Indonesia to prioritize ocean health, sustainable fishery on G20 ECSWG

Jakarta, Jan 27 (ANTARA) - As part of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) this year, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry will prioritize ocean health and sustainable fishery, an official has said. In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry's secretary general, Antam Novambar, said that the ministry, through its participation in the ECSWG, which delves into environmental issues, will work to support Indonesia's G20 Presidency and make it a success. Under Indonesia's Presidency, ECSWG will focus on sustainable recovery, land- and sea-based action, as well as resource mobilization to support environmental protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation, he stated. Seven issues derived from these three issues will be prioritized by the group, he informed. The issues include biodiversity, specifically the initiative to develop the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, as well as environment recovery from land degradation and deforestation, he said. In addition, the group will look into marine ecosystem protection, particularly IUU fishing, the marine protected area in Antarctica, and the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision; ocean waste; resource utilization efficiency; and circular economy, Novambar said. Further, it will prioritize sustainable financing to cover broader environmental issues and the G20 Water Dialogue, he added. "The ministry could assist through its blue economic policy that prioritizes people's prosperity through ocean management and utilization that considers ecological resiliency and economic resilience," Novambar said. The blue economic policy could be adjusted with the ministry's priority programs for ocean management, such as shoreline ecosystem rehabilitation, disaster mitigation, climate change adaptation, and conservation management, he added. Moreover, the ministry also has devised a measured fish capture policy, he said. The policy aims to fight against fish theft, envisages equal economic growth distribution in shoreline areas to eradicate poverty, and preserve the ocean's health for a long time, he added. Beyond the ECSWG framework, the ministry's support for Indonesia's G20 Presidency in 2022 could be expanded through the theme "Blue Economy: Towards Global Recovery," he said. There are two pillars that support this theme: bolstering the health and protection of the ocean ecosystem, Novambar said. The pillars can be realized through shoreline ecosystem rehabilitation, disaster mitigation, climate change adaptation, conservation management, IUU fishing eradication, and curbing ocean waste, he added. "In addition, (the ministry will work on) supporting post-pandemic recovery and food resiliency through bolstering aquaculture productivity in a sustainable manner, measured capture, and improving food quality and security," he informed.