During this year’s IASC World Commons Week from September 30 to October 9 the focus is in particular on water as a resource with discussions of the current trends in every world region. The so-called Blue Growth observed in the coastal regions and its implications will be presented during the Global Keynote Webinar by Achim Schlueter from the IASC’s Regional Group in Europe.
Many aspects of the oceans and the coasts meet the characteristics of common pool resources. Societies are increasingly expanding economic boundaries to the sea and transforming the environment at a much higher pace than in the past. Blue Growth is rather high on many governments’ agendas. It requires institutions to emerge quickly to avoid overuse and sustainability crisis often found in environmental resource use. Nevertheless, this is a tricky second order collective dilemma. The literature on coastal and ocean grabbing, which clearly sees the enclosure of the world’s largest commons, already points to the substantial social and economic challenges.
The talk by Achim Schlueter takes a holistic approach on marine enclosure processes and focuses on Peru. Current attempts to govern resources in Sechura Bay are presented, and in addition, the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework is used to analyze the ongoing institutionalization of fishery cooperatives in the scallop production. As part of the institutionalization, granting use rights is a first step towards a more sustainable use of marine resources. Meanwhile, the process has changed towards an enclosure were private, knowledgeable, and financially capable actors are taking over.
Achim Schlueter is Department Head (interim) and Working Group Leader as well as Professor for Social Systems and Ecological Economics at the Jacobs University in Germany. He will present his findings from 12:00 to 13:00 CEST (UTC + 2) on October 7.
You can join the webinar using a computer or a phone. See more information and details on how to join on the Webinars webpage.
