By Lanre Oloyede
On the penultimate day of IMPAC5, attendees were prompted to contemplate the impact of the Congress and ways to preserve its discourse for continued progress towards ocean preservation and fair conservation efforts in the future. Sean Russell, IMPAC5 Young Professionals Committee, welcomed participants, introducing the day’s theme: connections between Ocean, culture and human-wellbeing. He invited participants to sign the IMPAC5 Youth Call to Action.
Hinano Teavai-Murphy, Tetiaroa Society, shared personal stories of her relationship with her island and the Ocean, sharing Tahitian oral traditions which highlight the connections between the Ocean, her culture, and the wellbeing of her community. Making a call that “the Ocean is not a barrier, it connects us, it is our home”, she spoke of the importance of protecting the Ocean from harm for the sake of future generations.
Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, stressed that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted in 2022 “is the most important universal agreement we have.” Emphasizing that 20% of the oxygen is produced in the Ocean, he underlined that there cannot be a healthy planet without a healthy Ocean, and noted that it’s health is in decline.
Aminath Shauna, Minister of Environment Climate Change and Technology, Maldives, described her country as a big Ocean state, instead of a small island country. She reflected on the fact that the 110 islands scattered across 19 atolls in the Indian Ocean, exist because of coral reefs, which provide protection, food and sustenance.
How World Heritage Listed Reefs Empower Communities To Adapt To A Changing Climate
Fanny Douvere, UNESCO’s World Heritage Marine Program, spoke of the incredible challenge posed by the 30×30 target, which implies expanding to almost triple the current MPAs in the next seven years. Theresa Fyffe, Great Barrier Reef Foundation, explained the Resilient Reefs Initiative carried out in MPAs in Belize, Palau, New Caledonia, and Australia, highlighting that they are built on local priorities and contexts.
Amélie Séchaud, New Caledonia Biodiversity Agency, spoke of the resilience strategy for the Lagoons of New Caledonia World Heritage site. She noted that the participatory management approach is not new, but “something well in place” in her country, although still presents challenges.
Chantalle Samuels, Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, presented on embedding resilience-based management strategies in Belize’s World Heritage site through leveraging community engagement, showing a flagship strategy with three key actions: enabling livelihood diversity, ecosystem protection and restoration, and improved watershed management governance.
