NICE, FRANCE, 12 June — Environmental experts at this morning’s panel discussion at the Ocean Conference offered new definitions for “resilience” and “infrastructure” as they examined approaches that treat climate, biodiversity and ocean as one integrated system.

The seventh panel discussion of the Conference focused on “Leveraging ocean, climate and biodiversity interlinkages”.  It was moderated by Susan Gardner, Director for the Eco-systems Division of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), who asked speakers to consider how the international community can enable coastal communities to realize their full potential, while bringing science and traditional knowledge together for ocean-based solutions.

With several frameworks in place and many declarations signed, “the real question now is how”, agreed Ashleigh McGovern, Senior Vice-President, Center for Oceans, Conservation International. Just as important are the questions of “who gets to lead and who benefits”, she added.  It is also essential to redefine “infrastructure”, she said, adding that natural ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs are essential natural infrastructure that provides livelihoods and mitigates climate change.  Unlike “grey infrastructure” that depreciates over time, natural infrastructure is a living asset that increases in value over time.

Solutions must come from people who live within these ecosystems and have been stewarding them for generations.  Highlighting her organization’s “seascapes approach”, she said it provides an integrated framework for managing an entire bioregion in a way that truly benefits people and nature.  A crucial lesson learned from this approach is that “we have to protect with purpose and equity at the centre”, she underscored.  While the international community is accelerating marine protection to meet the 30x30 target, this shift must be designed with the people who depend on those areas, not at their expense.

Protection that displaces people who live in those areas is not protection, its injustice, she said.  She also offered several examples from around the world about marine protected areas that do exactly this, among them the Bird’s Head Seascape, which encompasses several villages in West Papua, Indonesia.  Her organization has been working to restore the waters of this region, working alongside the communities that depend upon those waters.  This is marine protection that is “not just sustainable, it is sovereign”, she said.

Chung Keeyong, Ambassador for Climate Change, Republic of Korea — who the moderator described as being at “the forefront of climate diplomacy” — noted that his country is seeking to co-host the Fourth UN Ocean Conference with Chile in 2028.  “Resilience is not just about physical infrastructure, it’s about biodiversity,” he said.  Marine ecosystems, from coral reefs to seagrass beds, are vital not only for conservation but for food security, carbon storage and the livelihoods of millions.  Diverse ecosystems recover faster and function better, he pointed out, adding that “protecting biodiversity is not an accessory to climate action — it is its foundation”.

He drew attention to his country’s Blue Carbon Strategy that combines research, disaster preparedness and public–private collaboration.  The country’s commitments span blue carbon, marine protection, plastic pollution and ecosystem restoration.  “What we are learning from this experience is simple:  if you want integration, you must design for it.  Not just in strategy, but in institutions, investments and indicators,” he said.  “The ocean is already doing its part,” he said.

Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Senior Research Professor, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, pointed to the challenges in identifying interlinkages between ocean, climate and biodiversity.  First of all, the governance system is fragmented, he said.  Since these three are treated as separate domains, measures to protect one domain can often be harmful for others.  It is crucial to recognize that climate change, biodiversity loss and marine degradation share common drivers — over-exploitation and pollution.  He also pointed to persistent inequity in the governance of these domains — Indigenous people and local communities often bear the brunt of climate impact and have minimum participation in decision-making.

Turning to opportunities, he said, well-designed nature-based solutions support climate change mitigation while protecting marine biodiversity.  Integrated management is absolutely crucial, he said, calling on policymakers to use “climate-smart” spatial planning and trans-disciplinary knowledge.  An equity and justice lens is vital.  Solutions must embed Indigenous knowledge and ensure benefit-sharing of marine genetic material.  He also stressed the need for precautionary approaches when it comes to deep sea mining, marine dioxide removal and other interventions.  All this is part of a rights-based approach that recognizes the rights of nature.

Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, outlined what that Convention has to offer for better ocean management.  The linkages between biodiversity and oceans are complex, variable and dynamic, but they are “increasingly there for all to see”, she said.  Global frameworks reflect this — the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework has dedicated targets for climate change and ocean acidification.  “If you read the Framework, you see that it is difficult to find a single target that is not critically important for both ocean and climate”, she said — that is not an accident.

Further, in 2024, the sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity — informally known as COP16 — held in Colombia adopted two major decisions on marine and coastal biodiversity.  It also created a new subsidiary body for Indigenous and local communities.  “This is a huge win” because these key stakeholders now have a better way to engage with the Convention.  “There was remarkable mobilization of the ocean community at COP16”, she said, describing it as the “bluest COP”.

Now it is crucial to integrate all these commitments into nationally determined contributions and marine biodiversity.  Many parties are not able to move forward because they do not have the requisite financing, she acknowledged, adding that the current financial crunch reflects a true test for the commitments that have been made.  But instead of looking for separate streams of finance for oceans, climate and biodiversity, the international community has to figure out “how to spend the money that is available better”.

The panel was co-chaired by Jean-Luc Crucke, Minister for Mobility, Climate and Ecological Transition of Belgium and Arif Havas Oegroseno, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.  Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Elizabeth McLeod, Global Oceans Director for The Nature Conservancy offered additional remarks as lead discussants.  The panel was followed by an interactive discussion featuring representatives of Member States as well as civil society speakers.