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Digital payment is one of the latest trendsin modern payment systems; its development has a profound impact on international trade relations and the international trade status of countries. We constructed an international trade network by using global commodity trade data to measure countries' international trade status. Based on this, we used panel data from 25 countries for the period between 2012 and 2020 and employed a fixed-effect model to test the relationship between digital payment and international trade status. Empirical results show that, first, the development of digital payment can effectively enhance a country's international trade status. Second, digital payment strengthens international trade connections by lowering barriers to cross-border capital flows, thereby improving a country's international trade status. Third, the effect of digital payment on enhancing international trade status varies across countries with different degrees of trade openness. The findings of this study provide theoretical support for the development of digital payment and international trade.

Blue carbon has been proposed as a nature-based solution for climate change mitigation; however, a limited number of published works and data and knowledge gaps hinder the development of small island developing states’ (SIDS) national blue carbon resources globally. This paper reviews the blue carbon ecosystems of Seychelles as a case study in the context of SIDS, comparing estimations by the Blue Carbon Lab and recent blue carbon (mangrove and seagrass) evaluations submitted to the Seychelles national government. Mangroves (2195 ha, 80% in Aldabra Atoll) and seagrasses (142,065 ha) dominate in Seychelles, with coral reefs having the potential for carbon sequestration (169,000 ha). Seychelles is on track to protecting its blue carbon, but these systems are threatened by rising sea levels, coastal squeeze, erosion, severe storms, and human activities. The importance of carbon inventories, accounting institutions, and continuous monitoring of blue carbon systems is discussed. Blue accounting is necessary for accurate accounting of carbon sequestration and carbon storage, generating carbon credits, and representing impactful reductions in greenhouse gases for NDCs. Challenges and opportunities include policy legislation regarding ownership rights, accreditation and certification for carbon credits, sustainable financing mechanisms like natural asset companies and blue tokens, local engagement for long-term success, and carbon market dynamics following COP27. The restoration and regulation of blue carbon resources for optimal ecosystem services delivery, carbon inventories, and blue carbon policy are recommended development priorities. Blue carbon ecosystems have the potential to contribute to NDCs of SIDS while simultaneously offering sustainable development pathways for local communities through the multiple ecosystem services they provide.

Modern aquaculture technologies can contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies while simultaneously contributing toward food security. Various aquaculture strategies have been reviewed elsewhere but omit a few key strategies worthy of inclusion. This paper reviews various regenerative aquaculture strategies that stimulate habitat creation, biodiversity and capture fisheriesstimulation, and increasing resilience to climate change effects. The climate change adaptation strategies discussed include integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) and aquaponics, recirculation systems for the control of environmental conditions in a changing climate, habitat restoration through coral aquaculture, the capacity for selective breeding as adaptation mechanism to expected environmental changes, and continuous environmental monitoring programs. Blue farming strategies for climate change mitigation are largely focused on greenhouse gas reduction, carbon capture, and carbon sequestration. The Western hemisphere has recently been enthused by the development of seaweed aquaculture, and the implications of seaweed aquaculture and seaweed products are discussed, as well as the potential of seaweed to contribute to blue carbon stocks. The potential of microalgal bloom stimulation and open ocean fertilization are explored as methods of intensifying natural biogeochemical cycles involved in carbon sequestration. Best aquaculture practices and certifications are also discussed as a potential mechanism to align current farms with climate change and blue carbon objectives. The review concludes that regenerative aquaculture strategies have the potential to change public perception of aquaculture as holding largely negative consequences for the environment and encourage the development of other applications of aquaculture as novel methods of sustainable blue ocean farming.

This study reviews various financing solutions available for fisheries and aquaculture development in Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS) and Barbados, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Previously identified financing needs within the fisheries and aquaculture sectors have been matched with the most suitable financing mechanisms. However, the use of blue levies is recommended and applicable in almost every scenario, as they allow these sectors to drive their own development in financing research and conservation projects to their own benefit. The use of “blue tokens” with sufficiently low repayment coupons allows development projects to gather public support for fisheries, thereby increasing the likelihood of the project being successful through community buy-in. The possibility of natural capital being traded as public equities as “Natural Asset Companies” provides the opportunity for development projects to fund themselves. The review concludes that natural capital can be leveraged as the base through which public-private partnerships (PPPs) can facilitate optimal delivery of ecosystem services, benefit multiple stakeholders, and provide numerous development opportunities. An enabling environment for debt and lending with low-interest loan repayments is also applicable to almost every scenario, as it facilitates access to capital finance for infrastructure development and the acquisition of increasingly sustainable fishing equipment. Steps towards generating an enabling environment for financing fisheries and aquaculture in the Caribbean region are also discussed. The establishment of dedicated financing institutions, PPPs, and sufficient data reporting infrastructure for the fisheries and aquaculture industry are essential for driving development in these sectors. Likely, the largest limiting factor in financing Caribbean fisheries and aquaculture industries is a lack of awareness of the range of finance and financing mechanisms available to stakeholders, as well as an enabling environment for financing blue Economy sectors. This review is thus intended to aid financing institutions, Blue Economy developers, and specifically Caribbean fisheries and aquaculture stakeholders and Caribbean governments by raising awareness of the financing mechanisms available, encourage the incorporation of their use in the fisheries and aquaculture industries in the Caribbean, and encourage policymakers to create an enabling environment for financing development in these crucial sectors.

