World Seagrass Day Speech - Ambassador Prothmann
Ni sa Bula Vinaka, Assalamu Alaikum, Namaste
The Pacific Community Acting Deputy Director-General Ms Florence Rahiria
The Pacific Ocean Commissioner Dr Filimon Manoni
The Chargé d'affaires Papua New Guinea Mr Bill Olmi
Distinguished Project Director Mr Raphael Linzatti
Esteemed Invited Guests and not forgetting those that are joining us virtually
Background
It gives me great pleasure to offer supporting remarks on this prestigious occasion to celebrate World Seagrass Day. But before that let me take this time to acknowledge the Acting Deputy Director-General for her opening remarks reflecting on the common goal to sustain and manage biodiversity. Indeed, with the loss and degradation of seagrass ecosystems it is important to critically consider strategies on how best we can unite in efforts to conserve and manage these crucial marine ecosystems.
Ladies and Gentlemen, globally March 1st is a day to acknowledge, raise awareness and recognise the role of seagrass ecosystems. This year is the second year we are commemorating it since its adoption by the UN General Assembly on 23rd May 2022. I would like to take this time to congratulate everybody on World Seagrass Day. I do hope this is appropriate on a second anniversary.
Seagrass ecosystems are particularly important in the Pacific, given that a key feature of many of our island communities is their reliance on coastal fisheries for sustenance and income. Seagrass meadows help mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and the ocean and storing it in their soils for a very long time. Their conservation is crucial for the achievement of the mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Seagrass is important for biodiversity conservation. My favorite fact is: one turtle eats up to 2kg of seagrass a day. So, if we want to conserve turtles, it is crucial to protect our seagrass meadows.
Given the importance of seagrass, the German Government through the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) is pleased to continuously support our friends in the four partner countries Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu for the Management and Conservation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems (MACBLUE) project together with our regional partners – the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
On behalf of my Government, I would like to thank all our regional partners for excellent cooperation and partnership. Let me assure you that we appreciate you and value your cooperation very highly.
Threats and Challenges
Ladies and Gentlemen, research has shown that Pacific seagrass meadows cover at least approximately 145.000 ha with 16 seagrass species present – this is 210 145 rugby fiels or more than 3 times the area of Taveuni. However, they continue to face challenges and threats resulting in loss and degradation.
It is pivotal that we raise the profile of seagrass ecosystems and their role in climate change mitigation as well as providing ecosystem goods and services. We encourage our partners in the Pacific to anchor the importance of seagrass in national policies and priorities. Effective conservation strategies must be customized to the Pacific’s unique and specific economic, cultural, environmental, and technological contexts.
This Talanoa session today, an open dialogue with representation from four Pacific Island countries, should enable the people responsible in our Partner countries, to exchange on best practices, on lessons learned and in developing joint strategies. It should help them to be better positioned to respond to their specific needs.
It is also important to acknowledge the participation of women in the conservation efforts of seagrass in the Pacific. Women in fisheries, whether they are marine scientists, fisherwomen, or seafood vendors, are important stakeholders in the conservation efforts of costal ecosystem. Therefore, their participation should be valued and appreciated.
Updates
I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the German goverment International Climate Intitiave commonly called as IKI and in particular their Small Grants Program. Under this program, small local organisations can apply for funding for climate and biodiversity projects for example, projects that tackles climate change, address local adaptation or conserve forest biodiversity. The application is open until 13th of March so you have to hurry. Therefore, I would like to invite interested organisations to submit their applications via the IKI website - www.iki-small-grants.de.
Acknowledgements
At this juncture, I would also like to mention growing interest by marine practitioners and early career ocean professionals on the topic of seagrass ecosystems.
I had been made aware that this morning there was a separate occasion with youth volunteers from the World Wildlife for Nature (WWF) Pacific Volunteers who are just as passionate as everyone sitting here. It is crucial that we include our young passionate leaders in conservation efforts who are a driver of transformative changes in society.
As we continue to exchange ideas and enable a more inclusive society for all, there is no doubt that we are heading in the right direction in terms of achieving the goals and ambitions set by Pacific leaders under the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy and internationally with the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the support by the SPC Digital Earth Pacific team as well as our friends at SPREP for their dedications towards the MACBLUE project. Not forgetting the MACBLUE Team at GIZ.
Undoubtedly, your efforts will lead to better policy and informed decisions on the management and conservation of blue carbon ecosystems, directly impacting the economic and social development of the Pacific.
Thank you all very much for all your valuable contributions and with that I wish you all a Happy World Seagrass Day.
[ENDS]