Abstract
As the unparalleled opportunities of economic growth offered by marine areas began to be explored, coastal areas became contested spaces between agents of state vying for growth and the indigenous inhabitants trying to eke out a livelihood. In this scenario, the idea of a Blue Economy gained currency as a triple win solution for providing the means to sustainable economic growth, environmental conservation and livelihood opportunities for local communities. The narrative of Blue Economy has been successful in building an enviable alliance of sovereign governments, donor organisations, international bodies and INGOs, NGOs, and think tanks to realize the untapped marine potential. With India’s long coastline and huge natural resource base, Blue Economy is being touted as a much-desired catapult for the Indian economy. The objective of this paper is to study to what extent the policy has succeeded in delivering along the promised domains of growth, conservation, and local livelihood generation. This has been done by studying the emergence of Blue Economy discourse in India with the help of policy documents, laws and associated grey literature. To gauge the people’s response to the policy implementation, newspaper articles, online publications, environmental magazines were referred to. Primary research was conducted through online and telephonic interviews using a semi-structured interview schedule with different stakeholders, ranging from representatives of fisherfolk to academics to get a holistic picture. It was concluded that the top-down policy formulation has led to the perpetuation of conventional industries often at the cost of environmental sustainability, ecology, and marine livelihoods.
Presenters
Santarpana ChoudhuryAssociate Programme Manager, BAIF Development Research Foundation, Maharashtra, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Blue Economy, Sustainable Development, Artisanal fishworker, Marine livelihood, Policy implementation
