An ingenious proposal for scaling up marine protection | The Nature Conservancy

翻译人员: Yanyan Hong 校对人员: Cissy Yun

Ah, earth's oceans.

啊哈，地球的海洋。

They are beautiful, inspiring, life-sustaining.

它们美丽广阔， 启发灵感，养育生命。

They are also, as you're probably quite aware, more or less screwed.

同时，它们又如你所了解的那样， 或多或少受到了破坏。

In the Seychelles, for example,

例如，在非洲的塞舌尔群岛，

human activities and climate change have left corals bleached.

人类的活动和气候的变化 导致了珊瑚褪色，

Overfishing has caused fish stocks to plummet.

过度的捕捞鱼类， 导致鱼群数量的剧减。

Biodiversity is in peril.

生物多样性受到了严重的威胁。

So what can we do?

那么我们能做些什么呢？

Well, some form of protection, obviously.

好吧，显然需要采取一些保护措施。

Nature is very resilient.

自然有着很强的自愈力。

When marine areas are strategically protected,

当在海洋地区实施战略性 的保护措施，

entire ecosystems can bounce back.

整个生态系统将会再次恢复平衡。

However, creating marine protected areas isn't easy.

然而，实施海洋保护措施并不容易。

First, you have the issue of figuring out where to protect.

首先，你需要找出需要保护的确切位置，

This coral reef overlaps with that international fishing route,

当珊瑚礁与国际公海捕鱼区重叠，

intersects with this fish hatchery.

又与这个鱼类孵化区相交。

Everything is interconnected.

每一片区域都紧密相连，

And marine protection plans must take into account

海洋保护计划必须考虑到

how one area affects another.

各个区域之间的影响。

Then, there's the issue of getting everyone on board.

其次，需要考虑如何让大家 加入这个计划，

Coastal economies often rely on fishing and tourism.

沿海经济往往依赖于捕鱼和旅游业，

If people think they can't do their work,

如果人们觉得他们不能继续他们的工作，

there's no chance of getting the local buy-in you need

那么就不可能让当地人在此地区

for the area to be successful.

来帮助你成功达成这个计划，

Marine protected areas must also be enforced.

海洋保护区也必须强制执行，

That means the government itself must be deeply invested in the plan.

这意味着政府必须 在这个计划上加大投入，

Token support will not cut it.

象征性的支持是毫无作用的。

And finally, conservation requires money.

最后，自然环境的保护需要资金。

A lot of it.

很多资金支持。

Governments in island and coastal nations may want to protect their waters,

各个岛国及沿海国家的政府 或许想要保护他们的水域，

but often these nations have very high debt

但是这些国家经常因为负担过高的债务，

and can't afford to prioritize conservation.

而不能优先考虑环境的保护。

If we rely on philanthropic dollars alone to fund marine protection,

如果我们仅仅依赖于人道组织的捐款 来支持海洋保护的事宜，

we might get a small marine-protected area here,

那么我们可能只能保护

这边或者那边的一小片海域。

another little one there.

But we need more marine protected areas faster,

但是我们需要加快创造出 更多的海洋保护区，

to have lasting impact.

并实现长期的影响。

So what exactly does smart ocean conservation look like?

所以，创新海洋保护计划 到底是怎样的呢？

How do we get the money, government support and careful planning

我们要怎么样才能 获得资金，政府的支持，

以及把所有当地经济体 和复杂的生态系统

that takes into account both local economies

and complex ecosystems?

进行周密的计划呢？

We want to share with you an audacious idea

我们想与你分享一个的大胆想法，

from The Nature Conservancy.

由自然保护协会提出 （The Nature Conservancy）。

It seeks to address all of these things in one fell swoop.

它期待能够一举解决所有的这些问题，

They've realized that debt held by island and coastal nations

他们发现各个岛国 及沿海国家持有的债务

is the very thing that will enable them to achieve their conservation goals.

其实是他们实现环境保护目标的关键。

TNC's idea is to restructure this debt,

大自然保护协会（TNC）的想法是 重建这些债务，

to generate the funds and political will

以获得资金

以及保护珊瑚礁、红树林 和渔业的政治意愿。

to protect reefs, mangroves and fisheries.

For example, if you refinance your house

举个例子，如果你想因低利率

to take advantage of a better interest rate,

融资你的房子，

maybe you use the savings to insulate your attic.

你可以用省下的钱来 隔热你的阁楼。

That's what Blue Bonds for Conservation do for entire coastal countries.

这就是“蓝色环保债券倡议 （Blue Bonds for Conservation）”

为了所有沿海国家设想的。

Refinance the debt,

债务再融资，

then use the savings to create marine protected areas.

然后用存款来创造海洋保护区，

Of course, sovereign debt restructuring is more complicated than that,

当然主权债务重组要比这更复杂，

but you get the basic idea.

