GLOBAL OCEAN INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO Betty and Gordon Moore Center for Science + Oceans
2014-2019
THE OCEAN MAKES LIFE ON EARTH POSSIBLE. It nourishes our bodies and our souls. It influences our weather, fuels our economies, and connects distant lands. It is vast, deep, powerful, and mysterious.
And it is in trouble.
THE OCEAN IS OUT OF BALANCE Its most productive systems are dying, its fish are being depleted, its coastlines and beaches are being destroyed, and its waters are polluted. Dead zones – vast swaths of ocean that can no longer support life – are spreading throughout the marine realm. But this isn’t about the ocean. This is about people. This is about our future. The air we breathe, the food we eat, and the stability of our climate is threatened. The very foundation of our ability to grow and thrive is at risk. Now is the time to reverse the trend. The next 10 years are the most crucial in the next 10,000.
Now is our chance. This is our plan.
OUR PLAN By advancing a portfolio of strategic investments that secure natural capital, promote sustainable production and consumption, and foster effective governance, we will secure the marine assets that underpin long-term economic development and human well-being.
Ocean Health Index Status: Roll Out Scale: National / Global Benefits: All Marine Assets
Comprehensive Ocean Management Status: Roll Out Scale: Regional / National / Local Benefits: All Marine Assets
Sustainable Fisheries Status: Research and Development Scale: Regional / National / Local Benefits: Fisheries, Livelihoods, and Economies
Carbon Management Status: Research and Development Scale: National / Local Benefits: Climate Stability, Coastal Protection, Biodiversity, and Clean Water
OCEAN HEALTH INDEX We will leverage a global ROI by aligning conservation and production under one measure of performance.
The Ocean Health Index is a groundbreaking measure of the human-ocean system developed by 60 leading marine scientists. It measures how well we are sustainably using our ocean resources. It scores every country with a shoreline. It can be applied at any scale.
Imagine what would happen if we all took aim at the same target. Through the application of this tool, business leaders, policymakers, and community organizations are collaborating to realize a common vision. Colombia, Canada, and China are already working on local assessments, and more than 12 countries have expressed interest. The World Economic Forum has endorsed the Index, and the United Nations has incorporated it into the World Ocean Assessment. And this is only in the first year.
Five-Year Investments Global Scores Investment Strategy: Return on Investment:
Country Adoption Investment Strategy:
Return on Investment:
International Engagement Investment Strategy:
Return on Investment:
Annually update the global Ocean Health Index scores by incorporating the best available data and methods. A universal framework and language that benchmarks and tracks global trends using a quantifiable scientific measurement of progress against specific goals.
Leverage existing relationships with 16 country governments with which we work to support the technical adoption of the Ocean Health Index by producing local assessments using local data. Fifteen countries have adopted the Ocean Health Index and are actively incorporating the tool into policy development.
Maintain high-quality communication materials based upon user-research so that policy makers are able to access the scores calculations, raw data, comparisons, and analysis required to make decisions that impact ocean health. NGOs, multilaterals, universities, and businesses – anyone can access and apply the Ocean Health Index framework to address their needs.
Key Performance Indicator Increase the global Ocean Health Index score by 4 percent globally.
+4%
In 2010, Conservation International signed an MOU with the State Oceanic Administration of the People’s Republic of China. Since then, the Ocean Health Index team has trained 5 people from China on the Ocean Health Index methodology, and China has developed its own handbook for applying the Index framework to its marine policy.
COMPREHENSIVE OCEAN MANAGEMENT We will roll out proven models of large-scale multi-use protection to increase the long-term production value of marine assets and livelihoods.
The ocean is an interdependent, complex system; no one habitat or species can be saved in isolation. The ocean covers 70 percent of the planet’s surface with 40 percent governed by countries within exclusive economic zones and roughly 60 percent within the “high seas.” We know that communities, businesses, and people directly depend on ocean resources. Yet only 2 percent of the ocean is under any type of protection.
Here is where Conservation International has the biggest impact. With our partners, we have created or strengthened 196 multi-use marine protected areas covering 285,000 square miles – an area the size of Texas and Ohio combined – which represents 17 percent of all marine protected areas worldwide. And in the 22 countries where we work, marine protection impacts nearly 190 million people. But we need to do more.
Five-Year Integrated Investments Strengthen Ocean Management Investment Strategy:
Leverage a track record of success and trusted relationships with governments and partners to expand and strengthen management within four Seascapes.
Return on Investment:
Millions of lives are improved through the sustainable management of marine resources, and new solutions are developed and tested in priority ocean areas.
Support Pacific Oceanscape Commitments Investment Strategy:
Support Kiribati’s, the Cook Islands’, and New Caledonia’s commitments to and implementation of the Pacific Oceanscape Framework.
Return on Investment:
Multi-use protection is implemented over 700,000 square miles of Pacific Ocean that safeguards 60 percent of the world’s tuna.
Secure Sustainable Financing Investment Strategy:
Establish endowments for the Bird’s Head and Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascapes and the Phoenix Islands Protected Area. Pilot Social Impact Bonds with fisheries within the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape.
