SEARCA seminar highlights Blue ESGAP framework for ocean sustainability

The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) featured Dr. Oskar Lecuyer, environmental economist at the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), in its latest Agriculture and Development Seminar Series (ADSS) on September 12, 2025.

Held both online and onsite, the event highlighted the Blue Environmental Sustainability Gap (Blue ESGAP) framework—a novel tool that guides the sustainable management of marine and coastal resources.

Lecuyer introduced Blue ESGAP as an advancement of AFD’s original Environmental Sustainability Gap (ESGAP) model, now being piloted in Indonesia and the Philippines. Blue ESGAP uses specialized indicators to monitor biodiversity loss, pollution, overfishing, and climate pressures, tying these ecological factors to the economic and social systems that depend on healthy oceans.

He noted the urgency to move from ‘low sustainability’—which treats natural resources as replaceable by economic capital—to ‘strong sustainability,’ which sees ecosystems as irreplaceable for livelihoods and resilience. Lecuyer emphasized that six of nine planetary boundaries have already been crossed, urging stronger policies and inclusive approaches for marine conservation.

A discussion ensued, with participants from the Los Baños Science Community (LBSC) and online attendees raising questions about fairness and inclusivity, particularly regarding the impact on marginalized communities versus large-scale blue economy projects. Dr. Lecuyer underscored that Blue ESGAP integrates community-level data and highlights welfare losses among small-scale fishers and coastal populations. He also explained the framework’s compatibility with the United Nations’ System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), enabling environmental data in official statistics.

Questions also addressed incorporating social indicators, such as nutrition and cultural sea uses. Lecuyer acknowledged the challenges posed by varying standards for social sustainability but emphasized the importance of ecosystem service assessments in capturing these dimensions.

For the Philippines, he identified policy opportunities such as updating the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS) Act and improving environmental data systems. Blue ESGAP, he said, could immediately support the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in environmental monitoring and ocean economy accounting aligned with global standards.

“With the Blue ESGAP framework, we can measure how far we are from strong sustainability and identify the gaps we must close. Sustainability is not only about protecting nature, it is about safeguarding the economy and human well-being for the long term,” Lecuyer concluded.

SEARCA’s ADSS is a regular forum fostering open discussion and knowledge-sharing in agricultural and rural development, benefiting the LBSC and beyond.