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Sustainable Development: The Need for Vulnerability Resilience Pr
Journal of Geography  & Natural Disasters

Journal of Geography  & Natural Disasters
Open Access

ISSN: 2167-0587

+44-20-4587-4809

Research Article - (2014) Volume 4, Issue 1

Sustainable Development: The Need for Vulnerability Resilience Profile and the Green Economy Transition in Mauritius

Roshan T Ramessur*
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Mauritius
*Corresponding Author: Roshan T Ramessur, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius, Tel: +230 403 7511, Fax: +230 465 6928 Email:

The Rio +20 outcome document, the future we want, declares green economy as “an important tool for achieving sustainable development”. In that spirit, the national budget 2014 has put growth at the centre of mauritius’s economic strategy, with green economy, as a high priority, in line with the Maurice Ile durable policy, strategy and action plan. Notwithstanding the fact that the island is blessed by strong political commitment to pursue a green transition, there are also several development challenges which largely jeopardize the green paradigm shift that Mauritius is striving for. As a small island developing state (SIDS), the republic of Mauritius faces unique environmental and economic challenges such as limited resource base, high population density, isolated geography, high dependence on fossil fuels and imported food and high vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change events. It is against this difficult backdrop that Mauritius is striving to pursue a green economy.the assessment for the green economy entails a macro-economic analysis to identify the potential benefits and challenges of investment in priority economic sectors, taking into account the long-term outcomes of the economic and social transformation plan (ESTP) and the Maurice Ile Durable (MID) policy strategy and action plan. A 10 year green economy action plan will then stem from the green economy assessment to elaborate on policies, instruments, strategies, reforms and costed actions that will enable the green economy transition in Mauritius. It is important to understand the local context and carry out a stock-taking of green economy-related policies and initiatives already existing in the country as part of the green economy assessment and to identify areas of potential scenario building. A vulnerability- resilience profile (VRP) was initiated by un DESA in Mauritius in 2013 to assess the progress in tackling the vulnerabilities and building resilience of SIDS by selecting economic, social and environmental indicators and implementing commitments to sustainable development as outlined in the barbados plan of action in 1994 (BPAO) and the mauritius strategy for further implementation (MSI) in 2005 for sustainable development, eradicating poverty, improving livelihoods and adopting climate compatible development and strategies for sids [1-6].

It is therefore imperative for the international community to assist the efforts of SIDS to strengthen disaggregated data and information systems as well as analytical capabilities for decision making and tracking progress and development of VRP country profiles in line with the SIDS conference in SAMOA 2014. Manuscripts and reviews on sustainable development in JGND would further enhance the sharing of knowledge and concepts for achieving green economy and sustainable compliance strategies.

References

  1. Ramessur RT (2013) A Review of Coastal Zone Management Facing Climate Change and Natural Disasters in Mauritius. Journal of Geography and Natural Disasters. S1:003.
  2. Ramessur RT (2010) Trace Metal Contamination in Urbanized Estuaries and Implications of Submarine Groundwater Discharge for Coastal Zone Management in Mauritius. In: Natural and Man Made Disasters Section-4: Chapter 16. Editors: Singh, K.K And Singh, A.K, 1:329-342. Times Press
  3. Povinec PP, Burnett, WC, Beck A, Bokuniewicz H, Charette M, et al.(2012) Isotopic, Geophysical and Biogeochemical Investigation of Submarine Groundwater Discharge: IAEA-UNESCO Intercomparison Exercise at Mauritius Island. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 104:24-45.
  4. Ramessur RT (2002) Anthropogenic Driven Changes with Focus on The Coastal Zone of Mauritius, South-Western Indian Ocean. Regional Environmental Change 3:99-106.
  5. Ramessur RT, Gunputh RP, Ramessur TS (2013) Climate Compatible Development: Legal Implications for the Coastal Zone and Inclusive Development for Mauritius. Journal of Coastal Development 16: 378.
Citation: Ramessur RT (2014) Sustainable Development: The Need for Vulnerability Resilience Profile and the Green Economy Transition in Mauritius. J Geogr Nat Disast 4: e116.

Copyright: © 2014 Ramessur RT. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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