Managing Biodiversity in the Port Sector: Experiences From Three World Ports

The biodiversity crisis, highlighted for example by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), indicates that up to one million species face extinction risks. Biodiversity's significance is paramount for ecosystem functionality, offering vital services like clean air, water, food, and medicine. Port and coastal areas, often of regional or national importance, benefit from biodiversity. Ecosystems such as wetlands and dune fields around ports maintain water quality, filter pollutants, offer habitats for various species, and act as buffers against industrial pollution.

However, port activities can negatively affect regional flora and fauna, disrupting ecological equilibrium. Some port authorities, like Rotterdam, have initiated measures to monitor and conserve regional biodiversity. The increasing responsibility of port authorities to preserve biodiversity necessitates further research to comprehend ports’ impact on biodiversity and devise sustainable management strategies.

This paper examines the sufficiency of current port governance models for biodiversity conservation, proposing a framework based on the experiences of Vancouver, Brisbane, and Rotterdam ports. The analysis reveals that biodiversity loss poses significant challenges for ports. Despite best practices, biodiversity conservation faces hurdles like target fragmentation, interaction with climate change policies, financial constraints, expanding port authority responsibilities without appropriate governance tools, and intricate local stakeholder cooperation.