Women in Marine Governanc: Tamara Talevska of the North Sea Advisory Council

#WIMG is a PERMAGOV campaign designed to celebrate the role of women in marine governance. Case studies take the form of short interviews where participants share their background, interests, ideas and recommendations for improving the way in which ocean affairs are managed. Each story is unique. By spotlighting our WIMG stars, we hope that readers from all walks of life will be inspired to make their contribution in support of a sustainable ocean. Featured in this case study is Tamara Talevska, Secretary-General of the North Sea Advisory Council.

Current job

I run (and sometimes walk) the Secretariat of the North Sea Advisory Council (NSAC), a stakeholder-led advisory body to the European Commission and North Sea Member States, ensuring effective implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy. Together with my colleague we organize stakeholder meetings, working and focus groups, workshops, conferences and symposia. We manage NSAC communications, website and social media, financial and legal administration and draft policy recommendations with input from our members – fisheries organizations and Other Interest Groups such as environmental NGOs. We help negotiate policy recommendations and ensure that positions are supported by robust evidence. Working with both policy and science, we bring these knowledge fields closer to stakeholders and vice-versa. All in all, we strive to manage human-wildlife interactions in a way that balances environmental, social and economic objectives, and ensure that stakeholders don’t annihilate each other in the process.

Study and career path

I never thought my career would take me anywhere near fisheries and given my academic background it was not exactly intuitive. I completed a bachelor’s degree in Sociology – Human Resources Management. I continued with a master’s in the same field, completed all exams but then decided to switch to Economics – International Business to broaden my expertise (in Slovenia, at the time, you could only do one master’s free of charge) and completed the program with a thesis on Energy Performance Contracting. During my Erasmus in Brussels, I was an intern at the Permanent Representation of Slovenia to the EU, which opened the door to the traineeship in the European Parliament Information Office, where I worked on media, communications, and public events with MEPs. I happened to live in the Netherlands when the NSAC was forced to relocate from Scotland to the Netherlands due to Brexit, which is how I landed the current job. After 6 intense years I still enjoy it immensely. I recently completed an advanced master’s programme in environmental policy and foreign affairs with a thesis on ecosystem-based fisheries management and stakeholder engagement. The complexity of fisheries and marine resources management never ceases to amaze me, and I hope I’ll be able to study it in the years to come.

Views on marine governance

Marine governance is broader than government, though governments are an important part of it. It’s a system of institutions and processes, rules, policies, laws and practices used to regulate how the marine environment is used, protected, and shared. I think the biggest issue in marine governance right now is that it is fragmented and there is no real communication between different sectors and governance levels – the so-called silos. What we now need is to make a case for the value of an integrated approach to policymaking, and design systems that will allow all maritime sectors and environmental organisations to cooperate and develop solutions that ensure full-scale sustainability (environmental, social and economic). Addressing all needs simultaneously will ensure the buy-in of critical measures and their effective implementation. We also need more and more effective boundary organisations – organisations at the interface of science, policy and society, to ensure that science is co-created, applied, and systematically integrated into decision-making. Meaningful involvement of stakeholders at every stage of policymaking is an integral part of ecosystem-based management. Skills in managing conflicting agendas and building consensus will be critical in this process.

Recommendations

Marine governance is an exciting and complex field that is just going to rise in prominence in the coming decades. I must admit – and this is especially true for fisheries – I had some trouble getting my foot in the door in a world that is set by and for men. However, once you’re in you’re in. After a couple of initial hiccups, I now really feel accepted and respected in the sector, and the sea (pun intended) of opportunities and connections that this opened for me makes up for earlier hurdles. I am very happy that - by some lucky coincidence - I ended up in this field and I hope to be able to continue studying it and contributing to it through my practice and academic endeavour. To all the women: don’t be afraid to claim your rightful space. Victory belongs to the most tenacious. And along the way, don’t forget to encourage, motivate and inspire others.

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