Blue Economy and Ocean Conservation
Oceans are an essential component of the Earth’s ecosystem – a source of biodiversity, food, and life. According to Conservation International, About 44 percent of the world’s population lives within 150 kilometers of the ocean. Better management of ocean resources is thus crucial to ensuring global food security.
For islanders, the ocean plays a crucial role in their cultural, social, and emotional well-being, as well as economic prosperity. Altogether, fishing and fish farming support the livelihoods and families of some 660 to 880 million people, that’s 12 percent of the world’s population.
Blue Economy and Ocean Conservation were among the most insightful sessions of the 2021 Virtual Island Summit, which was concluded last month. If you missed those sessions and want to learn more about initiatives working towards preserving the oceans, you can watch the recordings.
Blue Economy Initiative Award
This award is for an island initiative that has strongly contributed to the preservation of the marine environment while looking at the “Blue Economy” as an opportunity for island communities. The recipient of the award will be a project that has implemented an initiative with a significant positive impact on the ocean.
- Investing in people and livelihoods is key to inclusive growth across Pacific Islands
- Smallest footprint, biggest trouble: Inside the push to measure the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States
- The climate change dilemma facing Maldives, Mauritius and other tourism-dependent small island nations: their livelihoods or their lives?
- Saint Lucia PM and UWI SALISES share urgent focus on SIDS in post-pandemic era
We’re calling on world leaders to adopt a target at the 2021 UN Convention on Bio diversity to protect and conserve at least 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030.
Take our fun quiz to find out your #thinkocean
personality! Once you know your personality, we’ll let you know lots of simple ways that you can protect the Ocean too.
Take our fun quiz to find out your #thinkocean personality! Once you know your personality, we’ll let you know lots of simple ways that you can protect the Ocean too.
Island Space @COP26
Ocean habitats and the Blue Economy will also be a focus of the discussions held at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP26. The 26th edition of the annual Conference of the Parties will be held in Glasgow, the UK, in November. Island Innovation will be hosting an exclusive Island Space, where you can attend the various online events taking place from 1st-12th November 2021.