How a handful of fishing villages sparked a marine conservation revolution | Alasdair Harris

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Marssi Draw

I'm a marine biologist

我是海洋生物學家，

here to talk to you about the crisis in our oceans,

在此跟大家談談我們的海洋危機，

but this time perhaps not with a message you've heard before,

不過這次或許不要再提 大家已經聽過的訊息，

because I want to tell you that if the survival of the oceans

因為我想跟大家說如果海洋的生存

depended only on people like me,

只能依靠像我這樣的人，

scientists trading in publications,

只會在科學期刊裡談兵的科學家，

we'd be in even worse trouble than we are.

我們會面臨比現在更大的麻煩。

Because, as a scientist,

因為，身為科學家，

the most important things that I've learned

我所學到最重要的事情就是，

about keeping our oceans healthy and productive

要讓我們海洋保持健康、豐饒

have come not from academia, but from fishermen and women

不能靠學界，

而是要靠住在地球上 極為貧窮國家的漁夫漁婦。

living in some of the poorest countries on earth.

I've learned that as a conservationist,

我學到身為保育專家，

the most important question is not, "How do we keep people out?"

最重要的問題不是 「怎麼讓人進不來？」

but rather, "How do we make sure that coastal people throughout the world

而是「要怎麼確保全球的沿岸居民

have enough to eat?"

有足夠的食物吃？」

Our oceans are every bit as critical to our own survival

我們的海洋對我們的生存，其緊要程度

as our atmosphere, our forests or our soils.

一點也不輸給我們的 大氣、森林或土壤。

Their staggering productivity ranks fisheries with farming

它驚人的生產力使漁民與農民

as a mainstay of food production

並列為人類糧食生產的支柱。

for humanity.

Yet something's gone badly wrong.

然而有件事相當不對勁。

We're accelerating into an extinction emergency,

我們加速朝向滅絕緊急狀態，

one that my field has so far failed abysmally to tackle.

到目前為止，我的領域 仍無法解決這件事。

At its core is a very human and humanitarian crisis.

它的核心是個非常人性 和人道主義的危機。

The most devastating blow we've so far dealt our oceans

到目前為止，我們對海洋 最具破壞性的打擊

is through overfishing.

就是過度捕撈。

Every year, we fish harder, deeper, further afield.

每年我們都到更難、更深、 更遠的漁場捕魚。

Every year, we chase ever fewer fish.

年復一年，我們捕到的魚愈來愈少。

Yet the crisis of overfishing is a great paradox:

然而過度捕撈危機是個巨大的謬論：

unnecessary, avoidable and entirely reversible,

不必要、可避免、完全可逆，

because fisheries are one of the most productive resources on the planet.

因為漁業是地球上 數一數二的生產資源。

With the right strategies, we can reverse overfishing.

我們只要使用適當的策略， 就能逆轉過度捕撈。

That we've not yet done so is, to my mind,

然而我們還沒有做到那一點。

所以在我心裡， 這是人類最大的失敗。

one of humanity's greatest failures.

Nowhere is this failure more apparent

最能顯現這個失敗的地方，

than in the warm waters on either side of our equator.

莫過於赤道兩邊的溫暖水域。

Our tropics are home to most of the species in our ocean,

我們的熱帶地區 是海洋內最多物種的家，

most of the people whose existence depends on our seas.

大多數人要靠這片海洋生存。

We call these coastal fishermen and women "small-scale fishers,"

我們稱這裡的沿岸漁民為 「小規模漁民，」

but "small-scale" is a misnomer

但是「小規模」其實是誤稱，

for a fleet comprising over 90 percent of the world's fishermen and women.

因為這批人佔了 全球漁民的百分之九十。

Their fishing is generally more selective and sustainable

他們的捕魚法更具選擇性、更永續，

than the indiscriminate destruction

有別於其他大型商業漁船 無差別性的破壞。

too often wrought by bigger industrial boats.

These coastal people have the most to gain from conservation

這些海岸居民是保育的最大受益人，

because, for many of them,

因為，對他們來說，

fishing is all that keeps them from poverty, hunger or forced migration,

捕魚就是生存的全部， 讓他們脫離貧窮、飢餓或強迫遷徙，

in countries where the state is often unable to help.

