Is It Just Me?

Is it just me, or is the world going bonkers? Without looking at your computer screen…what is today’s date?

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I can wait…

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30th September? You’re kidding, right? I mean – what happened to the year??? It was June just yesterday…now I’m talking about Christmas holidays…

What’s Going On?

I’m supposed to write something for this series every couple of weeks. I have an agreement (which means she bullies me…😊) with my colleague Liyana, our Comms Exec., who actually does most of the work, that I should do two pieces a month…but somehow, I have to be honest, it is hard to find the time.

And that is partly because it feels like time is whizzing past so quickly these days! It’s almost like too much is happening for me to take it all in. Which – us being busy and all – is a good thing…just sometimes a bit…confusing!

Update with the Department of Fisheries (DoF)

I was supposed to write about a meeting we just had with Department of Fisheries – but then I checked my calendar and found…it was on 31st July…so nearly 8 weeks ago! So much for an article every couple of weeks!

Which is a shame, because it was a very productive meeting, and clarified how DoF sees its role vis-a-vis the Marine Parks. This, in turn, provided us with a clearer vision of how we can best contribute to preserving the marine biodiversity of the Marine Parks – through strengthening the role of local groups that we are supporting.

The Community Marine Conservation Groups (CMCGs) started off in Tioman in 2014-15 and we now support seven groups around Malaysia (Tioman, Mersing, Redang, Selakan, Larapan, Mabul and Kulapuan). With luck, we will soon hear about funding to both strengthen the existing CMCGs and extend to new areas. They are showing great results!

The Oceans 5 Project

But then it became more important to write about the meeting we had with Johor National Parks Corporation the following week. That is part of our project funded by Oceans 5 to build capacity in marine resource management at State and local level.

We have agreed to look for some pilot sites, and to arrange a meeting with other government agencies to tease out who the important stakeholders are, what the challenges are and what sort of approach to managing these resources would be most effective. The workshop is early next month! And we are making similar strides in Terengganu.

RCM’s Advocacy

But then we met those Member of Parliaments…and I thought – I should write about our growing advocacy campaign.

Our new colleague, Jasmin, is working to strengthen our contacts with other key stakeholders, and we are starting with some Members of Parliament, at the suggestion of my mate, Noel, who works in this field.

So, we met with three Member of Parliaments in mid-August, and have followed up with some suggestions and information that we hope they will find useful. That’s the goal of our advocacy efforts: find the right person, and give them the right information they need to make the decision that we need.

The BBNJ Agreement

But then there was the Global Plastics Treaty…which got shelved (grrrr….) and then there was the great news that Malaysia has signed up to the BBNJ Agreement (also known as the High Seas Treaty) which will protect biodiversity outside national waters – i.e., it’s currently unprotected.

Adopting the treaty will allow Malaysia to gain access to the shared benefits of marine genetic and other resources. Obviously, this needs to be approached with care, but better to have a seat at the table.

Global Insecurity

All this against a backdrop of increasing global insecurity, climate denial…it’s no wonder things sometimes feel…shaky?

Good News For The Oceans

But hey, with all this other good stuff going on, who are we to complain. So, let’s build on that.

Let’s work closely with government agencies and find out how best we can contribute to their goals. Let’s empower local communities to manage the resources their lives depend on; let’s build capacity at local level to strengthen the governance and management of marine resources. Let’s make sure that decision makers have access to the best information available when they are considering new laws or policies.

And yes, let’s make sure we are part of the conversation about protecting global resources – those beyond national jurisdiction.

And that insecurity? As those old Persians used to say…this too shall pass.

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