Please note - This is a hybrid event and will also be available on Zoom.

Speaker: Amelia Fa’otusia

As ocean-based economies, Pacific nations advanced the blue economy concept in their engagements at the 2012 United Nations Sustainable Development Conference. Coined in recognition of an urgent need to sustainably manage and conserve the region’s marine resources, the concept was especially considered in light of ocean-based economic sectors such as ocean-based tourism.

Join Amelia Fa’otusia as she presents a thesis proposal review of her doctoral project on the implications of the blue economy concept on whale tourism in New Zealand and Tonga. The blue economy concept is analysed in two countries through which the same sperm whale population migrates annually. Amelia’s project reflects on key questions including: What is the role of culture and local knowledge in defining the blue economy in practice? How can ocean-based tourism advance marine conservation outcomes? And, what are the opportunities and challenges that the blue economy presents for whale tourism in the Pacific region?