The aim of this article is to present the issues related to the production and valorization of small pelagics in Côte d’Ivoire, highlighting the crucial role of Ghanaian actors in artisanal fishing. To this end, we have compiled and analyzed data from the Directorate of Aquaculture and Fisheries (DAP) and the Abidjan Oceanological Research Centre (CRO), focusing on the production, fishing units, and the number of fishermen as well as key actors in the value chain of small pelagics. Field activities were conducted to establish the operating account of different fishing segments, in order to calculate the added value and to map the distribution of artisanal production of small pelagics in Côte d’Ivoire. The results show that, from 2014 to 2018, over 95 % of the artisanal production of small pelagics in Côte d’Ivoire was ensured by Ghanaian fishermen, accounting for about 26,200 tonnes out of an average annual production of 27,500 tonnes. More than two-thirds of this production is processed artisanally, especially by smoking, mainly by Ghanaian women. The added value generated by artisanal fishing is estimated at 5 billion CFA Francs (XOF) in Côte d’Ivoire. Ghanaian fishing actors have thus developed, over the years, an effective vertical management of the artisanal exploitation of small pelagics in Côte d’Ivoire, significantly contributing to the national fisheries economy and the food security of the Ivorian population. However, this production remains insufficient to meet national needs, leading to an increase in imports of frozen pelagics, particularly from Mauritania, Senegal, and China. These imports are increasingly being questioned, due to the emergence of new markets in the African supplier countries of Côte d’Ivoire.

The objective of the article is to reflect on the tensions between the internal and external market for fishery products in Senegal and on the relevance of public policies to support artisanal fishing in a context of a fall in the apparent availability and a surge in fish stocks selling price per kilogram for all species. By analyzing national data on production, local supply, foreign trade, and the evolution of the price structure, the article raises the difficulty of accessing quality fish in the face of extroverted production and prices inadequate with the purchasing power of Senegalese. Globally, the production of fishery products has experienced an upward trend in recent years, going from 385 thousand tons in 2008 to more than 450 thousand tons in 2018. Paradoxically, per capita consumption is on a downward trend and is currently evaluated at less of 18 kg/person/year and as a corollary a reduced contribution of fish to meeting the protein needs of animal origin of Senegalese. For a country with a trade surplus of more than 100 thousand tons in 2018, this is to say at least a paradox. Thus, the production of fishery products benefits exports more than supplies to the domestic market. This situation makes utopic the contribution of fishing to the food security of Senegalese yet advanced in the strategic documents of public fisheries policies. The pressures on resources and prices will escalate further if nothing is done about the rising export curve and the falling net supply curve. The establishment of a policy of domestication of production, revision of support policies for artisanal fishing and the objective of the artisanal sector, in addition to regulation of selling prices per kilogram depending on the species are essential to reach at least the world average consumption of 20 kg/person/year and make fishing a determining sector for the nutritional security of Senegalese.

AbstractThe wellbeing of millions of Ghanaians hinges on food security. As the country strives to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030, fish consumption must be sustained. Predicting the future trends of fish consumption and supply is of significant importance to policy-makers and fisheries managers to better anticipate future demands, plan actions to effectively meet them and sustainably manage the fisheries. The present study seeks to quantify the future and historical fish consumption (consumption per capita and apparent consumption), production (captures, aquaculture, and commodities) and fish trade (imports) estimate and projections from 2017 to 2030. We obtained data from the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Fisheries Scientific Survey Division, Ghana Statistical Services, United Nations International Trade Statistics Database, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank, FishStatJ, Food and Agriculture Organization online query panels, and other online publications. Our analyses showed that fish consumption will continue to fluctuate with an expected highest peak of 905,400 tonnes by 2028 and drop to 889,096 by 2030. Overall consumption is expected to average 839,272 tonnes from 2019 to 2030, growing at an annual rate of 0.61% from 2017 to 2030. Per capita fish consumption is expected to decrease slightly, reaching 23.93 kg by 2030. Growth in capture fisheries will be very slow at 0.06%, while aquaculture is expected to grow at 6.58%. In terms of fish supply, capture fisheries, aquaculture, and imports are expected to contribute 45%, 9%, and 46%, respectively. Pelagic fish import is expected to be 392,450 tonnes, making up 96.4% of all fish imports by 2030. The need for Ghana to be self-sufficient in fish production and reduce imports by sustainably managing the small pelagic fishery should be paramount. To achieve sustainable fish production, supply, and consumption, the study suggests that there is a need to urgently accelerate aquaculture development, reduce unstainable harvest levels, and ensure general improvement in the fisheries management practices.

