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Aquaculture production has very significantlyÌýincreased in tonnage and value over the lastÌýdecades. It has beenÌýseen as a potential solutionÌýto replace declining wild fishery stocks, addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 ofÌýfood safety, andÌýmany other SDGs. However, this impressive growth inÌýworldwide aquaculture production has alsoÌýbeen associated with critical environmentalÌýand social drawbacks,Ìýhighlighting the need for new approachesÌýreconciling aquaculture with conservationÌýand societal benefits.Ìý

The potential of Nature-based Solutions

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NbS potential is examined by looking at the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ definition, principlesÌýand criteria proposed by Cohen-Shacham etÌýal, and the recently developed Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Global Standard for NbS (Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥, 2020a). Ìýare shown as having a strongÌýanthropogenic connotation,Ìýand they highlightÌýthat the central scientificÌýconcept of NbS is embedded in ecosystem-basedÌýapproaches and management.

Instruments for the evaluation of ecosystemÌýservices (ES)Ìýand the degree of ecologicalÌýengineeringÌýare essentialÌýparts in NbSÌýdesign and assessment. In this context, the report then reviews the eight criteria of the GlobalÌýStandard, taking into consideration theÌýprevailing issues in aquaculture, such as the Ecosystem Approach forÌýAquaculture (EAA).ÌýÌý

NbS and Aquaculture

The study then examines the NbS framework asÌý an opportunity to enhance the sustainabilityÌýof aquacultureÌýsystems by focusing on threeÌýaspects:

• The Global Standard may provideÌýopportunities to re-establish and furtherÌýdevelop traditional local savoir-faireÌýin aquaculture, as advocated by . The restorationÌýof traditional coastal ponds in Hawai’iÌýillustrates this situation.Ìý
• EAA being widely recognisedÌýas being so far disappointing in itsÌýactual implementation and expansionÌýsince its launch 10 years ago and exploring howÌýthe releaseÌýof the Global StandardÌýcouldÌýoffer an opportunity in ‘reinvigorating’ÌýEAA and reduce weaknessesÌýthat have been acknowledged.Ìý
• The Global Standard could provideÌýnew opportunities to explore synergiesÌýbetween aquaculture and marineÌýprotection. One of the expected positive outcomes,Ìýwhen the NbS framework is applied toÌýaquaculture, is its ability to translate theÌýcomplexity of assessing the sustainabilityÌýof coastal social-ecological systems,Ìýincluding an aquaculture component, intoÌýpractical, local and specific terms.Ìý

Do aquaculture systems qualify?

Several examples ofÌýaquaculture systems indicate thatÌýsome may be considered as potential
NbS. This isÌýprovided that a full and holisticÌýassessment is made on each aquaculture-relatedÌýsolution, which subsequently shows that aÌýcandidate meets all eight NbS criteria and isÌýdocumented to an acceptable level toÌýassess benefits, impacts, trade-offs, andÌýpositive and negative externalities.

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However, the report argues that the type and role of engineering and human intervention are still being debated among various authors, so a discussion and clarification are therefore still needed to determine whether aquaculture-related systems are considered as acceptable NbS, considering the extent of human-based artificial inputs and actions involved in the system. It may be difficult in aquaculture to distinguish between a solution that is dependent on ‘natural’ ecosystems, and a solution that is based upon a quite artificial aquaculture system, well managed, but decoupled from ‘naturalness’..

Similarly, it might also be critical forÌýsome aquacultureÌýsystems to provideÌýclear evidence of a ‘net benefit’ for
biodiversity as required by Criterion 3 ofÌýthe Global Standard.ÌýFor instance, even for seaweed farmingÌýin coastal conditions, the ZanzibarÌýcaseÌýstudy shows that precautionsÌýneed to be taken in the managementÌýof aquaculture activity regarding theÌýintegrity of seagrass beds.Ìý

The full report and its development support

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The report, published by Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥, wasÌýdeveloped in the context of the and financed by the , under the umbrella of the , under the lead of experts from the of the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM). Ìý
Learn more:

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥ CEM Ecosystem-based Aquaculture Group (E-bAG)

For more information, please contact:Ìý[email protected] Ìý

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