Aquaculture as a solution to food security and livelihoods in the Coral Triangle

The WWF Coral Triangle Programme recently came out with a discussion paper  on how aquaculture, if managed well and responsibly, can provide clear solutions for food and livelihood security issues in the Coral Triangle region.

The discussion paper, titled Sustainable Aquaculture as a Solution for Food and Livelihood Security in the Coral Triangle: Recommendations for Strategic Investment, provides an in-depth look at the rapid expansion of the aquaculture industry in the Asian part of the Coral Triangle region and its significance to food and livelihoods, recognizing the industry as an increasingly significant component of the region’s economy and a vital source of daily protein needs for people and communities in this part of the world.

In addition, the paper highlights the numerous environmental and socio-cultural impacts of aquaculture to the Coral Triangle’s fragile marine ecosystems and more importantly, provides recommendations and solutions to help transform this industry into a more responsible one, capable of addressing the growing food and livelihood needs of this region.

Through clear examples and case studies of aquaculture practices from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, the paper describes trends in aquaculture development around Asia and summarizes some key lessons on best practices in different current types of aquaculture.

The paper points out that to achieve the goals of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Food Security and Livelihoods (CTI-CFF), strategic investments must be made to reduce the negative footprint of current aquaculture operations in this region. Investment for expansion of seafood production must focus on reducing impacts of existing farming practices through innovation and promoting low footprint aquaculture (LFA).

While investment in technology and improvements can alleviate negative impacts, investing in LFA will not only contribute significantly to sustaining local livelihoods of men and women but it can provide an efficient form of food security in terms of domestic consumption in the Coral Triangle and revenues from exports. These investments must contribute to a reduction in the use of wild-caught fish for feed as well as to reducing local and regional conflicts between communities, sectors, and countries that otherwise may compete for jobs and food from the Coral Triangle.

The paper also makes recommendations for investors and other parties interested to support sustainable aquaculture as part of a blue economy1 for livelihoods and food security in the Coral Triangle region.