Return on Investment:
Long-term management of multi-use protected areas are assured via cutting-edge financial investment strategies.
Catalyze the Creation of New Protected Areas Investment Strategy:
Roll out proven models of comprehensive ocean management to new places scientifically identified to protect critical marine assets.
Return on Investment:
Two new Seascapes are designed and implemented in the Mozambique Channel and in the Coral Triangle, and three new commitments are made to the Pacific Oceanscape Framework.
+10%
Key Performance Indicator Increase the overall Ocean Health Index score by 10 percent in each partner country as outlined on the following pages.
WHERE WE WORK
SULU-SULAWESI SEASCAPE
61
BIRD’S HEAD SEASCAPE
67
MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL
INDIAN OCEAN
KEY CI Priority Regions for Trans-National Investments 2013 Ocean Health Index Scores - Seascapes’ scores represent country averages for the area
CORAL TRIANGLE INITIATIVE
57
AT L A N T I C O C E A N
HAWAII FISH TRUST PAC I F I C O C E A N
EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC SEASCAPE
60 ABROLHOS SEASCAPE
68
PACIFIC OCEANSCAPE
65
OCEAN HEALTH INDEX GLOBAL SCORE The key performance indicator for our progress over the next five years will be the change in the Ocean Health Index scores globally and in the places where we work.
66
SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES Sustainably managed fisheries can return an additional $50 billion in economic value and feed millions of people.
The challenges are all too well-known: Worldwide, 1.2 billion people rely on seafood as their primary source of protein. We must produce 70 percent more food by 2050 to keep up with demand. Eighty-seven percent of wild-capture fisheries are fully exploited, over exploited, or collapsed. Mariculture, or fish farming, is the fastest growing protein source for human consumption in the last 30 years.
Fish are not the problem. People are the problem. But people are also the solution. These challenges can be addressed. It has been proven that if you give fisheries the opportunity to recover, they will. Incentives for sustainable production need to be developed and put into place. Here is where Conservation International can make the difference.
Five-Year Fisheries Investments Nearshore Fisheries Investment Strategy:
Work with partners to assess and strengthen fishery supply chains to generate increased value and incentivize local, national, and private leaders to govern and enforce sustainable practices.
Return on Investment:
Sixteen fisheries in eight countries are returned to sustainability with 40 percent increase in revenues.
Pacific Tuna Initiative Investment Strategy:
Work with government leaders, private companies, and regional bodies to develop a new model for sustainable management so that local communities receive more than the current 5-7 percent of the landed value, and the stocks remain in stable condition.
Return on Investment:
Two tuna fisheries in the Pacific Ocean arewill be sustainably managed in partnership with 20 countries and 15 companies.
Mariculture Investment Strategy:
Conduct pilot projects in Hawaii, Brazil, Philippines, or Indonesia to test new methods and policies for increased production.
Return on Investment:
Pressure on nearshore fisheries is reduced while increasing the supply of healthy animal protein, protecting coastal environments, and new job opportunities for local communities.
Enforcement Investment Strategy:
Partner with private and public institutions to leverage new technologies and connectivity enforcement models to enforce local and national laws and policies.
Return on Investment:
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is curbed where we work so that management policies can be successfully implemented.
+10%
Key Performance Indicator Increase the Food Provision Ocean Health Index score by 10 percent in Hawaii, Pacific Island nations, the Eastern Tropical Pacific, Brazil, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
In Colombia, Conservation International developed and implemented an agreement where fishers are paid three times more for sustainably caught fish, meeting the local demand for food and maintaining local incomes while allowing the fishery to recover with a reduction in catch of 83 tons since 2009.
CARBON MANAGEMENT Coastal systems reduce the devastating impacts from climate change.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we have ever faced. The ocean stores the vast majority of carbon on Earth, and absorbs 30 percent of the extra carbon and 90 percent of the extra heat generated from the burning of fossil fuels and clearing forests. However, by absorbing this heat and carbon, the ocean becomes warmer, more acidic and, consequently, increasingly uninhabitable.
Coastal systems are the Earth’s carbon sponges, destroying them makes the problem worse. Mangroves, salt marshes, and sea grasses store 50 percent of the carbon absorbed by the ocean despite comprising only 2 percent of the ocean. Destroyed coastal systems release up to 10 times the amount of carbon into the atmosphere than an equivalent amount of tropical forest. More than 30 percent of these systems have been destroyed.
Here is where Conservation International and partners can make the difference.
Five-Year Carbon Management Investments Blue Carbon Initiative Investment Strategy:
Work with policy, science, and finance thought-leaders to accelerate the preservation and restoration of coastal systems through carbonbased markets, other financing mechanisms, and policies.
Return on Investment:
Pilot projects in four countries are supported through carbon-based financing. This will include supporting the development of standards and methodologies for the Verified Carbon Market (VCM) and related markets.
Green-Gray Adaptation Investment Strategy:
Demonstrate a new cost-effective solution for protecting people from climate-induced impacts through a balanced integration of healthy “green” coastal systems with traditional “gray” engineering approaches such as sea walls.
Return on Investment:
Cross-disciplinary network is implementing green-grey approaches in two countries where coastal communities are at greatest risk from climate change effects.