The world is struggling to limit greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the human footprint on nature. We therefore urgently need to think about how to achieve more with actions to address mounting challenges for human health and wellbeing from biodiversity loss, climate change effects, and unsustainable economic and social development. Nature-based Solutions (NBS) have emerged as a systemic approach and an important component of the response to these challenges. In marine and coastal spaces, NBS can contribute to improved environmental health, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a more sustainable blue economy, if implemented to a high standard. However, NBS have been largely studied for terrestrial – particularly urban – systems, with limited uptake thus far in marine and coastal areas, despite an abundance of opportunities. Here, we provide explanations for this lag and propose the following three research priorities to advance marine and coastal NBS: (1) Improve understanding of marine and coastal biodiversity-ecosystem services relationships to support NBS better designed for rebuilding system resilience and achieving desired ecological outcomes under climate change; (2) Provide scientific guidance on how and where to implement marine and coastal NBS and better coordinate strategies and projects to facilitate their design, effectiveness, and value through innovative synergistic actions; (3) Develop ways to enhance marine and coastal NBS communication, collaboration, ocean literacy and stewardship to raise awareness, co-create solutions with stakeholders, boost public and policy buy-in, and potentially drive a more sustained investment. Research effort in these three areas will help practitioners, policy-makers and society embrace NBS for managing marine and coastal ecosystems for tangible benefits to people and marine life.

The aim of this article is to quantify the economic contribution of the fishing sector to Guinea’s economy. The employed method involves calculating the direct added value generated by the sector across various segments such as production, processing, fish mongering, and exportation. This data then serves to evaluate the sector’s impact on Guinea’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In addition to these financial indicators, the analysis also covers other key areas such as job creation, food security, and contributions to the national budget. The information sources include various databases and documents provided by organisations responsible for fisheries management in Guinea. In terms of results, the average annual apparent availability of fish is 258,260 tonnes for the period 2009-2018, with a per capita consumption of 21.5 kg per year. The fishing sector also employs a significant portion of the active population, namely 237,240 individuals, which accounts for 12.1 % of the total active population estimated at 1.9 million people. Financially, the added value created by the sector is estimated to average 3,193 billion GNF over the decade 2009-2018, broken down as follows: 2,210 billion GNF from production, 355.5 billion GNF from fish mongering, 450 billion GNF from artisanal processing, 93.5 billion GNF from exports, and 87.5 billion GNF in tax revenues. This added value represents an average of 6 % of Guinea’s GDP, a figure considerably higher than the 1,815 billion GNF estimated by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), which focuses solely on the primary sector. Furthermore, the trade balance of the sector is positive, with an average of 155 billion GNF. Despite this substantial contribution to the economy, the Guinean fishing sector is hindered by the lack of high-value-added products, insufficient investment in industrial training, and the absence of clear strategic directions.

The impact of population aging on economic growth is a very important issue in the process of population structure change. This paper first proposes research hypotheses based on a systematic literature review and theoretical analysis of the negative and positive effects of population aging on economic growth. Then, based on the data of 30 provinces in the Chinese Mainland from 2000 to 2019, this paper empirically tests the impact of population aging on economic growth and its impact mechanism using a static panel data model, a dynamic panel data model and a mediating effect model. Our empirical analysis leads to the following conclusions. First, population aging has a significant inhibitory effect on economic growth. Second, the industrial structure upgrading plays a mediating role in the process of population aging affecting economic growth; that is, population aging inhibits economic growth by affecting the overall upgrading of the industrial structure as well as the industrial rationalization and optimization. Last, some policy implications are proposed based on the research conclusions.

