Great Blue Wall: Accelerating and upscaling ocean conservation action in the Western Indian Ocean

EU project stamp: 
No
Main entity: 
Western Indian Ocean states
Type of entity: 
Government
Key themes: 
Coastal
Conservation
Coral reefs
Mangroves
Nature-based recovery
Oceans
Resilience
Sea grass
Sustainable development
Water security
Societal challenges: 
Biodiversity Enhancement
Climate Resilience
Natural and Climate Hazards
Scope: 
Africa
Oceania
Description: 

The great blue wall is a Western Indian Ocean (WIO)-born, African-driven roadmap to achieve a nature-positive world by 2030. It is an action-driven regional response to the three interconnected crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, and economic decline.

It aims at unlocking unprecedented nature-based recovery efforts through the establishment of a transformational movement that dramatically accelerates and upscales ocean conservation action while enhancing socioecological resilience and the development of a regenerative blue economy. It aspires to achieve this by catalyzing political leadership and financial support.

Improved socioecological resilience will be achieved through spearheading the establishment of a first-of-its-kind connected network of nature-people positive seascapes. The network of seascapes will be connected by a living blue wall that acts as a regional ecological corridor created by conserved and restored blue ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass and corals.

While the Great Blue Wall will act as a wall against climate change impacts and biodiversity loss, it will also shelter coastal communities and create the enabling conditions necessary to accelerate the development of regenerative ocean ventures.

Date: 
2021
Language: 
EN