Blue Solutions - Implementing the CBD Strategic Plan in the field of marine and coastal biodiversity

World oceans, coastal regions and their ecosystem services are endangered by over-exploitation, pollution, degradation and the impacts of climate change. The project supports the further development of the PANORAMA online knowledge platform and makes strategic contributions to UN policy processes such as the Post-2020 Framework on Biodiversity and the SDGs. As part of the PANORAMA platform, Blue Solutions specifically promotes the exchange of information on the sustainable use of marine biodiversity, with the aim of developing knowledge and resources in the partner countries and cooperating with networks such as Regional Seas. Blue Solution documents the results of the exchange and shares proven approaches. It also advises on the subsequent integration and implementation of the developed approaches into national and regional strategies as well as planning processes. The project thus supports its partner countries in implementing the main fields of action of the CBD, the Ocean and Climate Nexus and SDG 14.

Project data

Countries: Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Kenya, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Malaysia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Philippines, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Tanzania, Thailand, Viet Nam
IKI funding: 11,150,000.00 €
Duration: 01/2013 till 05/2024
Status: completed
Implementing organisation: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Political Partner: Diverse biodiversity relevant institutions in the respective partner countries/Diverse biodiversitätsrelevante Institutionen in den entsprechenden Partnerländern

Ministry for Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) - Mauretania

Ministry for Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) - Senegal

Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) - Costa Rica

Sabah Parks Department - Malaysia

UN Environment, The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA)
Implementing Partner: Diverse biodiversity relevant institutions in the respective partner countries/Diverse biodiversitätsrelevante Institutionen in den entsprechenden Partnerländern

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) - Switzerland

UN Environment, The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA)

UNEP/GRID-Arendal

United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) - Kenya
Online: http://bluesolutions.info/

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State of implementation/results

After nine years of successful implementation, collaboration, and active participation in the global ocean community, the Blue Solutions Initiative came to an end in December 2021.
A closing virtual ceremony was held to celebrate the successes with partners and announce the initiatives that will succeed the project, such as the Blue Capacity Hub with a network of educators who will continue to implement it, and PANORAMA Blue (www.international-climate-initiative.com/…).
Ilka Wagner (BMUV NI3) was part of the closing discussion together with Arthur Tuda (WIOMSA) and Peter Thomson (UN Special Envoy for the Ocean). Video: Blue Solutions Celebration Event Highlights.
PANORAMA'S marine and coastal community:
- The Blue Solutions consortium (GIZ, GRID, IUCN, UNEP) decided to continue management of the thematic community together with a new partner, OCTO Group, with a new vision and branding, PANORAMA Blue (panorama.solutions/…).
- The five partners committed to continue the work of the community and are working on business development for the marine community to keep the PANORAMA Blue network alive in the future.
- Blue Solutions are continuously documented and shared on PANORAMA Blue (panorama.solutions/…) as part of the PANORAMA - Solutions for a Healthy Planet platform (panorama.solutions/…). New ways of funding are being explored by the partners.
- Two of the partners, OCTO and IUCN, successfully participated in the OCEAN INNOVATION CHALLENGE by UNDP and are now jointly implementing the SEA Success project. SEA Success is piloting an approach for global knowledge sourcing and provision to benefit identified MPA management and governance challenges in a tailored manner, drawing from the vast network and knowledge banks of PANORAMA and OCTO. (www.oceaninnovationchallenge.org/…)
Blue Capacity Development Hub (bluecapacityhub.info):
- The Blue Capacity Development Hub is hosted by GRID-Arendal. This hub compiles all open source training materials developed under Blue Solutions and provides a network of trainers who can deliver the different trainings in various languages. In this way, partners and organisations still have access to high quality capacity development on demand.
- In addition, the network of trainers initiated by Blue Solutions meets regularly to exchange and collaborate.
Training on Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE):
- The Training has been updated and adapted for use in the Western Indian Ocean region. Through cooperation with several partners (SwaM, WWF), the training now includes an additional module that addresses the topic of financing SBE, which has been successfully integrate into the training and has been tested in Mozambique in June 2023. All new material will be available through the Blue Capacity Development Hub (bluecapacityhub.info).
Communication:
- The Blue Solutions website, hosted by GRID-Arendal, will continue to serve as an archive and to direct visitors to PANORAMA Blue and the Capacity Development Hub.