The aim of this article is to analyse the contribution of the Senegalese and Turkish migrant fisheries for small coastal pelagics to the supply of the fishmeal and fish oil industries in Mauritania. The data used are those relating to Senegalese pirogues and Turkish coastal boats. Both types of vessel operate in the area reserved exclusively for coastal fishing. This work is based mainly on IMROP data. Other data were also used : those from the Ministry of Fisheries and those collected during field surveys carried out between 2019 and 2022 along the coastline. The results show that the migratory pelagic fishery has a significant impact on the development of the processing industry and the exploitation of fishery products in Mauritania. Migrant catches will amount to around 540,000 tonnes by 2020, and will also help to meet Mauritanians’ food requirements for fish by supplying local and inter-city fish markets through the SNDP. However, the migratory fishery for small coastal pelagics has a limited impact on Mauritania’s socio-economic development. The foreign currency earnings generated by the fishmeal and fish oil industry remain abroad and do not benefit the country. The industry’s impact on promoting employment remains very weak, even marginal, with a large foreign workforce. The situation of pelagic fisheries in Mauritania has also raised serious sustainability issues in recent years. Rigorous co-management measures should be taken at national and regional level to ensure the sustainable management of stocks, which are already showing signs of depletion.

This study analyses certain socio-economic aspects of continental fishing in Mauritania. It shows that more than 367 pirogues are used for fishing and that more than 3117 people are employed. Of these, 2816 are fishermen, 144 are fishmongers and 157 are processors. Inland fishing, once considered a subsistence activity, with production intended for self-consumption, is increasingly moving towards commercial fishing. The value of landings is estimated at €19.2 million for landings, €729,564 for processing and €4.45 million for fish trade. The study shows that although inland fishing is carried out alongside and in addition to other activities (livestock farming, agriculture, trade), it is a highly profitable activity for fishermen. This profitability is explained by the low level of investment and the non-payment of taxes and royalties. However, fishermen face a number of constraints, including a lack of fishing equipment and funding.

Abstract Recognizing two decades of failure to achieve global goals and targets, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are in the final phase of negotiating a Post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework for the conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing of biodiversity. The framework attempts to set out pathways, goals and targets for the next decade to achieve positive biodiversity change. This perspective intends to help that framework set people firmly as part of nature, not apart from it. Despite work done so far through four meetings, new thinking and focus is still needed on ‘what’ changes must be conceptualized and implemented, and ‘how’ those changes are to be delivered. To help achieve that new thinking, as a broad range of people, many with a focus on aquatic systems, we highlight six key foci that offer potential to strengthen delivery of the framework and break the ‘business as usual’ logjam. These foci are as follows: (i) a reframing of the narrative of ‘people's relationship with the rest of nature’ and emphasize the crucial role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in delivering positive biodiversity change; (ii) moving beyond a focus on species and places by prioritizing ecosystem function and resilience; (iii) supporting a diversity of top‐down and bottom‐up governance processes; (iv) embracing new technologies to make and measure progress; (v) linking business more effectively with biodiversity and (vi) leveraging the power of international agencies and programmes. Given they are linked to a greater or lesser degree, implementing these six foci together will lead to a much‐needed broadening of the framework, especially those of business and broader urban civil society, as well as those of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

The objective of this article is to present the tensions of the artisanal fish processing market in the face of increasingly difficult access to raw material in Senegal: pelagic fish. The method consisted of compiling and analyzing statistical data on the supply of raw material to women processors, and collecting qualitative information from fisheries stakeholders on the situation of the sector. Overall, the statistical data show that the supply of raw material to the artisanal processing segment has fallen by less than 20% over the last ten years. Thus, it went from 65,000 tonnes in 2009 to less than 41,000 tonnes in 2018. A decline linked to the context of overexploitation of pelagic fish and the emergence of new uses. The information collected in the field shows that women processors are also confronted with the increase in the price of intermediate consumption, especially fuel, with the restrictions on wood cutting on the Senegalese coast. Women processors are also very exposed to the precariousness and insalubrity of artisanal processing areas. All these elements seriously compromise the sustainability and the economy of the artisanal processing of pelagic fish. In the current context of promoting women's employment and their economic empowerment, the artisanal processing segment must be supported by strong public policies for the sustainability of the activity.