Coastal Adaptation Investment Strategy:
Work with four countries to demonstrate that ecosystem-based climate adaptation is the most cost-effective and pragmatic solution for moderating the impacts of climate change.
Return on Investment:
Vulnerable coastal communities are safer from extreme weather, and less carbon is released into the air.
Key Performance Indicator Increase the Carbon Storage Ocean Health Index score by 10 percent in Costa Rica, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
+10%
Conservation International researchers found a high value associated with keeping coastal systems intact. If these systems are destroyed, the release of their stored carbon could result in $42 billion in economic damages.
LEVERAGE This investment portfolio builds upon more than 25 years and $85 million of marine conservation investments, with 40 percent going directly to partners. 2011
2006 Created or strengthed a total of 71 marine protected areas covering 433,596 km2 – an area the size of California
1987 Conservation International is established
Blue Frontiers Report, published in partnership with the World Fish Center, provides the first global look at the environmental impact of aquaculture
2009 Conservation International changes mission to focus on human well-being
2010 2003 Created or strengthened a total of 64 marine protected areas covering 167,998 km2 --an area the size of Wisconsin
The Pacific Leaders Forum (16 countries) adopts the Pacific Oceanscape Framework to conserve more than 8 percent of the Earth’s surface
17%
of all Marine Protected Areas worldwide have been improved by Conservation International and partners
2011
2013
Research demonstrates that coastal carbon is absorbed 5 times faster and stored at a level 50 times higher than forest carbon
Created or strengthed a total of 196 marine protected areas covering 741,299 km2 --an area equal to the size of Texas and Ohio combined
2012 The first global measure of ocean health is launched in partnership with the NEAq, NGS, and UCSB-NCEAS
2011 A 5-year, 23-country, 53-partner, and 73-MPA study proves the link between marine protected areas and an increase in local incomes, food stability, and quality of life
2013
2014
Coral Triangle Initiative empowers the people of Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste with $8.8 million over 5 years from the US Aid, and leverages a further $3.7 million in partnership with WWF and TNC
Conservation International celebrates 10 years of the Seascapes program in partnership with the Walton Family Foundation
PORTFOLIO SUMMARY Investment Opportunities An investment in the following strategies will return a more productive ocean for the benefit of people. A prospectus for each strategy is available upon request.
Five-Year Investment Strategies
2014
2015
2016
2017
Annually produce new global Ocean Health Index, scores based on the best available data and methods. Ocean Health Index
Secure the adoption of the Ocean Health Index by at least 15 countries. Maintain high quality communication materials so that policy makers are able to access scores, calculations, raw data, comparisons, and analysis. Improve and expand the management of 140 marine protected areas covering more than 245,000 square miles of ocean.
Comprehensive Ocean Management
Implement commitments to the Pacific Oceanscape by Kiribati, the Cook Islands, and New Caledonia covering 700,000 square miles of ocean. Secure sustainable financing for long-term protection in the Bird's Head and Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascapes and the Phoenix Islands Protected Area. Roll out two new Seascapes in the Mozambique Channel and in the Coral Triangle, and secure three new commitments to the Pacific Oceanscape. Return 16 nearshore fisheries in 8 countries to sustainability with 40 percent increase in revenues.
Sustainable Fisheries
Ensure two tuna fisheries in the Pacific will be sustainably managed in partnership with 20 countries and 15 companies. Pilot sustainable mariculture production models in Indonesia and Hawaii. Partner with private and public institutions to leverage new technologies to enforce the laws and policies of protected areas. Execute Blue Carbon pilot projects in four countries that are implementing coastal markets that include coastal systems--including the Verified Carbon Market.
Carbon Management
Develop the first cross-disciplinary network to implement green-gray adaptation approaches in 2 countries where coastal communities are at risk. Roll out cost-effective climate adaptation solutions in four countries.
Key Performance Indicator
Increase the Ocean Health Index score by 10 percent in the places where we work, and by 4 percent globally. Research and Development Phase
Roll Out Phase
2018
RETURN ON INVESTMENT A healthy, resilient ocean providing the food, jobs, and climate stability that we need to thrive and prosper.
OCEAN HEALTH IS HUMAN HEALTH Conservation International Marine Program At-A-Glance 150+ staff in 16 countries 150+ partner organizations Innovative solutions that: • Leverage coastal systems for carbon absorption • Manage marine assets to maximize sustainable production • Design and test sustainable fishery production models • Help governments and communities plan for sustainable development Major achievements to date: • Secured more than $85 million in financial investments in ocean conservation • Helped create or strengthen 196 multi-use marine protected areas covering 740,000 square miles—an area the size of Ohio and Texas combined • Developed and implemented the Seascapes model for integrated large-scale marine management in four demonstration sites • Developed the Ocean Health Index, the first global measure of ocean health
Images from front to back cover, from left to right: © Photo Rodolphe Holler, © Philip Coblentz/Digital Vision, © Photo Rodolphe Holler, © Comstock Images, © Robert Churchill, © Conservation International/photo by Jason Philibotte, © Jeff Yonover, © Cat Holloway, © Jeff Yonover
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