We the Future
Alasdair Harris: How a handful of fishing villages sparked a marine conservation revolution
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We need a radically new approach to ocean conservation, says marine biologist and TED Fellow Alasdair Harris. In a visionary talk, he lays out a surprising solution to the problem of overfishing that could both revive marine life and rebuild local fisheries -- all by taking less from the ocean. "When we design it right, marine conservation reaps dividends that go far beyond protecting nature," he says.
Alasdair Harris - Ocean conservationist, entrepreneur
TED Fellow Alasdair Harris is a social entrepreneur and ocean conservationist working at the interface of marine protection and poverty alleviation. Full bio
TED Fellow Alasdair Harris is a social entrepreneur and ocean conservationist working at the interface of marine protection and poverty alleviation. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I'm a marine biologist
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here to talk to you
about the crisis in our oceans,
about the crisis in our oceans,
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but this time perhaps not
with a message you've heard before,
with a message you've heard before,
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because I want to tell you
that if the survival of the oceans
that if the survival of the oceans
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depended only on people like me,
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scientists trading in publications,
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we'd be in even worse trouble than we are.
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Because, as a scientist,
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the most important things
that I've learned
that I've learned
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about keeping our oceans
healthy and productive
healthy and productive
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have come not from academia,
but from fishermen and women
but from fishermen and women
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living in some of the poorest
countries on earth.
countries on earth.
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I've learned that as a conservationist,
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the most important question is not,
"How do we keep people out?"
"How do we keep people out?"
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but rather, "How do we make sure
that coastal people throughout the world
that coastal people throughout the world
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have enough to eat?"
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Our oceans are every bit as critical
to our own survival
to our own survival
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as our atmosphere,
our forests or our soils.
our forests or our soils.
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Their staggering productivity
ranks fisheries with farming
ranks fisheries with farming
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as a mainstay of food production
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for humanity.
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Yet something's gone badly wrong.
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We're accelerating
into an extinction emergency,
into an extinction emergency,
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one that my field has so far
failed abysmally to tackle.
failed abysmally to tackle.
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At its core is a very human
and humanitarian crisis.
and humanitarian crisis.
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The most devastating blow
we've so far dealt our oceans
we've so far dealt our oceans
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is through overfishing.
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Every year, we fish harder,
deeper, further afield.
deeper, further afield.
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Every year, we chase ever fewer fish.
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Yet the crisis of overfishing
is a great paradox:
is a great paradox:
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unnecessary, avoidable
and entirely reversible,
and entirely reversible,
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because fisheries are one of the most
productive resources on the planet.
productive resources on the planet.
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With the right strategies,
we can reverse overfishing.
we can reverse overfishing.
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That we've not yet done so is, to my mind,
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one of humanity's greatest failures.
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Nowhere is this failure more apparent
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than in the warm waters
on either side of our equator.
on either side of our equator.
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Our tropics are home to most
of the species in our ocean,
of the species in our ocean,
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most of the people whose existence
depends on our seas.
depends on our seas.
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We call these coastal fishermen and women
"small-scale fishers,"
"small-scale fishers,"
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but "small-scale" is a misnomer
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for a fleet comprising over 90 percent
of the world's fishermen and women.
of the world's fishermen and women.
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Their fishing is generally
more selective and sustainable
more selective and sustainable
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than the indiscriminate destruction
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too often wrought
by bigger industrial boats.
by bigger industrial boats.
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These coastal people have the most
to gain from conservation
to gain from conservation
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because, for many of them,
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fishing is all that keeps them
from poverty, hunger or forced migration,
from poverty, hunger or forced migration,
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in countries where the state
is often unable to help.
is often unable to help.
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We know that the outlook is grim:
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stocks collapsing
on the front lines of climate change,
on the front lines of climate change,
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warming seas, dying reefs,
catastrophic storms,
catastrophic storms,
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trawlers, factory fleets,
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rapacious ships from richer countries
taking more than their share.
taking more than their share.
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Extreme vulnerability is the new normal.
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I first landed on the island
of Madagascar two decades ago,
of Madagascar two decades ago,
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on a mission to document
its marine natural history.
its marine natural history.
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I was mesmerized
by the coral reefs I explored,
by the coral reefs I explored,
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and certain I knew how to protect them,
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because science provided all the answers:
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close areas of the reef permanently.
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Coastal fishers
simply needed to fish less.
simply needed to fish less.
