Commonwealth Blue Economy Series – serie

The Commonwealth Blue Economy Series aims to support the development of the blue economy in Commonwealth member countries by providing a high-level assessment of the opportunities available for economic diversification and sustainable growth in small island developing states (SIDS).This second volume, Aquaculture, explores the potential for the development of a blue economy mariculture industry, as well as specific enabling conditions that could assist in moving towards economic reality where opportunities exist.

This fifth volume in the Commonwealth Blue Economy Series, Blue Biotechnology, provides a high-level assessment of the opportunities available for economic diversification through the development of a blue biotechnology sector in SIDS for food, health products and pharmaceuticals. It examines relevant examples from around the world, and outlines specific enabling conditions that could assist in moving such a blue biotechnology sector towards becoming an economic reality where opportunities exist.

Island nations have benefited from their ocean resources for centuries, with marine uses and activities contributing significantly to their development and overall economies. These include a wide range of maritime sectors essential to both current and future economic development, including: capture fisheries; maritime transport and ports; coastal tourism; mineral exploitation; as well as the marine ecosystems and resources that support them.There is a growing appreciation of the critical role the oceans play in sustainable economic growth and, as a corollary, the need to better manage and protect coastal and marine ecosystems and resources that are the fundamental basis for that growth.Drawing on international experience in the respective sectors, each volume in the Commonwealth Blue Economy Series provides recommendations that will assist governments to realise opportunities where they exist. It is hoped that the material presented in this volume will stimulate thinking about how small island developing states can benefit from the development of the blue economy by integrating different sectors into the 'blue growth' agenda.

This fourth volume in the Commonwealth Blue Economy Series, Marine Renewable Energy, explores the potential for the development of the blue economy by providing a high-level review of actions needed to progress marine renewable energy generation in SIDS. Renewable energy is a key component of enabling sustainable development through the decarbonisation of economies and is being progressed in nations globally. Whereas onshore technologies (e.g. solar and wind) are achieving commercial success, most marine technologies remain in the early phases of development.Successful MRE deployment is dependent on critical factors such as available energy resource, indigenous skills (includinginstitutional capacity and skilled labour), supportive policy and effective regulatory frameworks. The recommendations madein this book provide a guide for action, emphasising the need for integration at national level, between sectors and policies, and for co-ordination between targeted local studies and collaborative global action.