OP-ED: With tourism struggling, should fisheries come to the rescue?

Many tourism-heavy Small Island Development States (SIDS) have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the need to rebuild and diversify economies, hopes are increasingly pinned on the countries’ fisheries sector.

In this OP-ED, our Executive Director, Mr. Sven Biermann and H.E. Ronald Jumeau, Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador for Climate Change, Republic of Seychelles, outline that the long-term sustainability of one sector must not be sacrificed to compensate for losses incurred in another. Nor should short-term economic gains undermine the long-term resilience of the economy. Instead, the UN Sustainable Development Goals must be embraced as a compass for ensuring that social development and well-being are fully integrated with environmental objectives.

While many of us are still working from home offices, it is now time to take stock, reflect and determine inclusive policies and action areas that safeguard prosperity for the longer term while protecting our planet.

OP-ED (published in TODAY in Seychelles): With tourism struggling, should fisheries come to the rescue?