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I approached elders here
in the village of Andavadoaka
in the village of Andavadoaka
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and recommended that they close off
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the healthiest and most diverse
coral reefs to all forms of fishing
coral reefs to all forms of fishing
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to form a refuge to help stocks recover
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because, as the science tells us,
after five or so years,
after five or so years,
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fish populations inside those refuges
would be much bigger,
would be much bigger,
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replenishing the fished areas outside,
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making everybody better off.
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That conversation didn't go so well.
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(Laughter)
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Three-quarters of Madagascar's
27 million people
27 million people
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live on less than two dollars a day.
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My earnest appeal to fish less
took no account
took no account
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of what that might actually mean
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for people who depend
on fishing for survival.
on fishing for survival.
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It was just another squeeze from outside,
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a restriction rather than a solution.
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What does protecting a long list
of Latin species names mean to Resaxx,
of Latin species names mean to Resaxx,
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a woman from Andavadoaka
who fishes every day
who fishes every day
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to put food on the table
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and send her grandchildren to school?
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That initial rejection taught me
that conservation is, at its core,
that conservation is, at its core,
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a journey in listening deeply,
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to understand the pressures
and realities that communities face
and realities that communities face
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through their dependence on nature.
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This idea became
the founding principle for my work
the founding principle for my work
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and grew into an organization
that brought a new approach
that brought a new approach
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to ocean conservation
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by working to rebuild fisheries
with coastal communities.
with coastal communities.
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Then, as now, the work
started by listening,
started by listening,
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and what we learned astonished us.
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Back in the dry south of Madagascar,
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we learned that one species
was immensely important for villagers:
was immensely important for villagers:
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this remarkable octopus.
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We learned that soaring demand
was depleting an economic lifeline.
was depleting an economic lifeline.
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But we also learned that this animal
grows astonishingly fast,
grows astonishingly fast,
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doubling in weight
every one or two months.
every one or two months.
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We reasoned that protecting
just a small area of fishing ground
just a small area of fishing ground
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for just a few months
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might lead to dramatic
increases in catches,
increases in catches,
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enough to make a difference
to this community's bottom line
to this community's bottom line
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in a time frame that might
just be acceptable.
just be acceptable.
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The community thought so too,
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opting to close a small area of reef
to octopus fishing temporarily,
to octopus fishing temporarily,
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using a customary social code,
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invoking blessings from the ancestors
to prevent poaching.
to prevent poaching.
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When that reef reopened
to fishing six months later,
to fishing six months later,
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none of us were prepared
for what happened next.
for what happened next.
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Catches soared,
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with men and women landing
more and bigger octopus
more and bigger octopus
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than anyone had seen for years.
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Neighboring villages saw the fishing boom
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and drew up their own closures,
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spreading the model virally
along hundreds of miles of coastline.
along hundreds of miles of coastline.
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When we ran the numbers,
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we saw that these communities,
among the poorest on earth,
among the poorest on earth,
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had found a way to double their money
in a matter of months, by fishing less.
in a matter of months, by fishing less.
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Imagine a savings account
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from which you withdraw
half your balance every year
half your balance every year
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and your savings keep growing.
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There is no investment
opportunity on earth
opportunity on earth
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that can reliably deliver
what fisheries can.
what fisheries can.
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But the real magic went beyond profit,
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because a far deeper transformation
was happening in these communities.
was happening in these communities.
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Spurred on by rising catches,
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leaders from Andavadoaka joined force
with two dozen neighboring communities
with two dozen neighboring communities
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to establish a vast conservation area
along dozens of miles of coastline.
along dozens of miles of coastline.
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They outlawed fishing with poison
and mosquito nets
and mosquito nets
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and set aside permanent refuges
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around threatened
coral reefs and mangroves,
coral reefs and mangroves,
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including, to my astonishment,
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those same sights that I'd flagged
just two years earlier
just two years earlier
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when my evangelism for marine protection
was so roundly rejected.
was so roundly rejected.
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They created a community-led
protected area,
protected area,
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a democratic system
for local marine governance
for local marine governance
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that was totally unimaginable
just a few years earlier.
just a few years earlier.
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And they didn't stop there:
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within five years, they'd secured
legal rights from the state
legal rights from the state
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to manage over 200 square miles of ocean,
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eliminating destructive
industrial trawlers from the waters.
industrial trawlers from the waters.
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Ten years on, we're seeing
recovery of those critical reefs
recovery of those critical reefs
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within those refuges.
