An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection
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0:00 - 0:03Ah, earth's oceans.
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0:03 - 0:06They are beautiful,
inspiring, life-sustaining. -
0:06 - 0:10They are also, as you're probably
quite aware, more or less screwed. -
0:10 - 0:12In the Seychelles, for example,
-
0:12 - 0:15human activities and climate change
have left corals bleached. -
0:15 - 0:18Overfishing has caused
fish stocks to plummet. -
0:18 - 0:20Biodiversity is in peril.
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0:20 - 0:21So what can we do?
-
0:21 - 0:24Well, some form of protection, obviously.
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0:24 - 0:26Nature is very resilient.
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0:26 - 0:28When marine areas
are strategically protected, -
0:28 - 0:30entire ecosystems can bounce back.
-
0:30 - 0:33However, creating marine
protected areas isn't easy. -
0:33 - 0:36First, you have the issue
of figuring out where to protect. -
0:36 - 0:39This coral reef overlaps with that
international fishing route, -
0:39 - 0:41intersects with this fish hatchery.
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0:41 - 0:43Everything is interconnected.
-
0:43 - 0:45And marine protection plans
must take into account -
0:46 - 0:47how one area affects another.
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0:47 - 0:50Then, there's the issue
of getting everyone on board. -
0:50 - 0:53Coastal economies
often rely on fishing and tourism. -
0:53 - 0:55If people think they can't do their work,
-
0:55 - 0:57there's no chance of getting
the local buy-in you need -
0:57 - 0:59for the area to be successful.
-
0:59 - 1:02Marine protected areas
must also be enforced. -
1:02 - 1:05That means the government itself
must be deeply invested in the plan. -
1:05 - 1:07Token support will not cut it.
-
1:07 - 1:10And finally, conservation requires money.
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1:10 - 1:11A lot of it.
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1:11 - 1:14Governments in island and coastal nations
may want to protect their waters, -
1:14 - 1:16but often these nations
have very high debt -
1:16 - 1:19and can't afford
to prioritize conservation. -
1:19 - 1:22If we rely on philanthropic dollars alone
to fund marine protection, -
1:22 - 1:25we might get a small
marine-protected area here, -
1:25 - 1:26another little one there.
-
1:26 - 1:29But we need more
marine protected areas faster, -
1:29 - 1:30to have lasting impact.
-
1:30 - 1:34So what exactly does
smart ocean conservation look like? -
1:34 - 1:37How do we get the money,
government support and careful planning -
1:37 - 1:40that takes into account
both local economies -
1:40 - 1:42and complex ecosystems?
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1:42 - 1:44We want to share with you
and audacious idea -
1:44 - 1:46from The Nature Conservancy.
-
1:46 - 1:49It seeks to address
all of these things in one fell swoop. -
1:49 - 1:52They've realized that debt held
by island and coastal nations -
1:52 - 1:56is the very thing that will enable them
to achieve their conservation goals. -
1:56 - 1:58TNC's idea is to restructure this debt,
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1:58 - 2:00to generate the funds and political will
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2:00 - 2:04to protect reefs, mangroves and fisheries.
-
2:04 - 2:06For example, if you refinance your house
-
2:06 - 2:08to take advantage
of a better interest rate, -
2:08 - 2:11maybe you use the savings
to insulate your attic. -
2:11 - 2:15That's what Blue Bonds for Conservation do
for entire coastal countries. -
2:15 - 2:16Refinance the debt,
-
2:16 - 2:19then use the savings
to create marine protected areas. -
2:19 - 2:22Of course, sovereign debt restructuring
is more complicated than that, -
2:22 - 2:24but you get the basic idea.
-
2:24 - 2:26If investors put in
40 million dollars now, -
2:26 - 2:30it can unlock as much as 1.6 billion
for ocean conservation. -
2:30 - 2:32And this is how the work gets done.
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2:32 - 2:35Step one: negotiate the deal.
