The Politics of Ocean Governance Transformations

Blythe, JL; Armitage, D; Bennett, NJ; Silver, JJ; Song, AM

The Politics of Ocean Governance Transformations

Blythe, JL Armitage, D Bennett, NJ Silver, JJ Song, AM

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Publisher:: Frontiers Media SA
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Frontiers in Marine Science, 8

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Blythe, JL
dc.contributor.author	Armitage, D
dc.contributor.author	Bennett, NJ
dc.contributor.author	Silver, JJ
dc.contributor.author	Song, AM
dc.date.accessioned	2021-07-05T01:08:10Z
dc.date.available	2021-07-05T01:08:10Z
dc.identifier.citation	Frontiers in Marine Science, 8
dc.identifier.issn	2296-7745
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/149820
dc.description.abstract	<jats:p>Recently, oceans have become the focus of substantial global attention and diverse appeals for “transformation.” Calls to transform ocean governance are motivated by various objectives, including the need to secure the rights of marginalized coastal communities, to boost ocean-based economic development, and to reverse global biodiversity loss. This paper examines the politics of ocean governance transformations through an analysis of three ongoing cases: the FAO’s voluntary guidelines for small-scale fisheries; debt-for-“blue”-nature swaps in the Seychelles; and the United Nations’ negotiations for a high seas’ treaty. We find that transformations are not inevitable or apolitical. Rather, changes are driven by an array of actors with different objectives and varying degrees of power. Objectives are articulated and negotiated through interactions that <jats:italic>may</jats:italic> reassemble rights, access, and control; however, there is also the potential that existing conditions become further entrenched rather than transformed at all. In particular, our analysis suggests that: (1) efforts to transform are situated in contested, historical landscapes that bias the trajectory of transformation, (2) power dynamics shape whose agendas and narratives drive transformational change, and (3) transformations create uneven distributions of costs and benefits that can facilitate or stall progress toward intended goals. As competing interests over ocean spaces continue to grow in the coming decades, understanding the processes through which ocean governance transformations can occur—and making the politics of transformative change more explicit—will be critical for realizing equitable ocean governance.</jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Frontiers Media SA
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE200100712
dc.relation.ispartof	Frontiers in Marine Science
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3389/fmars.2021.634718
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0405 Oceanography, 0602 Ecology
dc.title	The Politics of Ocean Governance Transformations
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	8
utslib.for	0405 Oceanography
utslib.for	0602 Ecology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Social and Political Sciences Program
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2021-07-05T01:08:09Z
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	8

Abstract:

Recently, oceans have become the focus of substantial global attention and diverse appeals for “transformation.” Calls to transform ocean governance are motivated by various objectives, including the need to secure the rights of marginalized coastal communities, to boost ocean-based economic development, and to reverse global biodiversity loss. This paper examines the politics of ocean governance transformations through an analysis of three ongoing cases: the FAO’s voluntary guidelines for small-scale fisheries; debt-for-“blue”-nature swaps in the Seychelles; and the United Nations’ negotiations for a high seas’ treaty. We find that transformations are not inevitable or apolitical. Rather, changes are driven by an array of actors with different objectives and varying degrees of power. Objectives are articulated and negotiated through interactions that may reassemble rights, access, and control; however, there is also the potential that existing conditions become further entrenched rather than transformed at all. In particular, our analysis suggests that: (1) efforts to transform are situated in contested, historical landscapes that bias the trajectory of transformation, (2) power dynamics shape whose agendas and narratives drive transformational change, and (3) transformations create uneven distributions of costs and benefits that can facilitate or stall progress toward intended goals. As competing interests over ocean spaces continue to grow in the coming decades, understanding the processes through which ocean governance transformations can occur—and making the politics of transformative change more explicit—will be critical for realizing equitable ocean governance.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/149820