Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance

Hello from East Africa! ????? ? Accompanied by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, our Innovation and Pipeline Development Director, Chip Cunliffe is in East Africa to visit some of the projects in ORRAA’s Product Portfolio Pipeline to observe the changing reality on the ground. ??? ? Our Pipeline is designed to identify, accelerate and scale innovative finance and insurance products that invest into coastal and ocean natural capital in the Global South. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll connect with our partners in Kenya and Tanzania and witness how these projects are building resilient communities.?? ? ? ?? We’ll see how Mawimbi Ocean Innovations and Aqua-Farms Organization - AFO are growing an equitable seaweed industry in East Africa to combat the challenges faced by East African seaweed farmers.?? ? ?? We’ll visit The Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services' (ACES) protected seagrass and mangrove areas, who with the Vanga Blue Forest Community-Based Organisation, aim to co-generate biodiversity and carbon credits for seagrass ecosystems in the Vanga Blue Forest, providing a sustainable funding stream for seagrass conservation.?? ? ?? Finally, we’ll visit Aqua-Farms Organization - AFO, our long-standing partner, at AFO’s mangrove forests rehabilitation sites around Dar-es-Salaam. These mangrove forests establish new sustainable sources of income in coastal communities.? ? ? We’re grateful to our partners for helping to build the resilience of climate vulnerable coastal communities. ??? ? To find out more about these projects, visit ORRAA’s Product Portfolio Pipeline here: https://lnkd.in/ebyET6f2 ? ? #ClimateResilience?

?? Next week, the 16th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) will be convened by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, setting the stage for critical discussions on ocean conservation and governance ahead of the 3rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) and the Blue Economy & Finance Forum (BEFF) in June.??? ? Co-organised by the Oceanographic Institute – Prince Albert I of Monaco Foundation (Institut océanographique, Fondation Albert Ier, Prince de Monaco) and the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, this gathering will bring together governments, international organisations, NGOs, the private sector, and the scientific community to address key themes for UNOC3 and prepare for the BEFF, which is being hosted by Monaco.? ? Our Executive Director Karen Sack will be part of this important gathering and, with a focus on mobilising capital, this initiative is crucial for achieving #SDG14 (Life Below Water).? ? As we count down to #UNOC3 and the #BEFF, we look forward to the outcomes of the Monaco Blue Initiative and the collective progress it will inspire. ?? #BlueEconomy #MBI

The Ocean is one of the earth’s greatest assets, so it was a privilege to speak at the 12th edition of The Economist Impact World Ocean Summit and Expo in Tokyo, joining a global community of experts working to secure its future! ????? ? Some key insights from the ‘Blue Bonds and the Ocean Financing Gap’ panel are that the blue bond space is growing rapidly but we need to work towards a high integrity market where every dollar invested drives real impact.? Outcome bonds are also set to grow in 2025 and offer benefits for investors who can be confident in achieving the impact they are investing in, but they are also good for project implementers because they enable flexibility and adaptive management to achieve pre-agreed key performance indicators (KPIs).?? ? A huge thanks to the panel moderator Charlotte Howard, Economist Impact, and my fellow panellists, Angelique Pouponneau, Ocean Lead, Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Kotaro Sueyoshi, Managing director, Mizuho Financial Group, and Jarek Olszowka, Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Finance, Nomura, for an enlightening discussion. It’s encouraging to see so many sectors—business, finance, government, civil society, and academia—coming together to build a regenerative and sustainable blue economy. ??? ? Follow the Blue Bond Accelerator to keep the conversation going! ??? #OceanSummit?

What an amazing week. Thank you WILDTRUST OFFICIAL and all the community members and leaders, and rangers and managers!

Strategic vision, honest reflection, and a sea of possibilities. ?? Last week, WILDTRUST had the privilege of hosting five of our international WILDOCEANS programme donors—Blue Action Fund , Shark Conservation Fund (SCF) , Oceans 5, Oceankind, and Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance —for an immersive exploration of the future of our marine work. From our initial session with Fine For Good, where we took a deep dive into self-reflection as an organisation and engaged in robust strategic discussions, one key takeaway emerged: growth requires courage and collaboration. Our donors had an action-packed week in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, where they were hosted by the Park Authority and WILDTRUST, and explored the wonders of this World Heritage Site and engaged with local communities. Highlights included a homestay in the Mavutshana area, where they were treated to authentic Thonga cuisine and immersed in the warmth of community hospitality. They also visited the expanded eNkovukeni Community Resource Hub, which, thanks to support from Blue Action Fund and The Light Foundation, now boasts a functional bakery, an Early Childhood Development Centre, and arts and crafts stalls selling locally made curios. Beyond iSimangaliso, our donors also spent time in Durban, where they witnessed the impact of our coastal work. They engaged with WILDTRUST-supported Youth Groups, Youth for Marine Protected Areas (Youth4MPAs) & Ocean Stewards, and Whale Time guides and the Blue Port team. These experiences expanded the scope of discussions, reinforcing the importance of holistic, interconnected efforts to safeguard our ocean. We confronted difficult questions, reflected on and examined our strengths and weaknesses, and explored what it truly means to make a lasting impact on ocean conservation in southern Africa. We enter this week feeling inspired, challenged, and ready to push boundaries for the communities and ecosystems we serve.