因為他們的國家常常對此無能為力。

We know that the outlook is grim:

我們知道前景堪憂：

stocks collapsing on the front lines of climate change,

在氣候變遷的前線，漁獲資源崩盤，

warming seas, dying reefs, catastrophic storms,

暖化的海洋、垂死的珊瑚礁、 災難型的風暴、

trawlers, factory fleets,

拖網船、漁業加工船，

rapacious ships from richer countries taking more than their share.

來自富裕國家的貪婪船隻 強取了更多的資源。

Extreme vulnerability is the new normal.

極度脆弱成了新常態。

I first landed on the island of Madagascar two decades ago,

二十年前我第一次登上 馬達加斯加島，

on a mission to document its marine natural history.

是為了紀錄當地的海洋自然歷史。

I was mesmerized by the coral reefs I explored,

我被所探索的珊瑚礁深深迷住，

and certain I knew how to protect them,

而且我知道要如何保護牠們，

because science provided all the answers:

因為科學已經提供了所有的答案：

close areas of the reef permanently.

永久關閉珊瑚礁區域。

Coastal fishers simply needed to fish less.

沿海漁民就是要少捕點魚。

I approached elders here in the village of Andavadoaka

我去找安達瓦多卡村的長老，

and recommended that they close off

並建議他們關閉最健康、 最多樣化的珊瑚礁漁場，

the healthiest and most diverse coral reefs to all forms of fishing

不准任何型式的捕魚活動，

to form a refuge to help stocks recover

形成保護區，幫助魚群復育，

because, as the science tells us, after five or so years,

因為，科學告訴我們， 只要大約五年，

fish populations inside those refuges would be much bigger,

這些保護區內的魚量就會增加，

replenishing the fished areas outside,

補充外面的漁場，

making everybody better off.

讓每個人都過得更好。

That conversation didn't go so well.

那場對談並不順利。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Three-quarters of Madagascar's 27 million people

馬達加斯加二千七百萬人口， 其中四分之三

live on less than two dollars a day.

每天僅靠不到兩塊錢維生。

My earnest appeal to fish less took no account

我懇求少捕點魚，根本沒有考慮到

of what that might actually mean

對靠捕魚生存的人來說 這到底意味著什麼。

for people who depend on fishing for survival.

It was just another squeeze from outside,

這只不過是外界來的另一次壓榨，

a restriction rather than a solution.

一項限制，而非解方。

What does protecting a long list of Latin species names mean to Resaxx,

要保護一長串的拉丁名魚種，

對瑞莎克這位住在 安達瓦多卡的婦女來說——

a woman from Andavadoaka who fishes every day

to put food on the table

她每天捕魚以養家活口，

and send her grandchildren to school?

並送孫子去上學——意味著什麼？

That initial rejection taught me that conservation is, at its core,

那次初步的拒絕讓我學到

保育的核心是一段深入聆聽的旅程，

a journey in listening deeply,

to understand the pressures and realities that communities face

要去了解社區對自然的依賴 所面臨的壓力及現實。

through their dependence on nature.

This idea became the founding principle for my work

這個想法變成了 我的工作的基本原則，

and grew into an organization that brought a new approach

並發展成一個組織，

為海洋保育帶來新方法，

to ocean conservation

by working to rebuild fisheries with coastal communities.

要跟沿岸社區合作重建漁業。

Then, as now, the work started by listening,

然後，像現在一樣， 這項工作從聆聽開始，

and what we learned astonished us.

我們學到的讓我們驚訝。

Back in the dry south of Madagascar,

回到馬達加斯加乾燥的南邊，

we learned that one species was immensely important for villagers:

我們學到某種物種對村民極為重要：

this remarkable octopus.

這種了不起的章魚。

We learned that soaring demand was depleting an economic lifeline.

我們學到飆升的需求 正在耗盡這條經濟命脈。

But we also learned that this animal grows astonishingly fast,

但是我們同時學習到 這種動物生長非常快速，

doubling in weight every one or two months.

體重每一兩個月就增加一倍。

We reasoned that protecting just a small area of fishing ground

我們認為只要保護一小塊漁場，

for just a few months

只要幾個月，

might lead to dramatic increases in catches,

就可能大幅增加捕獲量，

enough to make a difference to this community's bottom line

足以對這個社區的財務有所幫助，

in a time frame that might just be acceptable.

而且應該就在 剛剛好可接受的時間範圍內。

The community thought so too,

這個社區也這麼認為，

opting to close a small area of reef to octopus fishing temporarily,

選擇關閉一小塊珊瑚區 暫時不准捕章魚，

using a customary social code,

用他們習慣的社會守則，

invoking blessings from the ancestors to prevent poaching.

