A food systems approach for sustainability Insights from Seafood in Europe report Context for this work and why through seafood How we approached assessing the food system for sustainability (new, learning) Main insights (beyond what is in the report) 16 Nov 2016 – Eionet NRC network workshop Presentation by Constança Belchior, EEA

EEA SOER 2015: the overarching messages Europe hasn’t translated resource-efficiency gains into social and environmental resilience or long-term sustainability This is due to the systemic and globalised nature of Europe’s environmental challenges Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital Resource efficiency and the low-carbon economy Safeguarding from environmental risks to health Past (5–10) year trends   Improving trends dominate Trends show mixed picture Deteriorating trends dominate 20+ years outlook   /

Achieving sustainability demands systemic transitions Source: EEA

Supporting transitions demands new types of knowledge SOER 2020 Reviewing environmental trends, and understanding systemic challenges and the need for transitions Identifying knowledge, skills and governance approaches for transitions PROBLEM-FOCUSED SOLUTION-ORIENTED 2016 2017 2018

Food connects people, the planet and prosperity Source: Stockholm Resilience Center http://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-news/2016-06-14-how-food-connects-all-the-sdgs.html

Fish as food matters but this role is underplayed in policy Over half (55%) of EU seafood is from abroad Source: FAO, 2016 Source: EEA, 2016 Source: EEA, 2016

Assessing the food system for sustainability? 1 – Defining sustainability 2 – Understanding the food system 3 – Identifying pathways for change

Defining sustainability in the food system “A food system that delivers food security and nutrition for all in such a way that the economic, social and environmental bases to generate food security and nutrition for future generations are not compromised." (HLPE - Committee on World Food Security, 2014) Source: EEA, 2016

Sustainability dimensions in the wider EU policy context 2050 vision Recognising that environmental, economic and social objectives are essentially interlinked, the 7EAP three key objectives are to: protect, conserve and enhance the EU's natural capital; turn the EU into a resource-efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy; safeguard the EU's citizens from environment related pressures and risks to health and well-being.

Understanding what the food system is Outcomes Actors and Activities Interactions Inputs from natural capital and other human capital Source: EEA Source: EEA

v1.0 Defining a new compass for assessing sustainability DPSIR is not enough for assessing systems... Source: EEA, 2016

Identifying pathways for change in Europe´s food system Build a shared understanding of the food system Improve knowledge base on seafood to better understand interactions in Europe's food system & beyond Sustainability in food requires a policy framework that embraces a food system approach, and that allows a shared understanding of the food system to be built There is a need to improve the knowledge base related to seafood in order to better understand interactions in Europe's food system and beyond Implementing an ecosystem approach to Europe's seas — a key principle in several EU policies — is critical to securing the long-term availability of seafood, but further efforts are needed to support its operationalisation Boost efforts to implement an ecosystem approach to Europe's seas

maximum sustainable yield Coherent and representative Improving knowledge base on seafood from a food system level Interactions in the journey of fish to fork explored in the report: The influence of international trade on seafood production Aquaculture feed connects fisheries, aquaculture and land A globalised seafood supply chain with emerging partnerships Market incentives and consumer choices for sustainability Fishing at maximum sustainable yield Coherent and representative marine protected areas networks Source: EEA, 2016

maximum sustainable yield Coherent and representative Boosting the ecosystem approach in Europe's seas Fishing at maximum sustainable yield Photo: © Stephen McGowan, 2006/Marine Photobank MSFD – CFP – Maritime Spatial Planning Coherent and representative marine protected areas networks Photo:EUO © OCEANA, Carlos Suarez Source: WWF; Illustrations: Erik Lieberman

Emerging insights on human decision making and behaviour Building a shared understanding of the food system Complex sustainability problems = mismatch between how real-world systems work and how we think they work Emerging insights on human decision making and behaviour Source: Adapted from “Cabrera and Cabrera, 2015, Systems thinking made simple: New hope for solving wicked problems” Source: http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/Publications/WDR/WDR%202015/WDR-2015-Full-Report.pdf

Building a shared understanding of the food system Ecosystem services as a common language to assess human-environment interactions, and how people depend and benefit from healthy ecosystems (EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020) Source: EEA, 2016