Angola defends balancing act between exploitation and conservation of oceans

Angolan minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Carmen Neto Thursday in Luanda defended a multiple and inclusive approach, aimed to ensure balances between the exploitation and conservation of the seas and oceans.

Delivering her speech at an opening ceremony of the workshop on the implementation of the Marine Spatial Planning Plan, the minister stressed the importance of focusing on quality perspective of performance of each area, operating with environmental protection standards.

The minister considered crucial sharing knowledge about the sea for the development of common strategies, capable of ensuring the protection of ocean resources, and challenges States to permanently define global governance solutions, guaranteeing a sustainable blue economy.

Carmen Neto highlighted that the Marine Spatial Planning Plan determines that the area is a productive, healthy, preserved, safe and conflict-free space, managed in an integrated and sustainable way.

According to her, the identification of protected marine areas is one of the main strategies for the conservation of marine biodiversity in Angola, and the plan will allow the country to achieve, in the best way, the goal of 30% for the preservation of marine areas.

Carmen Neto said the sector is working on the elaboration of the Management Manual to guarantee an effective and cohesive implementation of the plan.

On the other hand, she considered the commitment to ecological tourism to be fundamental, as it is an important economic activity for the conservation of marine

biodiversity and for the promotion of sustainable socio-economic development in Angola.

The Presidential Decree nº 88/23, of March 30th, which approves the Marine Space Planning Plan (POEM), contributes to the social and economic development of the

country in the coming years.

POEM defines a series of objectives related to the management, conservation, benefit sharing, research and scientific investigation, stakeholder engagement, awareness and monitoring of marine resources.

The National Strategy for the Sea of Angola 2030 (ENMA) is meant to contribute to the improvement of social well-being, through the economic enhancement of the maritime

space, its resources and natural values, in an integrated and sustainable manner.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)