Strengthening research collaborations and peer networks to transform aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region
It was a busy summer for researchers involved in AQUADAPT, a four-year partnership between IDRC and Global Affairs Canada that addresses the intertwined challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and food insecurity through applied research on nature-based solutions in aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Nature-based approaches address key challenges and risks for the aquaculture sector that benefit communities but also provide a net benefit to nature, biodiversity and ecosystems,” said Veronica Lo, AQUADAPT partner from the International Institute of Sustainable Development and principal investigator of the AQUA-Pearl research project in Fiji.
Aquaculture experts first came together at virtual peer-learning sessions during three days in May when they co-developed criteria to better define what nature-based solutions are. They also fostered new thinking on how to include gender equality and social inclusion in project design and implementation. How to successfully engage the private sector as champions for a more sustainable sector was also on the agenda.
At another peer-learning event hosted in Malaysia in July, AQUADAPT partners discussed the value of engaging communities in nature-based solutions to encourage socially inclusive development.
Through these gatherings, AQUADAPT seeks to support a critical mass of researchers to develop an evidence base towards an aquaculture transformation in the region. Santiago Alba-Corral, director of IDRC’s Climate-Resilient Food Systems program, said, “when projects collaborate, there is an immense opportunity to identify sustainable, inclusive, and resilient solutions for more sustainable and regenerative aquaculture across Asia-Pacific.”
Over 90% of global aquaculture production is concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, putting enormous pressures on small-scale farmers to develop innovations that foster production while aiming to be sustainable. This is especially true for coastal areas in Southeast Asia and low-lying island states in the Pacific.
As AQUADAPT researcher Libby Swanepoel of Australia's University of the Sunshine Coast explains: “small island developing states are at the forefront of where those aquatic food systems are based — so our food-related solutions are likely to come from there — but they are also those most at-risk of climate shocks.”
Finding solutions to the intertwined climate, environmental and socio-economic challenges that the aquaculture sector faces in the region is therefore critical for their livelihoods and the aquaculture industry globally.
To continue to follow developments on nature-based solutions in aquaculture, follow @AQUADAPT_CA on X.