祈求祖先的庇佑以防止偷捕。

When that reef reopened to fishing six months later,

六個月後，那塊珊瑚礁 重新開放捕魚，

none of us were prepared for what happened next.

我們都沒有料到接下來發生的事。

Catches soared,

漁獲量激增，

with men and women landing more and bigger octopus

漁夫漁婦都捕到 更多更大的章魚上岸，

than anyone had seen for years.

比過去多年看到的都大。

Neighboring villages saw the fishing boom

鄰村看到這樣大增的魚量，

and drew up their own closures,

也畫了一塊自己的禁捕區，

spreading the model virally along hundreds of miles of coastline.

讓這個模式沿著數百哩海岸線瘋傳。

When we ran the numbers,

當我們算算數字，

we saw that these communities, among the poorest on earth,

我們看到這些社區， 地球上數一數二窮的地方，

had found a way to double their money in a matter of months, by fishing less.

找到了能在短短幾個月內 倍增收入的方法，就是少捕點魚。

Imagine a savings account

想像你有一個儲蓄帳戶，

from which you withdraw half your balance every year

你每年從中領取一半的餘額，

and your savings keep growing.

然而存款還是繼續增加。

There is no investment opportunity on earth

地球上沒有其他的投資機會

that can reliably deliver what fisheries can.

可以像漁業一樣這麼可靠。

But the real magic went beyond profit,

但是真正的魔力還不是利潤，

because a far deeper transformation was happening in these communities.

因為有某種更深層的轉化 在這些社區發生。

Spurred on by rising catches,

在漁獲量上升的刺激下，

leaders from Andavadoaka joined force with two dozen neighboring communities

安達瓦多卡的領袖 合力與兩打鄰近社區，

to establish a vast conservation area along dozens of miles of coastline.

沿著許多哩的海岸線 建立廣闊的保育區。

They outlawed fishing with poison and mosquito nets

他們禁止用毒藥和蚊帳捕魚，

and set aside permanent refuges

並畫出一塊永久保護區，

around threatened coral reefs and mangroves,

圈住受到威脅的珊瑚礁及紅樹林，

including, to my astonishment,

包括——我很驚訝——

those same sights that I'd flagged just two years earlier

我在兩年前標記過的同樣的地方，

when my evangelism for marine protection was so roundly rejected.

當時我對海洋保護的熱情被徹底拒絕。

They created a community-led protected area,

他們創建了社區主導的保護區，

a democratic system for local marine governance

民主制度用在地方海洋管理，

that was totally unimaginable just a few years earlier.

這在幾年前完全無法想像。

And they didn't stop there:

他們沒有就此停止：

within five years, they'd secured legal rights from the state

五年內，他們從國家拿到合法權利

to manage over 200 square miles of ocean,

管理超過 200 平方哩的海洋，

eliminating destructive industrial trawlers from the waters.

禁止破壞性的商業拖網漁船 在各水域活動。

Ten years on, we're seeing recovery of those critical reefs

十年了，我們看到這些瀕危的珊瑚礁

within those refuges.

在保護區內復育。

Communities are petitioning for greater recognition

各社區正在陳情要求擴大認可

of the right to fish

他們的捕魚權，

and fairer prices that reward sustainability.

以及更公平的價格以鼓勵永續發展。

But all that is just the beginning of the story,

但是這只是故事的起頭，

because this handful of fishing villages taking action

因為這一小撮捕魚村落的行動，

has sparked a marine conservation revolution

激起了一連串海洋保育革命，

that has spread over thousands of miles,

傳播了數千哩，

impacting hundreds of thousands of people.

衝擊了成千上萬的人。

Today in Madagascar, hundreds of sites are managed by communities

今天在馬達加斯加， 許多地方都由當地社區管理，

applying this human rights-based approach to conservation

運用這種以人道主義為基礎的方法

to all kinds of fisheries, from mud crabs to mackerel.

來保育各種漁產， 包括紅蟳及青花魚。

The model has crossed borders through East Africa and the Indian Ocean

這個模式跨越國界， 傳到東非及印度洋，

and is now island-hopping into Southeast Asia.