?? WATCH as HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco discusses an important ocean event taking place this June… ? In this short film, Prince Albert II explains that, despite our growing focus on the Ocean, many of us are still struggling to create a world that truly respects the Ocean and its ecosystems.? ? This is where the Blue Economy & Finance Forum (BEFF) plays a crucial role in driving investment into the Ocean. Set to take place on 7-8 June in Monaco, BEFF – which is a Special Event of the United Nations Ocean Conference - is focused on action. ??? ?? HSH Prince Albert II says: “We will explore how to mobilise $175 billion every year to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, and to achieve this, we need to increase current investments sevenfold.”? ?? Watch the full film below ??? ? #BEFF2025 #BlueEconomy #SustainableFinance? ? Film credit:?Institut océanographique, Fondation Albert Ier, Prince de Monaco

Less than 1 percent of global climate finance goes toward protecting our oceans, leading to an annual funding gap of USD 150 billion for ocean conservation. Yet, healthy marine ecosystems are essential for climate resilience, biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions. That is why The Development Guarantee Group and the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance are developing Nautilus, the Blue Guarantee Company. Through innovative financial guarantees, Nautilus de-risks sustainable ocean investments, unlocking capital for marine conservation, coastal resilience, and blue economic growth. ?? Protecting marine ecosystems ?? Strengthening vulnerable coastal communities ?? Mobilising finance for a sustainable blue economy When finance flows, the ocean thrives. ?? Watch our video to see how Nautilus is bridging the ocean finance gap and enabling ocean-positive investments. ?? Learn more at www.guarantee.blue #OceanFinance #BlueEconomy #ClimateAction #SustainableFinance #ImpactInvesting #MarineConservation

You might have heard the term ‘Blue Bond’ a lot recently in the sustainable blue economy space. ?? But what actually is a Blue Bond? ?? Let’s deep dive to find out… A Blue Bond is a debt that funds sustainable ocean activities. They can be issued by governments, corporations, finance institutions, and multilaterals. Given their efficiency, large volumes and potentially low transaction costs, Blue Bonds are an important instrument for financing the transition to a regenerative and sustainable blue economy. As an extension of Green Bonds, they will be able to build on the wealth of experience in that space.? While there is significant potential for the #BlueBonds market, there are also barriers to their uptake including limited awareness of the opportunities and benefits of investing in the sustainable blue economy. ORRAA’s Blue Bond Accelerator (BBA) addresses these barriers with a programme combining market building efforts, technical advisory work and the convening of market stakeholders for collaborative action. The #BBA aims to build a high-quality Blue Bond market to catalyse capital flow to regenerative and sustainable blue economies. To find out more about the BBA, head to the Blue Bond Accelerator LinkedIn page! ?? Photo by Cristina Mittermeier.

Our very own Director of Blue Finance and Scaling, Melissa Walsh, PhD Walsh, will be attending the 12th edition of The Economist Impact World Ocean Summit and Expo, this time in Tokyo! ??? ? The summit brings together a cross-section of ocean experts from business, finance, government, civil society and academia – all focused on how to instigate action to develop #SustainableOceanEconomies. ??? ? This Thursday, Melissa will be speaking on the panels ‘Blue bonds and the?? Ocean financing gap: The opportunity in the Asia region’ as well as ‘How to catalyse global action for coastal ecosystems’.?? ? These will explore how to:? ? ??Scale and develop the nascent global market for blue bonds.? ??Value coastal ecosystems to drive investment in nature-based solutions and catalyse a regenerative and sustainable blue economy.?? ??Overcome barriers to scaling blue finance.? ? We look forward to what’s to come! You can join the conversation too here: https://bit.ly/3QpfIUO ??? ? #OceanSummit?

ORRAA’s Coastal Risk Index (CRI) estimates that in Sri Lanka, mangroves and coral reefs protect nearly four in ten (38.5%) of the population projected to be at risk and safeguards $2.2 billion in infrastructure from flooding each year.??? These nature-based solutions play an important role in supporting local livelihoods, benefiting sectors like fishing and tourism. That’s why, as we celebrate #CommonwealthDay this year, we are reminded of the importance of these ecosystems for their economic value and social benefits. Let’s renew our commitment to protecting these critical ecosystems for future generations in coastal nations like Sri Lanka.??? Learn more about how the CRI is helping to identify these risks and shape practical solutions:? https://lnkd.in/eeThRU9H #CoastalCommunities #NatureBasedSolutions #CoastalProtection