An initiative backed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on an island off central Vietnam is contributing to protect the Earth’s vital ocean ecosystems.

Aban Marker Kabraji, regional director of IUCN Asia, believes that increasing the number, size and management effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) helps protect the world’s ocean ecosystems.

This is illustrated by a project on Cu Lao Cham Island off the central Quang Nam Province, Kabraji said in an op-ed on the World Ocean’s Day (June 8), under the theme “Our oceans, our future.”

Cu Lao Cham is one of the beneficiaries of the Mangroves for the Future (MFF), a regional coastal program co-chaired by IUCN and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Spanning 11 countries across Asia and the Indian Ocean, the MFF has developed Marine Protected Area (MPA) frameworks for Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar.

MFF’s overall approach is to identify needs at priority sites. “These needs are then addressed through grants and other activities that generate knowledge, empower local communities, and strengthen the governance of coastal ecosystems,” Kabraji wrote.

In Vietnam, MFF is currently supporting Cu Lao Cham Island, an MPA nested within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, to improve its management effectiveness.

According to Kabraji, since the Vietnamese island was declared an MPA in 2005, the site has become a popular tourist destination and local livelihoods have become highly diversified.

Land value has also increased with the growth of investor interest, all of which is putting pressure on coastal resources and social relations within local communities.

“To further strengthen the MPA’s resilience, MFF, along with several key stakeholders, facilitated an exercise at the end of April to examine the current management effectiveness of the MPA and develop a road map for revising the MPA framework and zoning scheme,” she wrote.

The revision of the MPA framework will take place over the next 18 months through a series of consultations with stakeholders, which the IUCN regional director said will “pave the way for improved management of Cu Lao Cham’s coastal and marine resources.”

Boats used to ferry tourists to the island. Photo: MFF/ Maeve Nightingale

Turning tides

MPAs are established to preserve not only coastal and marine terrain, water and the genetic diversity of associated flora and fauna, but also historical and cultural heritage.

“It is important that the boundaries of MPAs are delineated through multi-stakeholder consultation and consensus, so that encroachment becomes less likely and enforcement becomes more effective. Local communities, who have traditional knowledge of their natural resources, also need to be involved in the governance of their ecosystems, to relieve the pressure on both nature and governments,” she urged.

Studies have shown that small MPAs that are well-managed and well-enforced are facilitating resources recovery, sustaining fisheries, improving livelihoods and promoting sustainable tourism.

“Yet, while MPAs can be very effective in the conservation and management of our oceans, they cannot address all threats to marine life,” Kabraji argued.

“Complementary actions need to be implemented in parallel to make fishing and aquaculture sustainable, address climate change and reduce marine pollution.”

According to the regional director, IUCN aims to build on lessons learned from MFF – notably the effectiveness of a partnership-based focus and a governance structure that invites country-level ownership – and scale up the program, to further improve the resilience of coastal ecosystems, support the livelihoods of millions of people, and increase carbon storage capacity by protecting and restoring mangrove habitats.

Kabraji also said that even though the world’s ocean ecosystems are being threatened, tides might actually be turning thanks to the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“The Paris Climate Agreement has united many nations in the common cause of tackling climate change by limiting global carbon emissions and thereby protecting our oceans,” she wrote.

“The United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has made it crystal clear that a commitment to the conservation of oceans is necessary to secure a better future for all, through Sustainable Development Goal 14 -- ‘Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources’.”

The IUCN Asia regional director also expressed her belief that the world now stands a chance to “make our oceans truly great again,” despite recent setbacks, such as the U.S. administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement.

“[Despite this], many other nations remain committed to the Paris Accord,” she wrote.

“Through progressive and forward-thinking policies, commitments from industrialized and developing nations alike, and a multi-sectorial approach that harnesses advancements in science, finance and development, we actually stand a chance to make our oceans truly great again.”