The long-term provision of ocean ecosystem services depends on healthy ecosystems and effective sustainable management. Understanding public opinion about marine and coastal ecosystems is important to guide decision-making and inform specific actions. However, available data on public perceptions on the interlinked effects of climate change, human impacts and the value and management of marine and coastal ecosystems are rare. This dataset presents raw data from an online, self-administered, public awareness survey conducted between November 2021 and February 2022 which yielded 709 responses from 42 countries. The survey was released in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Italian) and consisted of four main parts: (1) perceptions about climate change; (2) perceptions about the value of, and threats to, coasts, oceans and their wildlife, (3) perceptions about climate change response; and (4) socio-demographic information. Participation in the survey was voluntary and all respondents provided informed consent after reading a participant information form at the beginning of the survey. Responses were anonymous unless respondents chose to provide contact information. All identifying information has been removed from the dataset. The dataset can be used to conduct quantitative analyses, especially in the area of public perceptions of the interlinkages between climate change, human impacts and options for sustainable management in the context of marine and coastal ecosystems. The dataset is provided with this article, including a copy of the survey and participant information forms in all four languages, data and the corresponding codebook.

The objective of this article is to present the contribution of migrant fishers to the supply of fishmeal factories in Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania. The method consisted first of identifying migrant fishers and then quantifying the volumes of small pelagic fish they catch in the three countries studied. Then, an interview guide was submitted to more than 250 actors (migrant fishers and fishmongers) met in Banjul and Serrekunda in the Gambia, in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou in Mauritania, and in the fishing, centers located on the small Senegalese coast. These individual and collective interviews made it possible to estimate and determine the share of migrant fishers’ catches allocated to the fishmeal industry. Overall, the four groups of migrant fishers (3 Senegalese and 1 Guinean) identified in Mauritania and The Gambia catch on average more than 305,000 tonnes of pelagic fish per year over the period 2015 - 2018. Analysis of the marketing of their catches shows that almost 63% of the 305,000 tonnes, i.e. 192,000 tonnes of pelagic fish, are destined to supply the fishmeal factories of the three countries studied, while only 113,000 tonnes are distributed on the national consumer markets (fresh and artisanal processed). Of the 192,000 tonnes destined for fishmeal factories, two-thirds are sent to Mauritanian factories, with Senegal and The Gambia sharing the remaining third. Thus, important collaborations have been established in recent years between migrant fishers and the fishmeal industries. Indeed, the fishmeal industries improve the operating accounts of migrant fishers by ensuring the sale of their catches at more remunerative prices than on the local market at the micro level. However, when analyzed on a large scale, fishmeal industries exert a real pressure on the nutritional security of West African countries, as pelagic fish are the main source of animal protein in Senegal and The Gambia and have been over exploited in recent years. In addition, they prevent access to artisanal processing of their raw material. All these elements raise the question of the urgency of regulating migrant fishers catches on a regional scale and drastically reducing the share allocated to fishmeal processing in favor of local consumption.

Migration is a common feature of most small-scale fisheries (SSF) across the globe. To enhance fisheries resources sustainability and management, we examined the social issues in the SSF from the perspective of fishers, Chief Fishermen, and Fisheries Technical Officers who are actively involved in SSF migration and fisheries management along the coast of Ghana. We conducted in-depth interviews in six important migrant fishers’ communities and analysed documents on the socio-economic conditions of migrant fishers, conflicts among migrant fishers, rights of migrant fishers and the role of government in managing fishers’ migration. Findings showed that the successful integration of migrant fishers in the host communities resulted in minimal conflictual incidents that are resolved through dialogue. Furthermore, both the Fisheries Technical Officers and Chief Fishermen are involved in conflict resolution depending on the nature of the dispute. Also, most migrant fishers (over 50%) have the same rights as the local fishers, though they are marginalized during the distribution of premix fuel. Migrant fishers with prominent status played key role during decision-making process in the host communities. Overall, the study showed that migrant fishers have aided in the progress of fishing technology, food security, and small-scale business in the host fishing communities. To avert any form of marginalization during the distribution of premix fuel, it is prudent for authorities to develop relevant policies that will ensure that migrant fishers receive enough fuel for their fishing activities in the host communities.

The paper presents the current policy needs and gaps identified in the European Union (EU) Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories to implement Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem and their Services (MAES) methodology. Then, a selection of the most appropriate tools and methods for mapping and assessing ecosystem services (biophysical, economic, socio-cultural – and decision-support) is provided to address local needs. Using a performance matrix to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of these tools, key factors required to facilitate the implementation of an ecosystem services framework are identified by considering local needs and possibilities in terms of data availability, mapping support, ecosystem services assessment and decision-support. Our results show how effective and accurate various methods (e.g. process-based models, integrated modelling and most Decision-Supporting Tools) can be, or how efficient other methods are (e.g. value transfer, spatial proxy methods and replacement cost) in data-scarce regions. Participatory approaches score well in terms of sustainability as they allow the assessment of multiple ecosystem services (covering the biophysical, economic and social-cultural components of the assessment) with local stakeholders' contribution, therefore contributing to the awareness-raising dimension. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, there is a need for flexible, guidance-based ecosystem services mapping and assessment approaches in the EU Overseas entities to facilitate MAES implementation and to adapt and integrate those methods into scenario analysis and decision-supporting tools for better uptake of MAES outputs at the decision-making and policy levels in the EU Overseas entities.

