THE Philippines is seeking greater cooperation among members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) to unlock the full potential of the so-called Blue Economy as a way of achieving inclusive growth in the region.
The call was made by Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje during the Apec High Level Policy Dialogue on Food Security and the Blue Economy at the Iloilo International Convention Center in Iloilo City on Sunday.
The country’s chief steward of the environment and natural resources believes that Apec members can help narrow the gap in economic development while sustaining growth with equity by harnessing the potentials of the blue economy.
According to Paje, the region currently “comprises economies at varying levels in the development spectrum.” The forum is cohosted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture. It provides an opportunity to discuss concrete and feasible actions to advance sustainable management and conservation of coastal and marine ecosystems and habitats, and improved biodiversity to support higher fisheries productivity and provide better ecological services, Paje said in a statement released by the DENR. He said the meeting is anchored on one of the four priority themes in building sustainable and resilient communities.
Paje explained that the theme is geared toward enhancing regional economic agenda; fostering the participation of small and medium enterprises in regional and global markets; and supporting and investing in human resources.
“We firmly believe that these initiatives will expand our efforts in making the theme of the host economy ‘Apec Philippines 2015: Building inclusive economies, building a better world’ a reality,” Paje said.
Paje added that harnessing the Blue Economy is most important in the Asia Pacific, considering that the region’s marine resources account for two-thirds of the world’s fishery production and 80 percent of the world’s aquaculture production, making them vital in achieving food security.
He said an important way of sustaining and even improving the productivity of our oceans is “improving the biodiversity of coastal and marine ecosystems,” as healthy ecosystems “support higher fisheries production and provides better ecological services, such as their important contribution to regulate climate and to disaster-risk reduction.”
“If we have healthy marine and coastal ecosystems, we can develop our brand of ‘Blue Economy’ defined as an approach to advance sustainable management and conservation of ocean and coastal
resources and ecosystems and sustainable development, in order to foster economic growth,” Paje stressed.
The Apec dialogue aims to produce a plan of action that would keep the coastal and marine ecosystems’ resiliency and ensure sustainable food supply chains. The action plan tackles three priority areas: resilient oceans and coastal resources; fish production; and agribusiness development.
“The plan of action has undergone several revisions from the important and valuable comments and suggestions from different member-economies,” Paje said.