On June 11th, 2021, 1-2 PM UTC, Isa Elegbede, Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus, Germany, will discuss how to integrate approaches in seafood certifications through socio-ecological and technological inclusiveness in the Blue Economy. The moderator was Ife Okafor-Yarwood is a Lecturer in Sustainable Development at the School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews.

Despite the considerable share of the blue resources (about 70 per cent) in the world’s space with various food resources, there are substantial fish supply-demand gaps in the global seafood (aquaculture and wild capture) markets, especially marine resource consumption. As seafood production and demand keep increasing, the potential risk of the collapse of these blue resources is envisaged. Seafood remains a significant food source for the social, economic and ecological benefit to coastal communities in the Atlantic regions. Thus, the blue economy can promote the sustainability of green resources by ensuring food security. The overarching benefit of these resources would be harnessed through integrating the blue economy approach to seafood production by applying voluntary sustainability initiatives with human-centric disruptive technologies and social inclusiveness. The production of certified seafood with ecolabels have grown significantly, intervention of these initiatives would identify the bottlenecks binding the seafood production through a holistic contribution in the present UN decade of actions. There is a need to harness the blue opportunities in a way to adequately make an impact in the present era by supporting state management systems through the market mechanisms of the various certification programmes as possible intervention tools.

Speaker

Isa Elegbede

Blue economy: integrating approaches in seafood certifications through socio-ecological and technological inclusiveness

Isa Elegbede has a PhD on Environmental Sciences (Sustainability science) from the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus, Germany, a M.Sc. on Environmental and Resource Management (ERM) from the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus, Germany, a M.Sc. on Marine Sciences (Marine Pollution and Management) from the University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria, and a B.Sc. (Hons) Fisheries and Aquatic Biology from the Lagos State University, Ojo, Nigeria. He is a Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Planning, Brandenburg University of Technology, Germany and he was was a Visiting Graduate Scholar at the School for Resource and Environmental Studies & College of Sustainability Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Mar – July 2019).

Moderator

Ife Okafor-Yarwood

Dr Ife Okafor-Yarwood is a Lecturer in Sustainable Development at the School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews. Her research to date has generated critical insights around the blue economy, environmental justice, human security, maritime governance, and security. I bring a critical lens to the concept of sustainable development in relation to the management of marine and other natural resources and challenge the dominant assumptions on the areas of security, environmental justice, and maritime governance. Her multidisciplinary research combines empirical (indigenous epistemologies), doctrinal, historical, and theoretical analysis to investigate the complexities that shape environmental justice, maritime and natural resource governance, and security in Africa. She will continue to advance the understanding of oceans sustainability and criminality as a question of resource management, environmental justice, and the disproportionate effects of depleting resources on security, poverty, and inequality.

We will continue with the Networking Fridays during the next months. More information about future sessions as well as presentations and videos from previous sessions can be found here. Twitter Hashtag: #netfridays. Expect some very exciting afternoons, or mornings or evenings, depending on where you are…

If you need any additional information please send an email to Jose Luiz Moutinho.