但是现在你有了基本的概念。

If investors put in 40 million dollars now,

如果投资者现在投入 4,000 万美元，

it can unlock as much as 1.6 billion for ocean conservation.

它可以为海洋保护解开多达 16 亿美元。

And this is how the work gets done.

下面是我们将如何实现。

Step one: negotiate the deal.

第一步：协商交易。

A coastal nation commits to protect at least 30 percent of its ocean areas.

一个沿海国家承诺保护 至少其管辖范围 30% 的海域。

In exchange, The Nature Conservancy bring investors, public funders

作为交换，自然保护协会将会 联合投资者、公共资助者，

and international development organizations

以及国际发展组织机构

to the table to restructure a portion of the nation's debt,

一同重组国家债务的一部分比率，

leading to lower interest rates and longer repayment periods.

从而降低利率，延长还款期限。

Step two: create a marine plan.

第二步：制定一个海洋计划。

Simultaneously, The Nature Conservancy works with marine scientists,

与此同时，自然保护协会 将会与海洋学家，

government leaders and local stakeholders

政府负责人以及当地的利益相关者

to create a detailed conservation plan

来制定一个详细的保护计划，

that integrates the needs of the ocean with the needs of the people.

计划将同时考虑海洋与人们的需求。

Step three: activate for longevity.

第三步：激活其可持续性。

TNC establishes an independently run conservation trust fund.

自然保护协会团队建立了 一个独立运作的自然保护信托基金，

The savings from the debt restructure goes into it

债务重组节省下来的资金 将会被投入其中，

to support new marine protected areas.

用以保护那些新的海洋保护区域。

The trust then holds the government accountable for its commitments,

信托基金可以促使 政府对其承诺负责，

ensuring that the Blue Bonds finance real protection efforts.

确保蓝色债券 为真正的保护努力提高资金。

Could this plan work?

这个计划行得通吗？

It already has.

它已经起作用了。

In 2016, TNC helped create a national conservation plan in the Seychelles.

在 2016 年，自然保护协会团队 在塞舌尔群岛帮助制定了

一个国家自然保护计划。

TNC restructured 22 million dollars of the government's debt.

团队重建了 2,200 万美元的政府负债。

And in exchange, the government agreed to protect 30 percent of its marine areas.

作为交换，政府同意保护 其管辖海洋的 30% 海域。

Today, the Seychelles is on track

今天，塞舌尔群岛正在实现

to protect 400,000 square kilometers of ocean.

保护其 40 万平方公里的海域。

That's an area roughly the size of Germany.

这大约相当于一个德国的面积。

The Seychelles is protecting its coral reefs,

塞舌尔群岛正在保护着它的珊瑚礁，

it's replenishing its fisheries,

它在不断补充它的渔业发展，

it's improving its resilience to climate change.

也提高了它应对气候变化的适应性。

At the same time, it's strengthening its economy.

同时，海洋保护加强了它经济的发展。

This success is making other governments take note.

这样的成功正在吸引 其他国家政府的注意，

Many want to be part of this.

很多政府想要加入这项提案。

There's an opportunity to scale this up, dramatically.

这是一个显著地、迅速地

扩大其规模影响力的好机会。

And fast.

TNC has identified 20 more nations where such a plan should be possible.

自然保护协会团队已经识别出了 超过 20 个国家有望实现这个计划，

But to execute, they need seed capital.

但是需要真正执行，他们需要本金，

And to put in place local teams who can develop conservation plans,

并且建立当地可以制定保护计划的团队，

work with all the stakeholders and structure the deals.

来与所有利益相关者合作， 及达成相关协议。

If they get the support they need over the next five years,

如果在未来的五年， 他们能获得所需，

they could protect four million square kilometers of ocean.

这些国家将能够保护 400 万平方公里的海洋。

That's 10 Germanies.

那相当于 10 个德国的面积。

This would increase the amount of protected areas

这会不可思议地提高

in all of the world's oceans

至少 15% 全世界范围内

by an incredible 15 percent.

受保护海洋区域的数量。

It would allow vast tracks of the world's coral reefs to replenish

它能够使全世界正在 消逝的珊瑚礁重获新生，

and give safe harbor to countless species.

为无数的海洋生物提供安全的港湾。

This would be truly incredible.

这项提案将是非凡的，

And it's really just the beginning.

然而这真的只是一个开始，

Because there aren't 20 countries in the world

因为在整个世界里， 我们不仅仅只有 20 个国家

where this kind of debt conversion would work.

能够去实现这样的债务转换，

There are almost 100.

我们至少有近 100 个国家。

With this approach, everyone wins.

用这样的方式，所有人都会受益。

Governments, local citizens, funders,

政府，人民，投资者，

and most importantly, our oceans.

最重要的，我们的海洋。

So in fact, we all win.

所以事实上，我们都会受益。

Ah, earth's oceans.

啊哈，地球的海洋。

[The Audacious Project]

【大胆计划】