This study sought to present the evolutions and new trends of migrant fishing targeting small pelagics in West Africa from fishing to consumption stage. The work involved the characterization of migrant fishers targeting small pelagics in West Africa (country of origin, fishing gear and target species), modalities of access to resources, estimation of their catches and finally the assessment of the impact in the host countries. This work was useful to analyse changes in terms of the actors involved, the volumes and values of catches, and forms of valorisation and marketing of products from the migrant sectors over the period 2008-2018. Overall, the quantities of pelagic fish caught by migrant fishermen were increasing. The production of small pelagic by migrant fisheries has almost doubled over a decade, from an estimated of 180,000 t over the period 2008-2012, to a current estimated production of almost 324,500 t. More than 50% of this production was sold on the market in fresh or frozen form. More than 75,000 t (22%) and 94,000 t (28%) were destined for artisanal and industrial processing, respectively. Migrant fisheries thus supply more to industrial processing than to artisanal processing. Indeed, migrant fisheries have contributed over the last ten years to the emergence of fishmeal factories in West Africa. However, despite their significant evolution in terms of catch volumes and values, migrant fisheries still operate outside of legislative frameworks and without being explicitly accounted for in national statistics. Moreover, conflicts are increasingly important given the current tensions and issues surrounding the exploitation of small pelagic fish in West Africa. This work recommends the development of a common management plan for migrant fishers in the countries of the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) and the West Central Gulf of Guinea Fisheries Committees (WCGC).

The shift to renewable sources of energy has become a critical economic priority in African countries due to energy challenges. However, investors in the development of renewable energy face problems with decision making due to the existence of multiple criteria, such as oil prices and the associated macroeconomic performance. This study aims to analyze the differential effects of international oil prices and other macroeconomic factors on the development of renewable energy in both oil-importing and oil-exporting countries in Africa. The study uses a panel vector error correction model (P-VECM) to analyze data from five net oil exporters (Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Libya and Nigeria) and five net oil importers (Kenya, Ethiopia, Congo, Mozambique and South Africa). The study finds that higher oil prices positively affect the development of renewable energy in oil-importing countries by making renewable energy more economically competitive. Economic growth is also identified as a major driver of the development of renewable energy. While high-interest rates negatively affect the development of renewable energy in oil-importing countries, it has positive effects in oil-exporting countries. Exchange rates play a crucial role in the development of renewable energy in both types of countries with a negative effect in oil-exporting countries and a positive effect in oil-importing countries. The findings of this study suggest that policymakers should take a holistic approach to the development of renewable energy that considers the complex interplay of factors, such as oil prices, economic growth, interest rates, and exchange rates.

This paper examines the effects and mechanism of the financialization of manufacturing enterprises on total factor productivity (TFP). Thus, it provides evidence of the economic consequences of corporate financialization from the perspective of productivity. Using the panel data of China's listed manufacturing companies from 2007 to 2018, the level of corporate financialization is measured using the proportion of financial assets in the total assets. The results show that the deepening of the financialization of manufacturing enterprises significantly reduces TFP and the magnitude of the impacts of different types of financial assets variates. In addition, the effects of corporate financialization on TFP are heterogeneous in terms of their significance and degrees in different types of enterprises as well as in different levels of enterprises' TFP. The further analysis of the influencing mechanism shows that corporate financialization has different effects on the TFP of manufacturing enterprises through technological innovation and resource allocation efficiency.

Studies have shown that land and climate interact in complex ways through multiple biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks. In this interaction mechanism, the carbon fixation effect among different land-use types and objective conditions among different regions have significant gaps, leading to the heterogeneous impact of land-use on climate change. This study takes temperature change as the observation index to reflect climate change, and analyzes the process of land use type adjustment affecting vegetation cover and climate change. Based on the data of 214 countries from 1990 to 2018, this paper uses the spatial Durbin model with temperature lag to verify the heterogeneous impact of land-use on climate change in two dimensions of land-use type (Agriculture, forestry and their subdivision structure) and region (latitude and land-sea difference). The following conclusions are drawn: 1) The impact of different land-use types on climate change is heterogeneous. The impact of agricultural land on climate change is not significant, but the increase of the forest land proportion will help to restrain the rise of national temperature. 2) The impact of land-use on climate change has regional heterogeneity. There is heterogeneity in the impact on climate change among sample countries of different latitudes. The geographical differences make the mechanism of land-use affecting climate change between island countries and mainland countries also have heterogeneity, mainly in that island countries are not affected by the land-use structure adjustment of neighboring countries. 3) A country’s climate change is affected by both its own land-use structure and the land-use structure of neighboring countries, and the latter is more critical. The conclusions in this study provide helpful supplementary evidence for the importance of international climate cooperation and provide a reference for proposing international initiatives to address climate change or establishing an international convention to address climate change.

