經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮離不開(kāi)健康的海洋。海洋對(duì)于我們的日常生活有著巨大的價(jià)值，維系著數(shù)百億美元的漁業(yè)產(chǎn)業(yè)和千百萬(wàn)個(gè)工業(yè)崗位；海洋里的礁盤(pán)和紅樹(shù)林保護(hù)著各種生物群落免受暴風(fēng)雨的沖擊；海洋還吸引并存儲(chǔ)有害的碳排放。拋開(kāi)有關(guān)商業(yè)與大自然的古老爭(zhēng)論，我們知道，經(jīng)濟(jì)的增長(zhǎng)有賴(lài)于健康的海洋。

好消息是，我們看到近些年來(lái)，全球加大了保護(hù)這些生命能量來(lái)源的力度。全球大約有4%的海洋面積處于正式的保護(hù)區(qū)內(nèi)。然而，為了確保海洋能持續(xù)造福人類(lèi)，僅僅設(shè)立保護(hù)區(qū)還是不夠的。我們對(duì)海洋必須要有長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)的投資。

在印度尼西亞的西巴布亞地區(qū)，當(dāng)?shù)睾蛧?guó)際的環(huán)境保護(hù)者正聯(lián)手建立地球最大的單一海洋生命保護(hù)區(qū)。這片藍(lán)色的世外桃源名叫鳥(niǎo)首海區(qū)（Bird’s Head Seascape），里面生活著超過(guò)1,800種熱帶魚(yú)和全球四分之三的硬珊瑚品種。這片海域供養(yǎng)著數(shù)百個(gè)海島上的居民社區(qū)，一度面臨被徹底破壞的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

這片地區(qū)的珊瑚礁曾經(jīng)受到過(guò)度捕撈和炸藥炸魚(yú)等破壞性手段的侵害，一項(xiàng)有當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)、印度尼西亞政府等數(shù)十家合作機(jī)構(gòu)和組織參與的12年計(jì)劃挽救了它。該合作計(jì)劃培訓(xùn)了2,000名巴布亞人，從事管理工作及反盜獵活動(dòng)，使外來(lái)盜獵者的非法捕撈行為減少了90%，當(dāng)?shù)貪O業(yè)的生產(chǎn)效率顯著增加。

但海洋保護(hù)區(qū)的建立不代表著一切已經(jīng)結(jié)束，而是剛剛開(kāi)始。

沒(méi)有管理計(jì)劃或預(yù)算的海洋保護(hù)區(qū)差不多是徒具形式。沒(méi)有用于確保管理和監(jiān)督的財(cái)力有可能讓這些海域發(fā)揮不出滋養(yǎng)海洋生物的潛力，更別于扶持當(dāng)?shù)匾蕾?lài)海洋獲取食物和收入的無(wú)數(shù)經(jīng)濟(jì)體了。

藍(lán)色阿巴迪基金（Blue Abadi Fund）旨在通過(guò)向當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)和機(jī)構(gòu)提供捐款，以可持續(xù)的方式管理海洋資源，使鳥(niǎo)首海區(qū)得到永遠(yuǎn)的保護(hù)。本月，相關(guān)合作組織宣布，我們已經(jīng)為基金募集到3,800萬(wàn)美元目標(biāo)捐款當(dāng)中的2,300萬(wàn)美元。當(dāng)全額資金到位時(shí)，它將成為世界最大的海洋保護(hù)專(zhuān)項(xiàng)基金。

現(xiàn)在，鳥(niǎo)首海區(qū)將由當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)常年管理。當(dāng)?shù)厝说纳詈蜕?jì)離不開(kāi)這片晶瑩的海水，他們比其他任何人都了解它，有了足夠的資金，就能夠確保他們的成功。

對(duì)于這個(gè)獨(dú)一無(wú)二的地方來(lái)說(shuō)，這是一個(gè)充滿(mǎn)希望的未來(lái)。但對(duì)所有海洋來(lái)說(shuō)，給真正的可持續(xù)保護(hù)制定一條路線只是第一步。我們需要向那些身處海洋保護(hù)前沿的社區(qū)提供更多的支持。只有這樣，我們才能看到投資改善海洋健康所帶來(lái)的回報(bào)。

這是我們必須共同承擔(dān)的冒險(xiǎn)，因?yàn)榻】档暮Ｑ笞屛覀兯腥藦闹蝎@益。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

羅伯?沃爾頓是沃爾頓家族基金會(huì)（Walton Family Foundation）的環(huán)境委員會(huì)主席。彼得?塞利曼是保護(hù)國(guó)際基金會(huì)（Conservation International）的董事長(zhǎng)兼首席執(zhí)行官。

譯者：Ty

Economies need healthy oceans in order to thrive. Oceans provide enormous value to our everyday lives. They support billion-dollar fisheries and millions of jobs. Their reefs and mangroves protect communities from storms. And the oceans absorb and store harmful carbon emissions. Far from the old debate of business versus nature, we know that a growing economy depends on healthy oceans.

The good news is that in recent years, we have seen a surge in global efforts to protect these engines of life. Some 4 percent of the world’s oceans are now within formally protected areas. However, to ensure that the oceans can continue to provide for us, it is not enough to create protected areas. We must invest in them for the long run.

In the West Papua region of Indonesia, a partnership of local and international conservationists has done just that for the single greatest reservoir of ocean life on the planet. Known as the Bird’s Head Seascape, this blue Shangri-La is home to more than 1,800 species of reef fish and three-quarters of the world’s hard coral species. The area supports hundreds of island communities, and it was once at risk of being lost forever.

Beset by overfishing and destructive practices — such as dynamite fishing — the region’s coral reefs were saved by a 12-year initiative involving scores of partner agencies and organizations, including the local community and government of Indonesia. The partnership trained 2,000 Papuans in stewardship and anti-poaching activities, resulting in a 90 percent drop in illegal fishing by outside poachers and a significant increase in the productivity of local fisheries.

But the creation of a marine protected area is never an end in itself. In fact, it is only the beginning.

A marine reserve without a management plan or a budget can amount to little more than a paper park. Lacking the finances to ensure proper management and monitoring can cause these areas to fall short of their potential for actually sustaining marine life, to say nothing of the countless local economies that depend on those waters for their food and income.

The Blue Abadi Fund aims to protect the Bird’s Head Seascape forever by providing grants to local communities and agencies to sustainably manage their marine resources. This month, the partner organizations are announcing that, we have raised US$ 23 million mark of our US$ 38 million goal for the fund. When fully capitalized, it will be the largest dedicated marine conservation fund in the world.

Now, the Bird’s Head Seascape is going to be stewarded in perpetuity by local communities — the very people whose lives and livelihoods depend on these crystalline waters, and who know them better than anyone else — with enough money to ensure their success.

It’s a promising future for this unique place. But it’s only the first step in setting a course for truly sustainable protection for all our oceans. We need more support for the communities on the front lines of ocean conservation. Only then will we see a return on our investment in the form of improved ocean health.

This is a venture we must undertake together. Because when the ocean is healthy, we all benefit.

Rob Walton chairs the environment committee of the Walton Family Foundation. Peter Seligmann is the chairman and CEO of Conservation International.