Defra Blue Planet Fund Selected Projects

Costa Rica and Panama – MarViva is working with coastal community stakeholders for improved access to microinsurance products to strengthen the financial resilience of vulnerable small-scale fishers and sustainable fishing livelihoods – USD $400,000 (read more here). 

 

Ghana – The University of Education, Winneba-Ghana and Hen Mpoano are piloting a voluntary community mangrove carbon credit (VCMCC) that will help farmers transition from mangrove logging to restoration. Additionally, they will work with farmers to build alternative sustainable livelihood activities, such as beekeeping, clam and oyster farming. – USD $148,500 (read more here). 

 

Indonesia – Rare Inc. is launching the world’s first small-scale fisheries impact bond focused on the sustainable, community-led management of coastal and marine resources, as well as improving the livelihoods and formalization of the small-scale fisheries sector. – USD $500,000 (read more here). 

 

Indonesia – UNDP, in collaboration with Swiss Re, is creating parametric/hybrid insurance products to protect and restore coral reefs, while strengthening the financial resilience of communities dependent on reef-related sectors such as fishing and tourism.  – USD $500,000 (read more here). 

 

Kenya – The Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services (ACES) will develop a demonstration site for the practical implementation of co-generation of carbon and biodiversity credits within the Vanga Blue Forest project, with the potential to be replicated in other blue carbon projects. This project is also supported by the Ledunfly Foundation. – USD $207,332 (read more here). 

Mozambique – Associação Moçambicana de Reciclagem (AMOR) will implement a financial facility to strengthen the circular economy by creating waste credits, reducing ocean pollution while increasing climate resilience. – USD $499,935 (read more here). 

 

Honduras, Indonesia, and the Philippines – Rare Inc. is expanding their microinsurance programme to help fishers, their families, and coastal communities protect their livelihoods and recover from shocks and climate-related events. – USD $230,283 (read more here).  

South Africa – WILDTRUST will enhance its efforts to sustainably finance South Africa’s marine protected area (MPA) network. In doing so, they will also advance partnerships to finance efforts to protect 30 per cent of the country’s exclusive economic zone by 2030. This project is also supported by the Blue Action Fund. – USD $397,735 (read more here). 

Vietnam – Fauna & Flora International is setting up a community-managed biodiversity fund to promote nature-positive, climate-resilient enterprises in the Núi Chúa marine protected area. – USD $150,000 (read more here). 

Global – The Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is researching how gender is systemically considered in fisheries policies for 20 countries in the Global South. In doing so, they will identify gender-transformative policies currently in place, that can be scaled or adapted into other contexts around the world. This project is also supported by the Government of Canada. – USD $225,000 (read more here).  

 

Global – Conservation International, along with other partners, are in the process of creating a “High-Quality Blue Carbon Practitioners Guide” – a complementary effort to the High-Quality Principles and Guidance document launched last year – and serves as a strategic blueprint for establishing high-quality blue carbon projects and portfolios. – USD $213,637 (read more here).  

Global – ORRAA will develop an interactive data platform for the Coastal Risk Index (CRI), an innovative risk assessment tool that can be used by local practitioners and risk industry stakeholders to calculate coastal flood hazards and understand the benefits of nature-based solutions for coastal communities.  – USD $500,000 (read more here).