Blue New Deal Initiative Good jobs for coastal communities

through healthy seas

www.bluenewdeal.org

What is the Blue New Deal?

• UK-wide initiative to help reconcile economic prosperity

with marine conservation

• An opportunity to explore ideas that can deliver more and

better jobs for coastal communities through activities that

support a healthier marine environment

Coastal communities and UK seas

• They rely on the ocean for food, jobs and

recreation

• Environmental and economic pressures

are pushing natural ecosystems to their

limit: overfishing, pollution, climate

change

• Absence of social and environmental

goals in key coastal and marine

industries has had an impact on the

marine environment, communities and

the economy

• Fewer jobs, lower revenues, unnecessary

costs to the public – unstable coastal

economies

Coastal communities and UK seas

• Higher levels of deprivation, seasonality,

underemployment and an ageing

population

• Fragile communities are less able to cope

with environmental and economic shocks

• Need for increased resilience

• Growing demand for greater policy focus

Policy and national objectives

• UK Marine Policy Statement: vision for

‘clean, healthy, safe, productive and

biologically diverse oceans and

seas’ (2011)

• UK Government’s Coastal Communities

Fund: launched to support

‘coastal communities that are able

to use their assets (physical,

natural, social, economic and

cultural) to promote sustainable

economic growth and jobs.’ (2012)

Regional interests

• “priority of improving the quality of life and the standard of living for

coastal communities” (Coastal Communities Alliance, England)

• “a broad and long-sighted vision to promote and deliver integrated coastal

zone management for the long term sustainability of the North West’s

coast.” (North West Coastal Forum)

• “a voluntary partnership of local authorities, organisations, businesses and

communities committed to working towards integrated, sustainable

management of the Clyde's environmental, economic and community

resources.” (Firth of Clyde Forum, Scotland)

• “securing an integrated approach to the management and sustainable

development of our coastal and marine environment through effective

stakeholder engagement.” (Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, Wales)

Good jobs and healthy seas

• Jobs and environmental sustainability are

linked

• Restoring UK fish stocks could create

4,922 new jobs

• UK seas already support more than

750,000 direct jobs* in coastal areas

(2013 data, latest available)

• Could healthier and more productive seas

help provide for more and better jobs in

the future?

*jobs within sectors which rely on a healthy marine

environment to generate economic benefits

851

2105

12,152

18645

20686

21236

23034

32502

34804

124651

501320.7958

0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000 600000

Coastal Protection

Aquaculture

Fishing

Renewables

Heritage

Fish processing & retail

Ship-building

Ports & shipping

Oil & Gas

Marine Recreation

Tourism

Employment in maritime sectors in coastal areas, 2013

The Blue New Deal strategy

• Starting a discussion: Blue New Deal vision report (June 2015)

• Positively presenting ideas: website with existing stories

www.bluenewdeal.org

• Bringing different voices and interests together: launch event (September

2015)

• Co-developing a nationwide action plan: summer/autumn 2016

• Delivering change: putting the action plan into action; working with policy

makers and relevant institutions; tracking progress against key indicators

Initial focal areas

Five focal policy areas:

• Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture

• Renewable energy

• Responsible tourism

• Innovative coastal management

• Re-connecting people with nature

Co-developing the action plan

Coastal Communities Alliance:

“The Blue New Deal is a welcomed initiative to

help raise awareness of the various issues

coastal communities in the UK face today.”

Coastal Partnerships Network:

“We are looking forward to engaging with the

Blue New Deal initiative and to exploring

opportunities for enhancing the integration and

management of policies and activities on our

coasts.”

RenewableUK:

“In the UK, offshore wind and marine

renewables have huge potential. The Blue New

Deal initiative is a welcome contribution to how

these assets can be used to regenerate and

strengthen coastal communities around the

country”.

• An opportunity to identify solutions and

practical measures to help transform our

approach to development on the coast

• Assess the potential economic benefits of

these actions

• Understand the level of investment

needed

• Exploring ideas on how it can be

delivered

• Bring it all together in a coherent plan to

drive change

Economic analysis

• Establishing a baseline of the coastal/marine economy

• Economic sectors’ contribution in coastal areas

• Fine tuning estimates and capturing relevant employment data

• We would be happy to provide more details on the analysis and data sources

• Working with government departments, industry, local authorities and other

bodies to develop something that is useful

Get involved

Submit stories at

www.bluenewdeal.org

Send ideas and suggestions to

fernanda.balata@neweconomi

cs.org

THANK YOU

www.bluenewdeal.org

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