Government scales up support to protect the world’s oceans with multimillion boost for marine recovery

• Blue Planet Fund delivers £16.2m for five programmes to tackle climate change, restore ocean health and reduce poverty in developing countries
• New partnership programme launched providing UK’s world-leading science expertise to address pollution and help manage marine protected areas
• Pledge to prevent the extinction of vital coral reefs in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Pacific and Southeast Asia

Projects to tackle climate change and protect the world’s oceans have been given a major boost with the first £16.2 million of funding from the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund announced today.

The programmes, financed from the UK’s overseas aid budget, will increase marine protection, tackle plastic pollution and the decline of global coral reefs, as well as using the UK’s world-leading expertise to help respond to marine pollution disasters such as the Xpress Pearl in Sri Lanka.

The ocean is a critical carbon sink which every year absorbs almost a third of global CO2 emissions. Around the globe, the ocean supports the livelihoods of one in every ten people, including some of the poorest and most vulnerable.

In the run up to the UK hosting the COP26 climate talks in November, the government is working with developing countries to take action to protect and restore our oceans.

The projects receiving funding include the launch of a new UK-led programme which will help developing countries partner with the UK’s world-leading scientists to better manage marine protected areas, and improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change and contaminants in the ocean.

The Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) already has work underway with UK scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) providing analysis of water samples from Sri Lanka to contribute to the ongoing response to the Xpress Pearl environmental disaster in June.

Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said:

“The UK is a global leader in marine protection and will continue to advocate for ambitious climate and ocean action at COP26 this year.

“Our shared ocean is a vital resource and provides habitat to precious marine life, as well as supporting the livelihoods of one in every ten people worldwide.

“The Blue Planet Fund will support many developing countries on the front line of climate change to reduce poverty and improve the health of their seas.”

Coral reefs support 25% of marine life and provide benefits to thousands of species - qualities that make them one of the world’s most valuable ecosystems. However, they are also extremely vulnerable to climate change and pollution. Today’s investment will support work by the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Pacific and Southeast Asia by exploring techniques such as sewage treatment and the management of marine protected areas to help save these suffering ecosystems.

Marine pollution, including plastic pollution, is a significant pressure on the marine environment – not only does it threaten key species and ecosystems in the world’s ocean, it also affects the health and livelihoods of those living in coastal regions. A share of the £16.2m will also go towards the expansion of the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP)’s pioneering work in developing countries and facilitate a united effort against plastic waste globally. Since its launch in 2018, GPAP secured a commitment by Indonesia to reduce 70% of mismanaged waste by 2025 and a commitment by Viet Nam to reduce marine plastic waste by 75% by 2030, among others.

The UK is also leading calls for a new global ‘30by30’ target to protect at least 30% of the land and at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Over eighty countries now support the marine protection target, and the Blue Planet Fund will help make sure that 30by30 becomes a reality.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Further information on programmes:

• Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) - Under the OCPP, the UK is partnering with Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible countries to build marine science capability and improve policy-making in the areas of marine pollution, biodiversity and sustainable seafood.£5.7m will tackle marine pollution at is source, create well-managed marine protected areas, and make aquaculture more sustainable by helping developing countries partner with and access the UK’s world-leading ocean science expertise. The OCPP aims to bring together governments, local universities, regional organisations and civil society organisations to improve applied science and look at science and research, education and outreach, and policy and governance. Key activities already identified will build upon progress already made under the Commonwealth Litter Programme and One Health Aquaculture. This funding is the beginning of a proposed multi-year investment to support up to 15 countries to develop and harness relevant scientific knowledge and establish effective, evidence-based policy to improve ocean health and tackle the threats to the marine environment and livelihoods.
• Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) - A multi-partner trust fund bringing together public and private investments that share the aim of combatting global threats to coral reefs and the marine biodiversity they sustain. The GFCR’s key objective is to ‘prevent the extinction of coral reefs in our lifetime by eliminating the coral reef financing gap and supporting interventions for their best chance of survival’. GFCR aim to achieve this by acting as an investment vehicle to fund innovative business models that increase the resilience of coral reefs and the communities that depend on them. £5m will go into helping developing countries within the Caribbean, India Ocean, Pacific and Southeast Asia prevent the extinction of vital coral reefs by exploring techniques such as sewage treatment and the management of marine protected areas.
• Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP) – A partnership housed at the World Economic Forum to accelerate the global response to ocean plastic pollution worldwide. GPAP brings together public, private and civil society leaders via inclusive platforms to develop joint solutions to eradicate plastic pollution. The GPAP has created National Plastic Action Partnerships in Indonesia, Ghana and Vietnam. With additional funding, including from the Blue Planet Fund, the GPAP aim to expand the number of partnerships to 25 countries by 2025. £2.5m will contribute to tackling the scourge of plastic waste before it enters the ocean.
• Ocean Risk and Resilience Alliance (ORRAA) – The multi-sector alliance, which the UK formally became a full member of this year, aims to incentivise investment into nature-based solutions. ORRAA’s overarching aim is to ‘Improved state of coastal resilience for vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and coastal developing countries where ORRAA finance products/projects have been deployed’. ORRAA aims to advocate investment in nature-based solutions through three areas – practice and innovation, research and knowledge and policy and influence. UK investment into ORRAA will provide funding support to financial innovation projects, research and knowledge, and policy and influence through the secretariat function. This £2m follows the UK's recent commitment to bolster support for the organisation at the UK-led G7 summit and will help developing countries enhance marine and coastal ecosystems such as reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds to increase resilience to climate change and mitigate its impact on coastal communities.
• Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) - This project seeks to support ODA-eligible countries to develop ocean accounts for their use in ocean resource decision and policy making so that countries can ensure that investments are sustainable and equitable. Marine and inland fisheries rely on well-functioning marine ecosystems. Together with aquaculture, these industries provide food, nutrition and a source of income to around 820 million people around the world. The ocean is key to life and livelihoods supporting shipping, fisheries, energy and much more. £1m investment from the UK will deliver a range of activities to support the sustainable development of the ocean by equipping countries to account for the value a healthy ocean brings to their economies. This includes creation of ocean accounts, producing guidance materials, training, creation of a global ocean asset data package and establishing ocean account pilots to test practicability.