The UK Government has joined other world leaders at the UN Ocean Conference to announce new initiatives to protect the global marine environment, marking a significant step forward in the mission to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030.
The government’s ambitious £500 million Blue Planet Fund, launched at the G7 Leader’s Summit last year, is already supporting developing countries and vulnerable coastal communities around the world to adapt to climate change and build sustainable, prosperous coastal economies.
In the latest installment of the Fund announced, a record £150 million will be invested in a new global program, known as COAST, to protect and restore valuable coastal and marine habitats such as corals, mangroves, and seagrasses, improve the sustainability and productivity of small-scale fisheries, and help developing countries unlock aquaculture’s potential.
Up to £100 million of Blue Planet funding will also be used to support the implementation, management, and enforcement of Marine Protected Areas, which are created to limit potentially damaging activity at sea and support the recovery of key habitats and marine species, and other effective conservation measures in developing countries.
Building on this momentum, the UK has announced it will join the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, a global initiative that brings together governments, businesses, financial institutions, the science community, and civil society to drive the transition to a sustainable ocean economy.
Lord Zac Goldsmith, Minister for Pacific and International Environment, said:” The world’s ocean is in crisis and we have reached a tipping point. This week world leaders came together to redouble their efforts to protect the marine environment. But it absolutely critical these commitments are translated into action and that our ocean remains firmly on the global agenda. Through our new £500 million Blue Planet Fund we are helping countries tackle a wide range of issues, from illegal fishing to plastic pollution and marine protection. And I’m delighted to announce further UK support for the goal to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030, including £154 million for coastal restoration and up to £100 million for marine protection”.
The UK government, with Canada and the US, has also launched a world-first global alliance to tackle illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing which poses a threat to ocean ecosystems, coastal communities and global fish stocks by undermining fisheries management and distorting trade.
The IUU Fishing Action Alliance will bring together countries leading the fight against IUU fishing, countries targeted by IUU fishing, and organisations helping tackle the issue. It will acknowledge and strengthen existing international commitments, back improved monitoring, control and surveillance, and improve the transparency of fishing data.
The announcements sit alongside continued support for programs under the Blue Planet Fund including:
- £43 million to the Ocean-Country Partnership Programme (OCPP): to provide further technical assistance and support to strengthen local scientific expertise and domestic policies in developing coastal countries so they can better manage and mitigate pressures across the marine environment and efforts to achieve sustainable seafood and marine biodiversity.
- £36 million to the Sustainable Blue Economies Programme: through this program, the UK will provide expertise and support to small island governments as they develop a climate-resilient ocean economy, including through protecting biodiversity, better ocean management, and greater use of nature-based solutions.
- £7.5 million to the Global Plastics Action Partnership (GPAP): to be provided over the next three years, taking the total UK contribution to £15 million. The UK was one of the first donors of GPAP in 2018 which brings together world leaders, industry, and civil society to prevent plastic from entering the ocean.
