At the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) this week in Nice, governments, scientists, civil society and private sector leaders face a pressing challenge: how do we unlock and scale the funding needed to protect our oceans—critical ecosystems that sustain life, regulate climate, and support billions of people? The recent Ocean Protection Gap Report highlighted that current levels of finance flowing to ocean protection efforts is $1.2 billion year, some way off the projected $15.8 billion needed annually. This funding gap comes as oceans face accelerating threats: warming waters and coral bleaching from climate change, ecosystem collapse driven by industrial fishing, and widespread failure of existing protections—over 80% of Europe’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) remain ineffective, with destructive practices like bottom trawling still permitted.
This past weekend, at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF) in Monaco, the scale, urgency and complexity of these challenges were front of mind. At the dialogues in which GFI took part, there was clear evidence that supporting marine protection will lead not only to ecological outcomes but to economic and financial ones. In Turkey, for example, after establishing No Take Zones, local fishers quadrupled their catch within three years, as fish populations recovered. Organisations like Blue Alliance and Revive our Oceans are developing financial mechanisms and sustainable revenue models that incentivise and ensure robust protection and enforcement in MPAs, while providing economic opportunities for local communities. Rising to this monumental task means aligning capital flows with ocean stewardship and making the sustainable management and stewardship of our oceans the financially viable choice.
The private sector is both a significant beneficiary and a contributor to ocean health. Ocean-based industries—ranging from shipping and fisheries to tourism and offshore energy—collectively generate over $24 trillion in economic value, making the ocean economy the seventh largest in the world by GDP. Approximately 90% of global trade moves by sea, and ocean-related sectors support the livelihoods of over 350 million people worldwide. Yet, many of these industries also contribute significantly to environmental pressures: for example, more than one-third of fish stocks are now exploited beyond sustainable limits. These impacts expose companies to growing financial and operational risks, from climate-driven disruptions to tightening regulations and reputational fallout.
Conversely, the blue economy presents substantial opportunities. Studies show that every $1 invested in sustainable ocean solutions can deliver at least $5 in global benefits. Leading businesses are adopting rigorous ocean stewardship frameworks, supported by initiatives like the Science Based Targets Network, which recently launched guidance on ocean-related targets for seafood value chains and the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), which last week released ocean-related sector guidance. Yet, target-setting and disclosures must be complemented by transparent action plans, continuous monitoring, and robust accountability to ensure measurable outcomes. Mobilizing scaled, innovative finance is essential to bridge funding gaps and unlock these opportunities, enabling sustainable ocean stewardship at the pace and scale required.
At Revenues for Nature (R4N), we are committed to doing just that. By scaling and replicating proven models that mobilise private capital for nature conservation and restoration, we are working to advance sustainable, viable solutions for sustainable ocean stewardship.
As part of this work, we are supporting Finance Earth to expand the Fisheries Improvement Fund (FIF) – an innovative financing mechanism, initially launched in Chile, that aims to catalyse over $100 million in investments for fisheries improvement by 2030. The FIF uses a volume-based contribution mechanism from seafood supply chain actors to finance the shift toward more sustainable fishing practices. It’s a mechanism designed – not only to transform supply chains – but to generate enduring value for coastal communities. The Fund is now being replicated in the Maldives, where it will help establish modern seafood processing facilities, enabling local fishing communities to retain more value from their catch, reduce post-harvest losses, mitigate GHG emissions and build climate resilience across the supply chain. You can listen to more about the FIF in the latest Financing Nature podcast episode, as well as with the Blue Alliance later this week.
We do not need to reinvent the wheel. Innovations in financing and revenue models are already being implemented globally as showcased by R4N. Robust quantification methods are being developed for seagrass meadows and kelp forests, which can underpin emerging blue carbon markets. Parametric insurance mechanisms in coastal areas are already in place, with payouts triggered automatically by extreme weather, enabling rapid response when it is needed most. Coral reefs are being protected from agricultural runoff through credit payments to upstream farmers. And blue bonds and debt conversions are offering governments a route to raise capital at scale for long-term investment in marine ecosystems. These types of innovations are already working, and can be scaled and replicated, alongside strategic policy reform to drive this transition.
As Rodrigo Chaves Robles, president of Costa Rica and co-chair of UNOC reminded us at the close of BEFF, ‘Vision without action is just hallucination’. What we need now is the collective will to act at the speed and scale the crisis demands. This means aligning policy, finance, and science to shift the trajectory of ocean degradation and unlock a future where marine ecosystems, coastal communities, and ocean-dependent industries can thrive together. At R4N, we believe that by channelling capital toward nature restoration and conservation and scaling proven innovations, we can help catalyse a blue economy that is not only sustainable, but regenerative. The ocean has given us everything — it’s time we give back, with urgency and impact.
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