“Significant step forward”: Blue Planet Fund supports a wave of new maritime projects on the way to the goal 30×30

The raft of new marine protection projects has received funding from the government’s Blue Planet fund of £ 500 million.

The announcement, made today at the UN Ocean Conference, was described as a “significant step forward” in a broader mission to protect at least 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030 – the so-called 30×30 target.

Projects that help protect the economies of small islands and developing countries, protect biodiversity and prevent plastic pollution from entering oceans and coastal areas have all received support from the fund.

Recent projects that will receive funding include a new global program known as COAST, which will aim to protect and restore valuable coastal and marine habitats such as corals, mangroves and seagrass, and help improve the sustainability and productivity of small-scale fisheries. The project will receive £ 150 million from the fund, which will also help developing countries unleash the potential for new aquaculture industries.

In addition, up to £ 100 million of Blue Planet funding will also be used to support the implementation, management and conservation of marine protected areas. It is planned that the new areas will limit potentially harmful activities at sea and support the restoration of major habitats and marine species in developing countries.

“The world ocean is in crisis and we have reached a turning point,” said Lord Zach Goldsmith, Minister for the Pacific and International Environment. “This week, world leaders have come together to redouble their efforts to protect the marine environment. But it is important that these commitments are put into action and that our ocean remains on the global agenda.

“Through our new £ 500 million Blue Planet fund, we are helping countries address a wide range of issues, from illegal fishing to plastic pollution and marine protection.”

Launched at last year’s G7 Leaders Summit, the Blue Planet Foundation is already helping developing countries and vulnerable coastal communities around the world adapt to climate change and build a sustainable, thriving coastal economy. Projects supported by the fund include the Ocean Partnership Program (OCPP), which provides coastal developing countries with technical assistance and support to strengthen scientific expertise and ocean protection policies, and has received £ 43 million from the fund.

Meanwhile, the Sustainable Blue Economy Program has received £ 36 million, with the result that the UK will provide expertise and support to small island governments working to develop a climate-resilient ocean economy, including through “protecting biodiversity, better ocean governance and more extensive use of nature-based solutions ”.

The UK government, along with Canada and the US, also this week launched the world’s first global alliance to combat illegal, unregulated and unregistered (IUU) fishing, which poses a threat to ocean ecosystems, coastal communities and global fish stocks.

The IUU Fisheries Alliance will bring together countries that fight IUU fishing, IUU fishing countries and organizations that help solve the problem. The initiative “recognizes and strengthens existing international commitments, supports improved monitoring, control and surveillance, and enhances the transparency of fisheries data,” the UK said.