Aquaculture Europe 2021

October 4 - 7, 2021

Funchal, Madeira

Add To Calendar 06/10/2021 11:30:0006/10/2021 11:50:00Europe/LisbonAquaculture Europe 2021GUIDELINES FOR CO-CREATING CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLANS FOR AQUACULTUREView Room-CasinoThe European Aquaculture Societywebmaster@aquaeas.orgfalseDD/MM/YYYYaaVZHLXMfzTRLzDrHmAi181982

GUIDELINES FOR CO-CREATING CLIMATE ADAPTATION PLANS FOR AQUACULTURE

Michaela Aschan*1, Thuy T.T. Pham1, Charlotte T. Weber12, Ragnhildur Friðriksdóttir3, Jónas R. Viðarsson3, and Petter Olsen4

 

UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norwegian College of Fishery Science, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway

2Akvaplan-niva AS, The Fram Centre, 9026 Tromsø, Norway

3Matis, 12 Vínlandsleið 113, Reykjavik, Iceland

4Nofima, Muninbakken 9, 9019 Tromsø, Norway

 

E-Mail: Michaela.Aschan@uit.no

 



Introduction

Climate change is having a significant impact on the biology and ecology of aquaculture species and will affect the productivity within seafood supply chains in the future. The challenges are further amplified when actors within the aquaculture sector have very different ideas and assumptions about climate change, and what risks and opportunities they entail. In order to address the challenges of climate change, several countries have developed national adaptation plans. However, aquaculture is rarely included in these plans, resulting in a general lack of documented adaptation strategies within the sector in most countries.

This study introduces guidelines for the development of climate adaptation plans (CAPs) for aquaculture, which are part of the recently published CEN Workshop Agreement voluntary standard on “Good practice recommendations for making climate adaptation plans for fisheries and aquaculture” (CWA 17518:2020) and supported by the recent paper (Pham et al. 2021). The objective is to provide a stepwise process using a co-creation approach to facilitate stakeholders to plan strategies for climate adaptation. The three-step process is part of a cycle, including implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, generating iterative feedback loops over time. The guidelines are discussed in the light of other existing adaptation tools and highlight the advantages and challenges of developing CAPs within the aquaculture sector.

Framework for developing CAPs

The CAP guidelines were developed using two main approaches: the social-ecological approach and the co-creation approach. The former was employed to identify relevant key components of the sustainable aquaculture system. The latter was used to determine the level of stakeholder participation in the development of CAPs. After devising a prototype, the guidelines were applied to six aquaculture case studies within Europe including species from multiple trophic levels. The methodology and the CAP development process were modified and improved through iterative feedback loops. The CAP guidelines also followed the standardization process devised by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN).

Guidelines for developing CAPs for aquaculture

The guidelines consist of three main tasks: T1, assessment of risks and opportunities; T2, identification of adaptation measures; and T3, operationalization of the CAP. These tasks are conducted through seven steps (S1-S7) in conjunction with three stakeholder meetings. The tasks, steps, and stakeholder meetings are described below, in chronological order (Fig. 1).

 

Discussion and conclusion

Each CAP development process will be unique. A CAP for an aquaculture system may be developed and applied at local or at national level. To be effective, CAPs should be aligned with strategy and policy processes that are in development, under evaluation and/or revision. The “Strategic Guidelines for the sustainable development of EU aquaculture” are being reviewed by the Commission to support Member States and the sector in further developing aquaculture production. These revised Strategic Guidelines also suggest management measures as well as funding opportunities for climate adaptation in line with the CWA17518:2020.

References

CWA. 17518:2020. Good Practice Recommendations for Making Climate Adaptation Plans for Fisheries and Aquaculture. (CEN Workshop Agreement European Committee for Standardisation).

Pham, Thuy Thi Thanh, Ragnhildur Friðriksdóttir, Charlotte T. Weber, Jónas R. Viðarsson, Nikos Papandroulakis, Alan R. Baudron, Petter Olsen, Juliana A. Hansen, Unn Laksá, Paul G. Fernandes, Tarub Bahri, Sigurður Ö Ragnarsson, and Michaela Aschan. 2021. "Guidelines for Co-Creating Climate Adaptation Plans for Fisheries and Aquaculture." Climatic Change 164 (3): 62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03041-z.