Webinar coming up on 27 July, 4:00 pm CET – Certification of small-scale fisheries

Our next webinar will take place on July 27, 4:00 to 5:30 PM CET and is organized in cooperation with the GIZ Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector Project. The session will provide an overview on fisheries certification with a focus on discussing its applicability for small-scale fisheries. Audun Lem, Deputy-Director of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department will give a keynote speech on fisheries certification. Hoyt Peckham will present the SmartFish solution on reducing overfishing and improving the livelihoods of artisanal fishers in Mexico. Camila Zambrano Esguerra, Fondo Acción will highlight the key success factors of the EcoGourmet project, which sensitizes small-scale fishermen as well as consumers about sustainable fisheries.

Register now!

Solutions in Focus: Discover the stories behind the webinar

written by Marie Fischborn

Coastal communities play a key role as stewards of marine resources such as fish stocks. Around the world, numerous forms of community-led or shared governance of marine areas exist.

In ‘Solutions in Focus: Community-led and shared governance of marine protected and conserved areas’, discover five exciting solutions from Madagascar, Indonesia, Micronesia, Comoros and Costa Rica that showcase how communities can take the lead in protecting marine and coastal environments – for the benefit of both nature and people.

Don’t forget to join our PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet webinar hosted by Blue Solutions on this topic, coming up on 28 June 2017, 9:00pm CET. Register now: http://bit.ly/2slOuoc

Webinar coming up on 28 June 2017, 9:00 pm CET: Scaling up community-led MPA management

During the Blue Solutions webinar, great PANORAMA solutions will feature in the exchange, among them inspiring examples from Indonesia and Madagascar. Conservation International and Blue Ventures will present their case studies for scaling up community-led MPA management and identify its key success factors. Register now: http://bit.ly/2slOuoc

Side Event at the UN Ocean Conference – Blue Solutions Market Place

UN Headquartes in New York City © J Korting

Written by Janina Korting, Blue Solutions Initiative

Blue Solutions attended the high-level UN Ocean Conference to support the implementation of SDG 14 in June 2017 and (co-)organized several sessions (see the Debriefing post for an overview).

One of the events was the Blue Solutions Market Place – a side event that took place in the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN on Ocean Day, Thursday, 8 June. The 90min session was opened by Nicola Breier, Head of Division “Marine Biodiversity” at the German Environment Ministry and provided an opportunity to get a first glimpse at this approach of exchanging experiences and supporting their re-use across regions.

Continue reading →

Debriefing: Blue Solutions at the UN Ocean Conference

written by Janina Korting and Carolin Hoffmann, Blue Solutions Initiative

The high-level UN Conference to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) was held from 5 – 9 June at UN Headquarters in New York. Co-hosted by the Governments of Fiji and Sweden, nearly 4,000 participants from governments, the UN system, intergovernmental organizations, financial institutions, civil society, academic and research institutions, indigenous peoples and local communities, and the private sector attended the 5-day event. As a result, the conference produced three outcomes: an intergovernmentally agreed Call for Action, a registry of 1370 voluntary commitments (as of 14 June 2017) and key messages from the seven partnership dialogues.

Blue Solutions was happy to take part in this milestone event towards sustainable ocean management and grateful for the opportunity to (co-)organize several sessions: in the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations, everything was dedicated to life under water for one week. Continue reading →

Marine Spatial Planning in a nutshell (Video)

written by Jan Kleine Büning , Blue Solutions

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) is spreading across the globe as a new way of achieving sustainable development of the world’s seas and oceans.

But what does MSP actually mean? How does it work?

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Blue Solutions at the UN Ocean Conference

written by Ronja Schmidt, Blue Solutions

2017 is hoped to be a game changer for the ocean. For the first time, the United Nations will hold a conference, co-hosted by the governments of Fiji and Sweden, dedicated to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

The Blue Solutions Initiative is looking forward to contributing to this important Event. Join us on Twitter and Facebook and follow the conference.

Our activities at a glance:

Blue Solutions Corner – 5 to 9 June 2017
Side Event: Capacity Development Solutions for Managing, Protecting, Conserving and Restoring Marine and Coastal Ecosystems – 7 June 2017, 9.00 AM to 10.30 AM
Side Event: Capacity Development for Sustainable Ocean Governance. Lessons Learned from Academia, Policy and Practice – 8 June 2017, 10.00 AM to 12.00 PM, register for the event
Side Event: Blue Solutions Marketplace – 8 June 2017, 1.15 PM to 2.45 PM, register for the Event

Blue Solutions Events at the UN Ocean Conference

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From local examples to inspiring role models: this is how we disseminate marine solutions

Written by Carolin Hoffmann, Blue Solutions

123 marine and coastal solutions are currently available on the PANORAMA – solutions for a healthy planet platform.

123! This is equal to 123 successful efforts in the marine realm in different countries all around the world, readily available to inspire marine practitioners and communities who might face similar challenges right now in their work and in their daily lives.

This is where the Blue Solutions Initiative steps in, aiming to promote the exchange and dissemination of knowledge that is already out there. But what exactly is our approach?

Continue reading →

Passion for oceans and coasts meets trainer skills: Blue training of trainers in Bali

Passion for oceans and coasts meets trainer skills:

Blue training of trainers in Bali

written by Carolin Hoffmann, Blue Solutions

It is our mission to foster capacity development in the field of coastal and marine management. For that reason, we have just spent 9 days with a diverse group of marine professionals who underwent an intense training program on various elements and skills that constitute a blue trainer. There is one thing we are sure of – what happened in Bali will not stay in Bali!

Continue reading →

Blue Solutions at the Conservation Optimism Summit

Earth Optimism, an unprecedented gathering of thought leaders, scientists, environmentalists, artists, civic leaders and international media, is a global initiative that celebrates a change in focus from problem to solution, from a sense of loss to one of hope, in the dialogue about conservation and sustainability. The initiative cumulated to a series of 27 parallel sister events to celebrate reasons for optimism in conservation on the occasion of Earth Day (22 April). The Conservation Optimism Summit in London (20-22 April), held at the beautiful Dulwich College, was part of this series. Continue reading →