benefits as opposed to the business as usual “brown” scenario of high energy, low
employment, and industrialised development models.
The Blue Economy approach recognises and places renewed emphasis on the critical need
for the international community to address effectively the sound management of resources
in and beneath international waters by the further development and refinement of
international law and ocean governance mechanisms. Every country must take its share of
the responsibility to protect the high seas, which cover 64 % of the surface of our oceans
and constitute more than 90% of their volume.
4). SIDS and the Blue Economy
The importance of marine and coastal resources to SIDS is evident, and has been elaborated
in numerous international fora. The Blue Economy, however, offers the potential for SIDS to
alleviate one of their defining obstacles to sustainable development; namely that of a
narrow resource base. The remarkable per capita marine resource area enjoyed by many
SIDS means that the Blue Economy approach offers the prospect of sustained,
environmentally-sound, socially inclusive economic growth. SIDS must prepare now in order
to position themselves properly to realise the optimal benefits for their sustainable
development from the coming blue revolution.
The benefits of the Blue Economy, however, are not exclusively tailored for SIDS, they are
equally applicable to coastal countries and ultimately the Blue Economy approach offers the
means for the sound utilisation of resources beyond national jurisdiction – the sustainable
development of the common heritage of humanity; the resources of the High Seas.
5). The Blue Economy – Issues
The natural world made up of the physical environment, its mineral components and
biodiversity at all three levels (genetic, species, ecosystem) is intrinsically interconnected
and the more diverse and productive the natural system, the greater the degree of
interconnectivity. Hence the identification of particular issues is inherently an
anthropogenic construct and depending on one’s perspective may appear arbitrary.
A case in point is the precursory role that the conservation and sustainable use of
biodiversity has in enabling the establishment of a Blue Economy, broader sustainable
development and poverty eradication (see fig below). This is particularly true in developing
countries where economies are more directly related to environmental exploitation.