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Communities are petitioning
for greater recognition
for greater recognition
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of the right to fish
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and fairer prices
that reward sustainability.
that reward sustainability.
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But all that is just
the beginning of the story,
the beginning of the story,
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because this handful
of fishing villages taking action
of fishing villages taking action
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has sparked a marine
conservation revolution
conservation revolution
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that has spread over thousands of miles,
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impacting hundreds of thousands of people.
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Today in Madagascar, hundreds of sites
are managed by communities
are managed by communities
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applying this human rights-based
approach to conservation
approach to conservation
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to all kinds of fisheries,
from mud crabs to mackerel.
from mud crabs to mackerel.
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The model has crossed borders
through East Africa and the Indian Ocean
through East Africa and the Indian Ocean
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and is now island-hopping
into Southeast Asia.
into Southeast Asia.
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From Tanzania to Timor-Leste,
from India to Indonesia,
from India to Indonesia,
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we're seeing the same story unfold:
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that when we design it right,
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marine conservation reaps dividends
that go far beyond protecting nature,
that go far beyond protecting nature,
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improving catches
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and driving waves of social change
along entire coastlines,
along entire coastlines,
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strengthening confidence, cooperation
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and the resilience of communities
to face the injustice of poverty
to face the injustice of poverty
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and climate change.
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I've been privileged to spend my career
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catalyzing and connecting these movements
throughout the tropics,
throughout the tropics,
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and I've learned that as conservationists,
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our goal must be to win at scale,
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not just to lose more slowly.
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We need to step up
to this global opportunity
to this global opportunity
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to rebuild fisheries:
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with field workers to stand
with communities
with communities
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and connect them, to support them
to act and learn from one another;
to act and learn from one another;
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with governments and lawyers
standing with communities
standing with communities
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to secure their rights
to manage their fisheries;
to manage their fisheries;
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prioritizing local food and job security
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above all competing interests
in the ocean economy;
in the ocean economy;
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ending subsidies for grotesquely
overcapitalized industrial fleets
overcapitalized industrial fleets
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and keeping those industrial
and foreign vessels
and foreign vessels
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out of coastal waters.
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We need agile data systems
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that put science
in the hands of communities
in the hands of communities
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to optimize conservation
to the target species or habitat.
to the target species or habitat.
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We need development agencies,
donors and the conservation establishment
donors and the conservation establishment
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to raise their ambition
to the scale of investment
to the scale of investment
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urgently required to deliver this vision.
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And to get there,
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we all need to reimagine
marine conservation
marine conservation
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as a narrative of abundance
and empowerment,
and empowerment,
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not of austerity and alienation;
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a movement guided by the people who depend
on healthy seas for their survival,
on healthy seas for their survival,
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not by abstract scientific values.
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Of course, fixing overfishing
is just one step to fixing our oceans.
is just one step to fixing our oceans.
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The horrors of warming,
acidification and pollution grow each day.
acidification and pollution grow each day.
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But it's a big step.
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It's one we can take today,
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and it's one that will give
a much-needed boost
a much-needed boost
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to those exploring scalable solutions
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to other dimensions
of our ocean emergency.
of our ocean emergency.
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Our success propels theirs.
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If we throw up our hands in despair,
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it's game over.
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We solve these challenges
by taking them on one by one.
by taking them on one by one.
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Our overwhelming dependence
on our ocean is the solution
on our ocean is the solution
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that has been hiding in plain sight,
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because there's nothing small
about small-scale fishers.
about small-scale fishers.
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They're a hundred million strong
and provide nutrition to billions.
and provide nutrition to billions.
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It's this army of everyday
conservationists
conservationists
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who have the most at stake.
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Only they have the knowledge
and global reach needed
and global reach needed
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to reshape our relationship
with our oceans.
with our oceans.
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Helping them achieve this
is the most powerful thing we can do
is the most powerful thing we can do
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to keep our oceans alive.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alasdair Harris - Ocean conservationist, entrepreneurTED Fellow Alasdair Harris is a social entrepreneur and ocean conservationist working at the interface of marine protection and poverty alleviation.
Why you should listen
Alasdair Harris works in some of the world's poorest countries, where his organization Blue Ventures seeks to demonstrate that effective marine conservation requires pragmatic, entrepreneurial and locally led approaches to ocean protection. His work focuses on developing scalable solutions to marine environmental challenges that make marine conservation make sense to coastal communities.
Alasdair Harris | Speaker | TED.com