Datuk Dr Ahmad Ibrahim
MALAYSIA is surrounded by seas, with the major ones being the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea.
As a maritime nation, we have, thus far, only harvested fish and extracted petroleum resources from the ocean.
These fish are under threat from overfishing and pollution, while our petroleum reserves are being depleted through drilling.
The truth is the seas offer many more potential treasures waiting to be tapped.
However, we first need to craft the right policy to sustainably harness that wealth.
An article in the New Straits Times, written by academics from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, made a strong case for the country to formalise a National Oceans Policy (NOP).
The call was not new, as there were attempts to do so before. That said, there is no time to waste if we are to look to the seas as another source of economic wealth.
The situation is made more urgent as some of our traditional drivers of wealth, including palm oil, rubber and petroleum, are reaching their limits.
Therefore, we need an inclusive and sustainable framework to profit from the ocean.
What we have now is more of a sectoral approach, which is not healthy and has led to jurisdictional and legal disputes.
We should refer to those earlier attempts to formulate the NOP in developing a new framework.
The NOP should be guided by principles, including the right to develop equitably with inclusiveness, deploying an integrated and holistic ecosystem approach, and giving due respect to culture and indigenous heritage.
Public participation in the design of the NOP is important.
The polluter-pay approach has been suggested as a precaution. There is no denying the need for international cooperation since many of the issues are transboundary.
The NOP must be clear in its goals, which encompass conserving the ocean, opening economic opportunities and practising good ocean governance while promoting participatory, responsible, and sustainable development for islands and coasts.
It has been proposed that the NOP should have the right strategic thrusts and key actions.
These are productive ocean economy, healthy ocean environment, good talent for marine management, constructive ocean governance and using reliable ocean data in decision making.
Experts have also suggested that the NOP re-examine laws aimed at protecting vulnerable resources and ecosystems from pollution.
Pollution, particularly that involving plastic, will be a major obstacle to the sustainable economic development of the seas.
They negatively impact not only the marine ecosystem, but also our food chain through the ingestion of microplastics by fish.
UCSI University recently hosted one such symposium where Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member economies shared their approaches and experiences.
The symposium deliberations will form part of a white paper that will be tabled for consideration for Apec countries.
From the discussions held online, it was clear that answers to the dilemma were hard to come by.
Talks about alternatives, including bioplastics, did not appear practical, though many agreed that research on them should continue.
Recycling remains the optimal option.
However, changing human behaviour is critical if recycling plastic is to work.
How can people be motivated to segregate plastics at the source?
One idea that gained momentum at the symposium was for authorities, especially in urban areas, to create and manage a transparent market mechanism where plastics, especially single- use ones, can be bought and sold.
There is now a black market for this trade, but the prices are exploitative.
If we are to gain from ocean wealth, resolving plastic pollution must form part of the policy equation.
The writer is a professor at Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy, UCSI University