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2:35 - 2:39A coastal nation commits to protect
at least 30 percent of its ocean areas. -
2:39 - 2:43In exchange, The Nature Conservancy
bring investors, public funders -
2:43 - 2:45and international
development organizations -
2:45 - 2:48to the table to restructure
a portion of the nation's debt, -
2:48 - 2:51leading to lower interest rates
and longer repayment periods. -
2:51 - 2:54Step two: create a marine plan.
-
2:54 - 2:57Simultaneously, The Nature Conservancy
works with marine scientists, -
2:57 - 2:59government leaders and local stakeholders
-
2:59 - 3:02to create a detailed conservation plan
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3:02 - 3:05that integrates the needs of the ocean
with the needs of the people. -
3:05 - 3:07Step three: activate for longevity.
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3:08 - 3:11TNC establishes an independently run
conservation trust fund. -
3:12 - 3:14The savings from the debt
restructure goes into it -
3:14 - 3:16to support new marine protected areas.
-
3:16 - 3:19The trust then holds the government
accountable for its commitments, -
3:19 - 3:22ensuring that the Blue Bonds
finance real protection efforts. -
3:22 - 3:24Could this plan work?
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3:24 - 3:25It already has.
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3:26 - 3:30In 2016, TNC helped create a national
conservation plan in the Seychelles. -
3:31 - 3:35TNC restructured 22 million dollars
of the government's debt. -
3:35 - 3:39And in exchange, the government agreed
to protect 30 percent of its marine areas. -
3:40 - 3:41Today, the Seychelles is on track
-
3:41 - 3:45to protect 400,000
square kilometers of ocean. -
3:45 - 3:47That's an area
roughly the size of Germany. -
3:47 - 3:49The Seychelles
is protecting its coral reefs, -
3:49 - 3:51it's replenishing its fisheries,
-
3:51 - 3:54it's improving its resilience
to climate change. -
3:54 - 3:57At the same time,
it's strengthening its economy. -
3:57 - 4:00This success is making
other governments take note. -
4:00 - 4:01Many want to be part of this.
-
4:01 - 4:04There's an opportunity
to scale this up, dramatically. -
4:04 - 4:05And fast.
-
4:05 - 4:10TNC has identified 20 more nations
where such a plan should be possible. -
4:10 - 4:11But to execute, they need seed capital.
-
4:12 - 4:15And to put in place local teams
who can develop conservation plans, -
4:15 - 4:17work with all the stakeholders
and structure the deals. -
4:17 - 4:20If they get the support they need
over the next five years, -
4:20 - 4:23they could protect four million
square kilometers of ocean. -
4:23 - 4:25That's 10 Germanies.
-
4:25 - 4:27This would increase
the amount of protected areas -
4:27 - 4:28in all of the world's oceans
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4:28 - 4:30by an incredible 15 percent.
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4:30 - 4:33It would allow vast tracks
of the world's coral reefs to replenish -
4:33 - 4:36and give safe harbor to countless species.
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4:36 - 4:38This would be truly incredible.
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4:38 - 4:40And it's really just the beginning.
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4:40 - 4:42Because there aren't
20 countries in the world -
4:42 - 4:45where this kind of debt
conversion would work. -
4:45 - 4:46There are almost 100.
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4:46 - 4:48With this approach, everyone wins.
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4:48 - 4:51Governments, local citizens, funders,
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4:51 - 4:54and most importantly, our oceans.
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4:54 - 4:56So in fact, we all win.
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4:57 - 4:59Ah, earth's oceans.
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5:02 - 5:04[The Audacious Project]
- Title:
- An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection
- Speaker:
- Mark Tercek
- Description:
-
Island and coastal nations need to protect their waters to keep the oceans healthy. But they often have lots of debt and aren't able to prioritize ocean conservation over other needs. Mark Tercek and his team at The Nature Conservancy see a way to solve both problems at once: restructuring a nation's debt in exchange for its government's commitment to protect coastal areas. Learn more about how "Blue Bonds for Conservation" work -- and how you can help unlock billions of dollars for the oceans. This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to inspire and fund global change. (Voiced by Ladan Wise)
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 05:19
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz accepted English subtitles for An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection |