Non-Governmental Organization Roles in Shaping Future Ocean Governance and Management

Abstract

The future of the ocean rests on the effectiveness of good governance, holistic management, and most importantly, urgent and sustained action to address complex marine issues. Conservation practitioners and resource managers struggle to keep pace with the growing threats to marine ecosystems, such as climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, habitat loss, and marine plastics. In response to these ecological crises and insufficient management actions, the number and diversity (as well as total memberships and revenues) of environmental non-governmental organizations (engos) focused on ocean health has grown rapidly since the beginning of the environmental movement in the early 1960s.1 Arguably more active than ever before, engos have expanded their participation in ocean governance processes in recent decades, alongside many other key rights-holders (i.e., Indigenous communities) and stakeholders (e.g., industry, coastal communities, various levels of government), and have adopted a greater breadth of roles and responsibilities.2 These roles may include influencing policy development and implementation, promoting community engagement and marine stewardship, and directly or indirectly contributing to scientific knowledge acquisition and dissemination.3 An important consideration is how engos will respond to the