Blue Nature Alliance to expand and improve conservation of 1.25 billion hectares of ocean ecosystems To catalyze the conservation of 1.25 billion hectares of ocean ecosystems, to safeguard biodiversity, help build resilience to climate change, promote human well-being and enhance ecosystem connectivity and function. Note: Disbursement data provided is cumulative and covers disbursement made by the project Agency. The ocean provides food and economic opportunities for billions of people around the world. Fish is one of the most important sources of protein and nutrition, accounting for roughly 17% of protein at the global level while in island nations and some least-developed countries, consumption of fish protein exceeds 50% of daily protein.[1] Global fisheries and aquaculture are key to meeting global goals to end hunger and malnutrition and provides livelihoods for nearly 60 million people across the world.[2] Furthermore, the ocean is an important carbon sink and is responsible for absorbing approximately 30% of global carbon emissions.[3]The effective place-based conservation and management of prime ocean ecosystems safeguards biodiversity, replenishes fisheries, provides for the safety and security of people, and enables ecosystems to function as they should providing a range of other benefits that include nutrient cycling, climate regulation, cultural values, and recreation. A longitudinal study conducted by Conservation International directly links marine managed areas with increased local incomes, food stability, and quality of life.[4]Areas with adequate capacity and funding are found to deliver almost three times the ecological benefits.[5]Furthermore, building ocean resilience is a critical hedge against climate change. Well-managed marine reserves may help marine ecosystems and people adapt to five prominent impacts of climate change: acidification, sea-level rise, intensification of storms, shifts in species distribution, and decreased productivity and oxygen availability, as well as their cumulative effects. As such, effectively managed ocean conservation areas reduce stress from unsustainable human activities making the ocean systems more resilient and better able to cope with climate impacts.[6]With a more resilient ocean, people are less susceptible to impacts on coastal infrastructure, decreases in the health, abundance and size of key marine food and economic resources, and extreme weather events.Unlike traditional marine management approaches, the Alliance seeks to work in concert and partnership with prominent sectors of the blue economy to build resilient and thriving ocean economies. For example, in sites with significant exposure to commercial fishing and aquaculture industries, the Alliance seeks opportunities for direct engagement with the seafood sector. When possible, the Alliance intendsto identify market interventions that seek to achieve dual marine protection and economic development objectives, thereby increasing economic benefits for people engaged in those sectors.Similarly, tourism in the marine space represents a significant source of economic activity in a number of existing and potential MPA sites under consideration by the Alliance. In areas with high coastal and marine tourism activity (or the potential for tourism), direct linkages between biodiversity and environmental quality and industry economic performance provide strong incentives for aligning industry and marine protection and management objectives.With these strategic and innovative partnerships, the Alliance will bring diverse economic benefits to populations in coastal areas within and adjacent to MPA sites.With its ambitious and unprecedented goal of catalyzing the conservation of 1.25 billion hectares of ocean ecosystems, the Alliance will have a huge and positive impact on oceans around the world and will catapult the achievement of related Aichi and SDG targets while bolstering and providing sustainable livelihoods for millions of coastal people around the world. The Blue Nature Alliance will directly benefit an estimated 2,467,000 people globally (50% women; 50% men)[7], including people that receive socio-economic, recreational or cultural benefits as a result of investments made by the Alliance, including both monetary (e.g., jobs, grants, increased income) and non-monetary benefits (e.g., training, increased knowledge, enhanced experiences).These beneficiaries include the following stakeholders, each of which will be measured individually for each ocean conservation area that the Alliance will invest in, or for broader science, policy and capacity-building activities that the Alliance may invest in to grow the field of large-scale marine conservation:Personnel of all MPAs that the Alliance invests in. This includes all personnel that are directly employed by the government agency responsible for managing the MPA, including staff responsible for management, finance, program evaluation, science, research, communications, outreach, education, and enforcement.MPA partner personnel that is directly involved in enforcement, research, education and outreach activities funded by the Alliance. This includes all personnel that are not employed by the government agency managing the MPA, but that are directly involved with activities related to implementing the MPA that are funded by the Alliance.Small scale or artisanal fishers that operate within or in close proximity of Alliance engagement sites.People employed in post-harvest jobs of small-scale fisheries that operate within or in close proximity of Alliance engagement sites.Tourist service providers that operate within Alliance engagement sites.MPA visitors.People living within or within 1 km of the MPA, and therefore will reap the many ecosystem service benefits of the area.Other MPA users (e.g. scientists, educators, historians, etc.) that conduct activities within ocean conservation areas.Staff of all implementing partners that are directly involved with activities funded by the Alliance.People that participate in workshops and trainings funded by the Alliance.The project will, further, support a scope of work relevant to GEF’s International Waters Global Environmental Benefits (GEBs) through its prioritization and exploration of transboundary opportunities. Opportunities identified thus far include transboundary cooperation in the Southern Cone of Argentina and Chile, the Pacific Central-American Coastal LME, Canadian Eastern Arctic – West Greenland LME, and Antarctica. All interventions in these regions will be aligned with priorities identified in the relevant Strategic Action Programmes (SAPs) and lessons learned will be captured and shared through IW:LEARN.[1] In, FAO, “The State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture,” (2018): 978-92-5-130562-1.[2] In, FAO, “The State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture,” (2018): 978-92-5-130562-1.[3] Nicolas Gruber, Dominic Clement, Brendan R. Carter, Richard A. Feely, Steven Van Heuven, Mario Hoppema, Masao Ishii et al, "The oceanic sink for anthropogenic CO2 from 1994 to 2007,"Science363, no. 6432 (2019): 1193-1199.[4] Orbach, “Marine Managed Area Science Project Synthesis”.[5] Gill, “Capacity shortfalls”, 665-669.[6] Roberts, “Marine reserves can mitigate”, 6167-6175.[7] The Blue Nature Alliance will collect data on this indicator in a sex-disaggregated manner.