目前正在東南亞各島傳播遊走。

From Tanzania to Timor-Leste, from India to Indonesia,

從坦尚尼亞到東帝汶， 從印度到印尼，

we're seeing the same story unfold:

我們都可以看見同樣的故事：

that when we design it right,

只要我們設計對了，

marine conservation reaps dividends that go far beyond protecting nature,

海洋保育取得的豐碩成果 遠遠超出保護自然，

improving catches

改善漁獲，

and driving waves of social change along entire coastlines,

還能激起社會改變的浪花， 沿著整條海岸線，

strengthening confidence, cooperation

增強信心，合作，

and the resilience of communities to face the injustice of poverty

並加強社區面對貧窮不公

and climate change.

及氣候變遷的韌性。

I've been privileged to spend my career

我有幸能把職涯

catalyzing and connecting these movements throughout the tropics,

放在促進和聯繫 整個熱帶地區的保育運動上，

and I've learned that as conservationists,

我也從中學到，身為保育專家，

our goal must be to win at scale,

我們的目標必須是大規模獲勝，

not just to lose more slowly.

而不是慢慢的輸。

We need to step up to this global opportunity

我們必須加緊把握這個全球機會

to rebuild fisheries:

來重建漁業：

with field workers to stand with communities

讓實地工作者與社區站在同一陣線，

and connect them, to support them to act and learn from one another;

連結他們，支持他們行動及彼此學習；

with governments and lawyers standing with communities

讓政府及立法單位與社區 站在同一陣線，

to secure their rights to manage their fisheries;

維護他們的權利，管理他們的漁業；

prioritizing local food and job security

優先考慮地方糧食安全及工作保障，

above all competing interests in the ocean economy;

而非在海洋經濟中所有的競爭利益；

ending subsidies for grotesquely overcapitalized industrial fleets

終止補助荒誕不經 過度投資的商業船隊，

and keeping those industrial and foreign vessels

並讓這些商業漁船及外國船隻

out of coastal waters.

遠離沿岸水域。

We need agile data systems

我們需要靈敏的數據系統，

that put science in the hands of communities

讓社區擁有科學，

to optimize conservation to the target species or habitat.

以最佳化保育目標物種或棲息地。

We need development agencies, donors and the conservation establishment

我們需要開發單位、贊助人及保護機構

to raise their ambition to the scale of investment

提高雄心，擴大投資規模，

urgently required to deliver this vision.

迫切要求實現此願景。

And to get there,

要達到這個目標，

we all need to reimagine marine conservation

我們需要重新想像海洋保育

as a narrative of abundance and empowerment,

為豐富物產及賦權的故事，

not of austerity and alienation;

而不是緊縮及疏離；

a movement guided by the people who depend on healthy seas for their survival,

是一個由一群靠健康海洋 維生的人主導的運動，

not by abstract scientific values.

而不是抽象的科學價值。

Of course, fixing overfishing is just one step to fixing our oceans.

當然，解決過度捕撈 僅是修復海洋的第一步。

The horrors of warming, acidification and pollution grow each day.

對暖化、酸化及污染的恐懼 天天都在增長。

But it's a big step.

但這是一大步。

It's one we can take today,

這是我們今天能走的一步，

and it's one that will give a much-needed boost

而且它是我們所亟需的強心針，

to those exploring scalable solutions

給那些正在為其他海洋緊急狀況 探索可擴展解決方案的人。

to other dimensions of our ocean emergency.

Our success propels theirs.

我們的成功會推波助瀾。

If we throw up our hands in despair,

如果我們在絕望中舉手投降，

it's game over.

那就玩完了。

We solve these challenges by taking them on one by one.

我們一個接一個來解決這些挑戰。

Our overwhelming dependence on our ocean is the solution

我們壓倒性的依賴海洋

一直就是我們視而不見的解決方案，

that has been hiding in plain sight,

because there's nothing small about small-scale fishers.

因為小規模漁民一點都不小。

They're a hundred million strong and provide nutrition to billions.

他們不但有上億人口， 還為數十億人提供營養。

It's this army of everyday conservationists

就是這群日常保育大軍

who have the most at stake.

才是風險最大的人。

Only they have the knowledge and global reach needed

只有他們有知識及全球影響力

to reshape our relationship with our oceans.

來重塑我們與海洋的關係。

Helping them achieve this is the most powerful thing we can do

幫助他們達成這個目標 就是我們能做最有力的事，

to keep our oceans alive.

讓我們的海洋能活下去。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）