Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 192

PART 4 OUTLOOK AND EMERGING ISSUES
Properly managed, such cooperation may thus
lead to a much more effective world system of
management of aquatic production for inclusive
environmental, social and economic
sustainabilit y in a rapidly changing world.
Achieving it, however, will require a high level of
awareness of leaders at all levels and a
willingness to improve the sustainabilit y of food
production systems through cooperation and
pursuit of agreed common goals. Histor y has
shown that these conditions are not always
present when necessar y, but the challenges of
today’s world – to human life and to the planet as
a whole – are unlike any that have been
experienced during the histor y of humankind.
Cooperation is thus not only an option, but an
absolute necessit y. n Association for Sustainable Aquaculture
(M ASA), the Network of Aquaculture Centres
in Asia-Pacific (NACA), the Network of
Aquaculture Centres in Central-Eastern Europe
(NACEE) and the Aquaculture Network for the
Americas (R A A).
THE ROLE OF REGIONAL
FISHERY BODIES IN
AQUACULTURE
DEVELOPMENT The membership of RFBs is diverse in terms of
distribution of countries by income group. To
achieve equitable development, FAO promotes
cooperation among its Members to support RFBs
in challenging areas, for enhanced food securit y,
socio-economic development, resource
management and sustainabilit y.
As noted elsewhere in this volume, aquaculture
has been expanding significantly for the past
four decades, with implications for food security
and nutrition, income generation and
employment, and trade. Some issues in
aquaculture are of transboundary or regional
concern – such as the introduction and transfer
of farmed species; disease control; social,
economic and environmental issues; impact on
coastal, riparian and lacustrine environments
and areas, land use, soil and water; and
industrial development and practices – and must
be addressed at the regional level. As the fastest growing food-producing sector,
aquaculture makes a notable contribution to food
securit y. Most of the RFBs that address
aquaculture thus link their strategies or work
plans to food securit y. The following are some
examples.
„ „ The Communit y of Latin American and
Caribbean States (CELAC) Plan for Food
Securit y, Nutrition and Hunger Eradication has
relevant aquaculture components, including
school feeding programmes, and is being
implemented with the support of RFBs in the
region (the Commission for Inland Fisheries
and Aquaculture of Latin America and the
Caribbean [COPESCA ALC], the Central
American Integration System [SICA],
OSPESCA).
„ „ RFBs and RFMOs in Asia and the Pacific
(APFIC, SEA FDEC) have increased
collaboration to contribute to nutrition and
food securit y in their member countries.
„ „ In Africa, the Lake Victoria Fisheries
Organization and FAO are supporting inclusive
and sustainable aquaculture for human
development, food and nutrition securit y,
together with key players in the region.
RFBs facilitate knowledge sharing, technical and
institutional capacit y development, management
and governance and, in some cases, monitoring
and evaluation of countr y compliance with the
aquaculture-related provisions in the Code of
Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (FAO, 2017z)
(see example in Box 29). The FAO Regional
Conferences are increasingly considering the
work of RFBs in the aquaculture sector to define
regional priorities and recommendations.
The Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries
(FAO, 1995), Article 9.2.4, promotes cooperation
for aquaculture development at all levels,
including regional and subregional, through
appropriate mechanisms. Currently about one-
third of existing RFBs, representing all regions,
have mandates on aquaculture. Half of these,
including advisor y and reg ulator y bodies, were
established under the Constitution of FAO.
R FBs collaborate with regional aquaculture
networks around the world: the Aquaculture
Network for Africa (A NA F), the Micronesian
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