Socio-ecological resilience and the law: Exploring the adaptive capacity of the BBNJ agreement

Polycentricity and Regional Ocean Governance: Implications for the Emerging UN Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction

“…In the context of resilience theory, polycentric systems may be more resilient and robust to external shocks as another institution can step in if one institution falls short: the system can adapt and recover faster due to its diversity and redundancy (Low et al, 2003;Galaz et al, 2012;Biggs et al, 2015;Schoon et al, 2015;Morrison, 2017;Blanchard et al, 2019;Yadav and Gjerde, 2020).…”

“…This is because polycentric governance is said to enhance other resilience-enhancing principles by: enabling broader participation of stakeholders and decision-makers; improving trust and cooperation among these actors; increasing accountability; maintaining response diversity, redundancy and improving connectivity (Low et al, 2003;Biggs et al, 2015;Schoon et al, 2015;Carlisle and Gruby, 2019;Yadav and Gjerde, 2020). Moreover, polycentric governance is also better suited to managing complex adaptive systems, the key characteristics of which are clearly reflected in marine ecosystems and their governance systems (Young, 2002;Kim and Mackey, 2004;Galaz et al, 2008;Bohensky et al, 2015;Blanchard et al, 2019;Yadav and Gjerde, 2020).…”

“…However, as explored in this article, the current ocean governance framework for ABNJ is facing challenges including conflicts and power imbalances, lack of mechanisms for coordination, integration or conflict resolution, and mismatches in jurisdictional scope, which together are hampering cooperation for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem-based integrated management (Mahon et al, 2015;Blanchard et al, 2019;Yadav and Gjerde, 2020). For the current clusters of regional and sectoral ocean governance agreements and institutions managing activities or issues affecting BBNJ to achieve their potential for advancing the BBNJ Agreement's objectives, it is worth considering the enabling conditions for a functional polycentric governance system proposed by Carlisle and Gruby (2019) based on the work of Vincent and Elinor Ostrom (see Section "Polycentricity: Enabling Conditions, Benefits and Challenges" below).…”

“…The consideration of the regional level as a complement to global approaches in addressing the threats to the ocean is not new; several instruments encourage regional approaches including UNCLOS, the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (UNEP, 2016;Harrison, 2017;Wright et al, 2017;Mahon and Fanning, 2019b). However, the current sectoral framework, which allocates responsibility to specific multilateral organizations to manage different maritime activities in ABNJ such as fishing (regional), shipping (global) or mining (global), currently lacks effective coordination or integration mechanisms for advancing conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity (Fanning et al, 2015;UNEP, 2016;Wright et al, 2018;Blanchard et al, 2019;Mahon and Fanning, 2019b). Areas and species considered as priorities for protection by global conservation agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) are generally poorly reflected in sectoral outcomes ).…”

Impact of Geography on Adaptation for the Future Sustainability of Human Society on Earth

“…The human adaptive capacity to address socio-ecological changes, and maintain an ecosystem balance is influenced by the nature and magnitude of human footprints on the environment (Blanchard et al, 2019;Folke et al, 2005;Naughton-Treves et al, 2005;Naughton-Treves et al, 2011). Adaptability as a concept in geography provides some understanding into processes to address resilience in independent human and environmental systems because, it guides human systems to cope, manage or adjust to changes (Blanchard et al, 2019;Folke et al, 2005;Folke et al, 2010). Adaptation is necessary to build knowledge and understanding necessary for human and natural systems to respond to socio-ecological changes on the Earth.…”