As a topic of widespread concern in the international community, the issue of energy prices has “increased in popularity” in recent years due to its prominent strategic position and the impact of the development of alternative renewable resources [...]

Marine and coastal areas are complex systems formed by the interaction among the local population, economy, environment and resources and there is an increasing tendency for recent studies in fisheries research to incorporate interdisciplinary methods in their approach. In this paper, the Integrated Social-Economic-Ecological model for Fisheries (ECOST) model is structured with three modules each of which intends to characterize some relevant aspects of social, economic and ecological systems, respectively. At the heart of the model stands a fisheries economic module describing the fisheries economy; within the model the economic module is extended to the areas of fisheries sociology and biology or ecology where social and ecological aspects of fisheries are modeled following appropriate theory and methodology, respectively.

After the 2008 financial crisis, under the double effects of enterprise value maximization and the decline of real economy marginal profit, the relationship between enterprise financialization and technological innovation is worth exploring in depth. On the basis of testing the impact of non-financial enterprise financialization on technological innovation, this paper explores the impact mechanism as well as the heterogeneity among different types of enterprises. This paper selects non-financial listed enterprises in China from 2007 to 2017 as samples to study the influence of enterprise financialization on technological innovation and its mechanism through panel regression and mediating effect models. Moreover, the heterogeneity among different types of enterprises is further studied. The main conclusions are as follows. First, the financialization of enterprises has a significant "crowding out" effect on technological innovation. Second, the "crowding out" effect of enterprise financialization on technological innovation is formed through capital structure rather than performance. Third, enterprises are faced with different attributes and external environment, thus the influence of financialization on technological innovation is heterogeneous. Fourth, there are significant differences in the impact of financialization on technological innovation between enterprises' attributes and the external environment they face, and the deviation degree caused by attributes is much greater than that caused by the external environment.

L’objectif de cet article est de présenter les potentiels et les limites de la cogestion des pêcheries artisanales au Sénégal. La méthode a consisté à mener un long travail d’investigation dans les différents conseils locaux de pêche artisanale (CLPA) implantés le long de la côte sénégalaise. Les outils de la collecte soumis aux acteurs de la pêche et aux dirigeants des CLPA se sont focalisés sur 40 indicateurs inspirés de la littérature scientifique. Ces indicateurs sont répartis en trois catégories : « Institutions et gouvernance », « Systèmes naturels » et « Personnes et moyens de subsistance ». Ils couvrent toutes les dimensions de la cogestion telle que mise en oeuvre au Sénégal. L’analyse révèle que les CLPA peinent à assumer pleinement le rôle de leadership qui leur est assigné par l’État et leur base sociale. Compte tenu de leur dépendance financière vis-à-vis de l’État et des partenaires de développement, leur capacité d’influence reste faible et leur positionnement sociopolitique, limité. Cette faible affirmation à l’échelle locale est également liée à la fragilité de leur base organisationnelle, qui compromet finalement leur performance économique et écologique. Le cadre de gouvernance locale est marqué par la superposition de plusieurs entités locales (groupements d’intérêt économique [GIE] et associations) sans coordination qui évoluent dans une logique de concurrence. Malgré ces limites d’ordre principalement organisationnel et économique, la cogestion de la pêche artisanale présente des potentialités. En plus de se positionner comme un nouveau cadre local pour la gestion des pêches, les CLPA ont entamé une recomposition de l’architecture institutionnelle locale et constituent des espaces de construction d’initiatives techniques (pour la durabilité des ressources halieutiques) et socioéconomiques (pour l’amélioration des moyens d’existence des acteurs de la pêche). Globalement, la gouvernance des pêches au Sénégal est partagée entre une gestion directive qui s’effrite progressivement et une nouvelle forme, la cogestion, qui tarde à s’imposer efficacement.

