Mainstreaming Natural Capital Values into Planning and Implementation for Sustainable Blue Economic Growth in Indian Coastal Districts To enhance biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability of critical coastal landscapes in India by integrating natural capital and ecosystem services values in District-level blue economy strategy and spatial planning processes, and coastal sector operations Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. The project design is closely aligned with GEF 7- BD Objective 1-3 on “Mainstream biodiversity across sectors as well as landscapes and seascapes through NC Assessment and Accounting”, with its strong focus on enabling a sustainable blue economic development in coastal districts, by developing NC accounts as well as integrating NC values in spatial planning, coastal and marine sectors operations and decision support system. The information provided by the SEEA-based NC accounting system and a strengthened NES-GRIDSS network, established through the project will be utilized in improving spatial and economic planning, and investment decisions in two selected coastal and marine sectors (tourism and infrastructure development) - involving nine Districts, contributing to the achievement of the selected blue economy strategies.     In particular, the project will contribute towards mainstreaming biodiversity into two coastal landscapes wherein investments in infrastructure, tourism and fisheries sector will be aligned with sustainable blue economy pathways, thus leading to enhanced protection and sustainable management of coastal ecosystems, including watersheds over an estimated maximum of one-third (566,733 ha) of the total of 1,700,200 ha delineated in critical coastal wetland and river basin ecosystems, and ensure their integration in plans, programmes and investments in 9 districts. NC accounts derived from SEEA-EA compliant NES-GRIDSS would form the basis of formulating agreements with public and private sector actors on enabling green investments which are aligned with sustainable blur economy outcomes. The project will also lead to enhanced protection to 10,000 ha area in the two landscapes through enabling designation as Ramsar site or under national regulation (such as Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017) which secure biodiversity habitats and sustain ecosystem service values. Conservation of these areas will also provide nature-based solutions for societal development challenges, such as flood abatement, in at least one of the two landscapes. By enabling embedding with sectoral plans at district levels, the project will sustain livelihood outcomes for coastal ecosystem dependent communities, including indigenous communities.     Through active engagement with the infrastructure agencies, private sector entities and financial institutions that are involved in the Sagarmala and Rebuild Kerala programs, the project will facilitate the integration of NC information into the corporate risk analyses, business plans and sustainability reporting of corporate partners. Furthermore, through the project, specific market-based mechanisms will be identified and applied to two NC-dependent sectors, which will result in the enhanced environmental sustainability of the land/seascape, protection of critical coastal and near-shore habitats, measures to avoid or reduce water pollution, as well as enhanced environmental sustainability of near-shore fisheries (an ecosystems/habitat approach) in and around the targeted Sagarmala Investment zone. Through these activities, the project is expected to significantly increase financing for NC and biodiversity management activities in targeted Districts and coastal landscapes.     Incorporation of Blue Economy models supported by NCA will directly support sustainable management and in some local cases the conservation of coastal ecosystems in India. Furthermore, the two pilot coastal landscapes of the project, namely Vemaband-Kol in Kerala and Aghanashini in Karnataka form a part of the Western Ghat bio-geographic region which is identified as one of the 25 biodiversity hotspots of the world.     Development of the SEEA national framework and partnership for NC accounting will significantly raise the profile of the value to the economy and environmental stability of NC in India, in general, and biodiversity specifically, through better capture in SDG reporting systems.     Through the development of an enhanced knowledge base relating to the status of NC and improved information on linkages with and contributions to key economic sectors, the project will facilitate improved decision-making to minimize adverse impacts of key sectors on ecosystem service provision at two levels. Firstly, at the district level, the project will allow provincial and local stakeholders to systematically define environmental and economic trade-offs associated with development measures by using the national system of NES-GRIDSS and NC-based assessments and valuation and incorporate ecosystem service-related opportunities and risks into their planning and development strategies, targeted specifically for coastal and marine resources and sectors. Secondly, for the corporate sector, the project will support initiatives by leading enterprises to integrate the value of ecosystem services and biodiversity into their own operations and activities. Such initiatives will contribute not only to long-term business sustainability but also to the standard of the company’s sustainability reporting. Ultimately, participating companies will be able to clearly define their operations as contributing to long-term operational and corporate sustainability, offering competitive advantage through growth, innovation and new market opportunities, while strengthening stakeholder relations and the company’s long-term license to operate. Together these public and private initiatives will help boost the contribution of sustainable management of coastal and marine ecosystem services to the economy, at both national and local levels.