Abstract The UK Government has developed a ‘Blue Belt’, a network of large Marine Protected Areas involving seven British Overseas Territories. The Blue Belt is now one of the world's largest enclosures of space for conservation, enclosing four million km2 of ocean in some of the most remote spaces on earth. To be economically feasible, the UK's bold conservation targets are integrated with wider tourism, fishing, and economic growth-motivated governance agendas. This commentary argues for a degrowth alternative to the Blue Belt's development. The goal of degrowth is not to prevent increases in Gross Domestic Product, nor is degrowth the equivalent to recession in a growth economy. Sustainable degrowth provides a conservation framework for ensuring a just transition from neoliberal forms of governance that places local well-being and welfare needs above the interests of state actors, private investors, and holiday makers. In the current context of the Blue Belt, the commentary considers three nascent degrowth concepts for improving things: 1) blue degrowth, 2) degrowth tourism, and 3) degrowth environmental governance. The paper argues that instead of separating the UK from other spaces where biodiversity targets are realised, these targets should be used as opportunities to reconcile the UK's colonial relationships with the territories, to build local capacity, and resilience.

中文翻译：

---

Degrowth 和蓝带：重新思考英国海外领土的海洋保护

摘要 英国政府开发了“蓝带”，这是一个大型海洋保护区网络，涉及七个英国海外领土。蓝带现在是世界上最大的空间保护区之一，在地球上一些最偏远的空间中封闭了 400 万平方公里的海洋。为了在经济上可行，英国大胆的保护目标与更广泛的旅游、渔业和经济增长驱动的治理议程相结合。这篇评论主张用去生长替代蓝带的发展。去增长的目标不是阻止国内生产总值的增长，去增长也不等同于增长经济中的衰退。可持续的去增长提供了一个保护框架，以确保从新自由主义治理形式的公正过渡，将地方福祉和福利需求置于国家行为者、私人投资者和度假者的利益之上。在蓝带的当前背景下，评论考虑了三个新生的去增长概念以改善事物：1) 蓝色去增长，2) 去增长旅游，和 3) 去增长环境治理。该论文认为，与其将英国与实现生物多样性目标的其他空间分开，不如将这些目标用作调和英国与领土的殖民关系、建设当地能力和复原力的机会。评论考虑了改善事物的三个新生的去增长概念：1）蓝色去增长，2）去增长旅游，和3）去增长环境治理。该论文认为，与其将英国与实现生物多样性目标的其他空间分开，不如将这些目标用作调和英国与领土的殖民关系、建设当地能力和复原力的机会。评论考虑了改善事物的三个新生的去增长概念：1）蓝色去增长，2）去增长旅游，和3）去增长环境治理。该论文认为，与其将英国与实现生物多样性目标的其他空间分开，不如将这些目标用作调和英国与领土的殖民关系、建设当地能力和复原力的机会。