Mauritania is characterized by fast-growing fisheries that have developed over the past several decades from low levels of fishing to intense fishing and have led to severe decreases in biomass and severe signs of overexploitation. To ensure sustainable fisheries, a primary goal of science-based fisheries policy is to provide an adequate conservation status of marine habitats that are directly, or indirectly, fundamental for the lifecycle of fish populations of commercial interest. The National Park of Banc d’Arguin has been recognized for its nursery and fish biomass export functions. In this paper, we present the economic value of the fish provisioning service of marine coastal ecosystems of the protected area. We estimated the added value of artisanal fisheries, the spatial distribution of fishing activities, the contribution of the Park to the Mauritanian fisheries and the heritage value of artisanal fisheries.Overall, the average added value for artisanal fisheries is about 43 million MRU (1 million euros) over the period 2006–2017. It mainly benefits to the ship-owners, which generates inequalities and threatens the livelihoods of the Imraguen. The spatial distribution of fishing activities and associated revenues shows high variability throughout the years, the seasons and the geographic areas, and reveals the high adaptability of Imraguen fishers. Fishing grounds are mostly located close to the shore, associated with seagrass beds, confirming the service of fish provisioning rendered by this ecosystem. Furthermore, the high productivity of seagrass beds contributes to the spill-over of biomass. The contribution of the Park to fishing activities that occur within the Mauritanian Exclusive Economic Zone is estimated to 15%, representing an added value creation of 3.2 billion MRU (71 million euros). The heritage value of the fisheries is assessed, through fishers' willingness to accept to stop their fishing activities, at 17.5 million MRU (0.4 million euros). Thus, this paper highlights the necessity of incorporating an ecosystem-based approach along with fishers' knowledge and adaptability into future conservation plan of the National Park of Banc d’Arguin and fisheries management at the local, national and regional scale.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) must function as networks with sufficient stepping-stone continuity between suitable habitats to ensure the conservation of naturally connected regional pools of biodiversity in the long-term. For most marine biodiversity, population connectivity is mediated by passively dispersed planktonic stages with contrasting dispersal periods, ranging from a few hours to hundreds of days. These processes exert a major influence on whether threatened populations should be conserved as either isolated units or linked metapopulations. However, the distance scales at which individual MPAs are connected are insufficiently understood. Here, we use a biophysical model integrating high-resolution ocean currents and contrasting dispersal periods to predict connectivity across the Network of MPAs in Western Africa. Our results revealed that connectivity differs sharply among distinct ecological groups, from highly connected (e.g., fish and crustacea) to predominantly isolated ecosystem structuring species (e.g., corals, macroalgae and seagrass) that might potentially undermine conservation efforts because they are the feeding or nursery habitats required by many other species. Regardless of their dispersal duration, all ecological groups showed a common connectivity gap in the Bijagós region of Guinea-Bissau, highlighting the important role of MPAs there and the need to further support and increase MPA coverage to ensure connectivity along the whole network. Our findings provide key insights for the future management of the Network of MPAs in Western Africa, highlighting the need to protect and ensure continuity of isolated ecosystem structuring species and identifying key regions that function as stepping-stone connectivity corridors.

Coastal marine ecosystems ensure fundamental hydro-ecological functions and support high levels of biodiversity, besides being an important resource for local populations. These biocenosis have been increasingly threatened by human pressures (e.g. pollution, overfishing) along with climate change, which may have a dramatic impact on them. The National Park of Banc d’Arguin (PNBA) in Mauritania, one of the biggest parks in Western Africa, is a RAMSAR zone (classified by UNESCO since 1989) that plays a major role in (i) the maintenance of marine biocenosis, (ii) the protection of the ecosystems and (iii) the sequestration of carbon dioxide. Ecosystem databases and associated maps of the PNBA are out of date and limited to the southern and central parts of the park: updating is thus needed. In this paper, a supervised Support Vector Machine (SVM) was deployed using high-resolution images from Sentinel-2 combined with field data to map marine biocenosis of the PNBA. The results highlight that Sentinel-2 shows good classification accuracy for mapping marine biocenosis (>80% overall accuracy and a kappa index of 0.75), including seagrass beds. Also, the use of high-resolution sensors like SPOT-6 (1.5 m pixels) can overcome the limitations of Sentinel-2 (10 m pixels) when it comes to detecting small ecosystems distributed in patches. The use of freely-downloadable Sentinel-2 data, processed using geoinformatic freeware, make the methodology reproducible, affordable and easily transferable to local actors of biodiversity conservation for long term usage.

In this paper, we quantify the spillovers of Chinese financial cycles from 1990Q1 to 2017Q4. We construct a spillover index for Chinese financial cycles and fit the Markov-switching autoregressive model. Our main findings indicate that Chinese financial cycle spillover shows several general characteristics and has significant time-varying features that are very sensitive to specific events. We examine the three different regimes of net spillovers, labeling them contraction, moderation, and expansion, and find that the moderation regime dominates.