Oceans play a crucial role for our climate and environment, while at the same time representing a significant economic sector worth between three and six trillion US dollars, according to the United Nations. However, mismanagement, overfishing and pollution have serious consequences for the more than 3 billion people who depend on the sea for food and income. At the same time, the growth of the ocean economy - e. g. in the form of tourism, shipping, aquaculture and offshore energy - is leading to an unequal distribution of the risks and benefits of the ocean economy.  Finding new ways to use marine resources sustainably is therefore essential. For this reason, the United Nations concluded a High Seas Agreement in 2023, which stipulates that the high seas should be governed under shared rights models.

In his €1.5 million-funded project, Stefan Partelow will develop innovative approaches to collaborative governance in the marine economy in order to distribute the benefits and risks more fairly at local, regional and global level. This requires learning from existing local and regional approaches and applying them to global governance processes. For the development of a sustainable and socially just ocean economy, inter- and transdisciplinary research plays a crucial role.

Further information can be found here and here.