Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance
Inequity is ubiquitous in the ocean, and social equity receives insufficient attention in ocean governance and management efforts. Thus, we assert that proponents of sustainability must center social equity in future ocean governance, to address past social and environmental injustices, to align wit...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1473382/full |
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| author | Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Veronica Relano Katina Roumbedakis Katina Roumbedakis Katina Roumbedakis Jessica Blythe Mark Andrachuk Joachim Claudet Neil Dawson David Gill Natali Lazzari Natali Lazzari Natali Lazzari Shauna L. Mahajan Ella-Kari Muhl Maraja Riechers Mia Strand Sebastian Villasante |
| author_facet | Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Veronica Relano Katina Roumbedakis Katina Roumbedakis Katina Roumbedakis Jessica Blythe Mark Andrachuk Joachim Claudet Neil Dawson David Gill Natali Lazzari Natali Lazzari Natali Lazzari Shauna L. Mahajan Ella-Kari Muhl Maraja Riechers Mia Strand Sebastian Villasante |
| author_sort | Nathan J. Bennett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Inequity is ubiquitous in the ocean, and social equity receives insufficient attention in ocean governance and management efforts. Thus, we assert that proponents of sustainability must center social equity in future ocean governance, to address past social and environmental injustices, to align with international law and conservation policy, and to realize objectives of sustainability. This obligation applies across all marine policy realms, including marine conservation, fisheries management, climate adaptation and the ocean economy, in all socio-political contexts and at different geographical scales. Indeed, many governmental, non-governmental, and philanthropic organizations are striving to advance social equity across their ocean sustainability focused agendas, policies, programs, initiatives, and portfolios. To date, however, there has been limited attention to how to meaningfully assess status and monitor progress on social equity in ocean governance (aka “ocean equity”) across different marine policy realms. Here, we contribute to ongoing efforts to advance ocean equity through providing guidance on five steps to develop bespoke, fit to purpose and contextually appropriate assessment and monitoring frameworks and approaches to measure status of and track changes in ocean equity. These steps include: 1) Clearly articulating the overarching purpose and aim; 2) Convening a participatory group and process to co-design the assessment framework; 3) Identifying important objectives, aspects and attributes of social equity to assess; 4) Selecting and developing indicators, methods, and measures; and 5) Collecting, analyzing and evaluating data. Then, we discuss four subsequent steps to take into account to ensure that assessments lead to adaptations or transformations to improve ocean equity. These steps include: 1) Communicating results to reach key audiences, to enable learning and inform decision-making; 2) Deliberating on actions and selecting interventions to improve ocean equity; 3) Ensuring actions to improve ocean equity are implemented; and, 4) Committing to continual cycles of monitoring, evaluation, learning and adapting at regular intervals. Following these steps could contribute to a change in how oceans are governed. The diligent pursuit of ocean equity will help to ensure that the course towards a sustainable ocean is more representative, inclusive and just. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b7b70d720db44513b10b83be319fe477 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-b7b70d720db44513b10b83be319fe4772025-02-03T05:11:58ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452025-02-011210.3389/fmars.2025.14733821473382Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governanceNathan J. Bennett0Nathan J. Bennett1Nathan J. Bennett2Nathan J. Bennett3Veronica Relano4Katina Roumbedakis5Katina Roumbedakis6Katina Roumbedakis7Jessica Blythe8Mark Andrachuk9Joachim Claudet10Neil Dawson11David Gill12Natali Lazzari13Natali Lazzari14Natali Lazzari15Shauna L. Mahajan16Ella-Kari Muhl17Maraja Riechers18Mia Strand19Sebastian Villasante20Global Science, WWF, Washington, DC, United StatesPeople and the Ocean Specialist Group, Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Gland, SwitzerlandInstitute for the Oceans and Fisheries & School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaEqualSea Lab, Department of Applied Economics, Center for Cross-Disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS) Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, SpainEqualSea Lab, Department of Applied Economics, Center for Cross-Disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS) Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, SpainEqualSea Lab, Department of Applied Economics, Center for Cross-Disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS) Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, SpainInstituto de Investigaciones Mariñas, IIM-CSIC, Vigo, SpainCentro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav-Merida), Merida, Yucatan, MexicoEnvironmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, CanadaReconnect Consulting, Guelph, ON, CanadaNational Center for Scientific Research, PSL Université Paris, CRIOBE, Paris, France0University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom1Duke University Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, United StatesEqualSea Lab, Department of Applied Economics, Center for Cross-Disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS) Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, SpainNational Center for Scientific Research, PSL Université Paris, CRIOBE, Paris, France2Vicerectorat de Recerca, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain3Ocean Conservation, WWF, Washington DC, United States4Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Global Partnership, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada5Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, Rostock, Germany6Department of Development Studies, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South AfricaEqualSea Lab, Department of Applied Economics, Center for Cross-Disciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS) Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, SpainInequity is ubiquitous in the ocean, and social equity receives insufficient attention in ocean governance and management efforts. Thus, we assert that proponents of sustainability must center social equity in future ocean governance, to address past social and environmental injustices, to align with international law and conservation policy, and to realize objectives of sustainability. This obligation applies across all marine policy realms, including marine conservation, fisheries management, climate adaptation and the ocean economy, in all socio-political contexts and at different geographical scales. Indeed, many governmental, non-governmental, and philanthropic organizations are striving to advance social equity across their ocean sustainability focused agendas, policies, programs, initiatives, and portfolios. To date, however, there has been limited attention to how to meaningfully assess status and monitor progress on social equity in ocean governance (aka “ocean equity”) across different marine policy realms. Here, we contribute to ongoing efforts to advance ocean equity through providing guidance on five steps to develop bespoke, fit to purpose and contextually appropriate assessment and monitoring frameworks and approaches to measure status of and track changes in ocean equity. These steps include: 1) Clearly articulating the overarching purpose and aim; 2) Convening a participatory group and process to co-design the assessment framework; 3) Identifying important objectives, aspects and attributes of social equity to assess; 4) Selecting and developing indicators, methods, and measures; and 5) Collecting, analyzing and evaluating data. Then, we discuss four subsequent steps to take into account to ensure that assessments lead to adaptations or transformations to improve ocean equity. These steps include: 1) Communicating results to reach key audiences, to enable learning and inform decision-making; 2) Deliberating on actions and selecting interventions to improve ocean equity; 3) Ensuring actions to improve ocean equity are implemented; and, 4) Committing to continual cycles of monitoring, evaluation, learning and adapting at regular intervals. Following these steps could contribute to a change in how oceans are governed. The diligent pursuit of ocean equity will help to ensure that the course towards a sustainable ocean is more representative, inclusive and just.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1473382/fullocean equityocean governancemarine policymarine conservationfisheries managementblue economy |
| spellingShingle | Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Nathan J. Bennett Veronica Relano Katina Roumbedakis Katina Roumbedakis Katina Roumbedakis Jessica Blythe Mark Andrachuk Joachim Claudet Neil Dawson David Gill Natali Lazzari Natali Lazzari Natali Lazzari Shauna L. Mahajan Ella-Kari Muhl Maraja Riechers Mia Strand Sebastian Villasante Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance Frontiers in Marine Science ocean equity ocean governance marine policy marine conservation fisheries management blue economy |
| title | Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance |
| title_full | Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance |
| title_fullStr | Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance |
| title_short | Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance |
| title_sort | ocean equity from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance |
| topic | ocean equity ocean governance marine policy marine conservation fisheries management blue economy |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1473382/full |
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