Senia Febrica

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Senia Febrica

AREA OF EXPERTISE: Understanding the interlinkages between security and development at sea and coastal regions in Southeast Asia.

AFFILIATION: University of Strathclyde (UK)

My research focuses on understanding the interlinkages between security and development at sea and coastal regions in Southeast Asia. It pays special attention to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines’ approaches to ocean security and governance, blue economy, local vulnerability assessment and sustainable development of coastal and island communities and the environment.

Impact

The UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS) recently appointed Senia as a member of the UN Pool of Experts for the World Ocean Assessment III (UN Regular Process). In collaboration with Hub researcher Jeremy Hills (University of South Pacific, Fiji) and the government of Fiji (Ministry of Economy) Senia contributed to the co-development of Fiji’s first national ocean policy, particularly, its security pillar.

In 2023, Senia received the Strathclyde Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Impact Award which recognised her experience in knowledge exchange and impact.

Senia has represented the Hub at various international working groups such as the children’s environmental rights initiative, human rights and climate change coalition, and small-scale fisheries (SSF) network to drive policy changes.

Making waves
  • Senia has developed an e-learning pathway entitled ‘Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing’ for the knowledge translation platform One Ocean Learn. — read here
  • Senia has contributed to the e-learning course ‘Legal and policy considerations for sustainable small-scale fisheries’ developed by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). — see here
  • Senia has contributed to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), A Policy and Legal Diagnostic Tool for Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries — see here
  • Senia has contributed to the ‘The Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) Report on Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action: 2020-2021 — read here. ROCA is a multi-stakeholder initiative involving 37 entities including governments, UN bodies, NGOs, scientific institutions, and private sector that was launched in 2016 at the Climate COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco.
  • Senia has contributed to The Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) Report on Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action: 2022-2023, — see here and here.
Recent publications

Single authored book

Senia Febrica (2023). Indonesia and the Indo-Pacific. London: Routledge. — read here

My most recent publication is: Niner, H. J., Wilson, D., Hoareau, K., Strand, M., Whittingham, J., McGarry, D., Erinosho, B., Ibrahim, S., Tshiningayamwe, S., Febrica, S., Lancaster, A. M. S. N., & Prokic, M. (2024). Reflections on the past, present, and potential futures of knowledge hierarchies in ocean biodiversity governance research (Policy and Practice Reviews). Frontiers in Marine Science, 11 – read here >>

Senia on leadership

“The Hub has provided me with the opportunity to lead and coordinate Hub research and engagement activities related to destructive and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It has further enabled me to collaborate in co-authoring blog posts, articles, and e-learning pathways on the same topic with Hub researchers and partners such as Fauna & Flora International and UN Institute for Training and Research. Recognition of my expertise and leadership in this area has paved the path to my appointment by the UN as a member of the UN Pool of Experts for the World Ocean Assessment III, specialising on illegal activities.”

senia’s advice to fellow Early-career researCheRs

“In a global development project or transdisciplinary project, building relationship with stakeholders and communities that we work with take time. Patience and perseverance are essential to address any challenges.”