The overall surface of planet Earth is 71% covered by water, including 5 oceans. This is why the 5th edition of the El Jadida Sea Forum, which was held from May 3 to 7, had the theme “The sea, our wealth”. With this theme, the forum aimed to bring Moroccans to know the sea better and to become aware of its immense wealth and to propose concrete and sustainable solutions for the development, promotion and preservation of coastal areas. In addition to this ambition,“This year’s theme, “For blue growth”, is of great importance, particularly when we know the economic and social weight that the oceans and seas represent”, explains Dr Amina Benkhadra, Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM). It is in this sense that Ms. Benkhadra presents some figures to illustrate the importance of the oceans. Water on planet Earth therefore represents 71% of the earth’s surface, they contain 98% of water resources, more than 2.6 billion human beings mainly depend on the oceans for their protein needs. More than 2.8 billion people live within one hundred kilometers of their coasts.
The sea allows the transport of 80% of goods, or more than 10 billion tonnes/year. The loading of a single container is equivalent to 1,000 Airbus A380s or 6,000 large trucks. If the oceans were a national economy, they would be the 7th largest power in the world, with an estimated value of 24 trillion dollars and generating 2.5 trillion GDP/year. But that’s not all. Water is a real economy in itself, hence the concept of the blue economy. This economy concerns all bodies of water and shores, whether oceans and seas, coasts, lakes, rivers and groundwater. The blue economy also encompasses all economic activities that involve water. This can be fishing, aquaculture, tourism, transport, shipbuilding, energy, bioprospecting and all sectors of the underwater mining sector. “The maritime economy represented an annual amount of around 1,500 billion euros worldwide in 2010, second behind the agri-food industry. Almost all markets in the maritime economy are growing and its economic weight is expected to reach 2,550 billion euros in 2020. The sea is also inseparable from tourism which generates a turnover of 1,245 billion dollars, and represents a total of 9% of global GDP,” adds Amina Benkhadra. Currently in Morocco, this blue economy is supported by so-called traditional sectors which are fishing, maritime transport, ports, shipbuilding, yachting and maritime services. Interesting numbers that could help the Moroccan economy, except that the health and value of the oceans are in decline. This is a direct consequence of habitat destruction, overexploitation of resources and spaces, pollution, climate change with ocean acidification. Yet the role of the oceans is essential to human survival. The oceans help regulate heat and preserve the vitality of ecosystems. In order to compensate for the destruction of the oceans, Morocco launched the “Blue Belt” initiative on November 12 during COP22 with the conviction that fishing and aquaculture can become a model of sustainability by relying on the principles of the green economy and the blue economy.
This project is structured around three fundamental axes, starting with the emergence of coastal observation systems by promoting their integration at the global level. Subsequently, this initiative would like to encourage actions in favor of sustainable fishing throughout the value chain up to the consumer. And finally, the “Blue Belt” wants to see the development of sustainable aquaculture, in particular seaweed farming.
