging the divides between the scientific community, the diving industry, and island governments and that this needs to be further explored at all levels.

A deeper dive into the blue economy: the role of the diving sector in conservation and sustainable development goals

“…The 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development framework aids in harmonizing development with ocean and climate agendas through the principles of the Blue Economy (Nisa et al, 2022;Nisa, 2023). Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), "Life Below Water" mandates the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources (Assembly UN G, 2015).…”

“…The diving sector-comprising tourism, scientific research, instruction, and the dive workforce-is integral to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 14: Life Below Water (Lucrezi et al, 2017;Nisa, 2022;Nisa et al, 2022;Nisa, 2023). Deriving from military and exploration activities, SCUBA diving and snorkeling have become multi-billion-dollar industries, drawing millions to interact with underwater ecosystems (Wongthong and Harvey, 2014;Lucrezi et al, 2017;Nisa et al, 2022).…”