Blue Ventures empowers small scale fishers to co-develop and implement effective marine conservation models that protect and restore coastlands and local fish populations and improve fishers’ livelihoods.
Investee | Blue Ventures (BV), founded 2003 |
Location | HQ in London, United Kingdom but operations across Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Indonesia, Comoros, Belize, India, Mauritius, Timor-Leste (through partners) |
Sector | Environment |
Funding start | July 2020 |
Funding type | Grant |
Website | www.blueventures.org |
BV exists to address two inextricably linked global challenges: marine degradation and the threat in livelihoods for the 100 million who depend on small-scale fisheries across the world.
Coastal ecosystems account for ~50% of the total carbon sequestered in ocean sediments and sequester carbon at a much faster rate than planet’s forests. Unsustainable fishing practices destroy ecosystems and fish populations’ habitat and prevent their replenishment, leading to declining stocks. 90% of the world’s marine fish stocks are now fully exploited, overexploited or depleted due to unsustainable fishing techniques.
Small-scale fisheries employ more than 90% of the world’s capture and provide over 100 million people in the developing world with a source of food security and livelihoods. Increase in fishing activity, often employing more destructive methods, puts further pressure on the declining fishing stocks, creating a vicious cycle. Local communities most affected by this are uncoordinated, rather small and dispersed across coasts; their voice is limited in the national and global discourse.
BV helps local coastal communities manage their own resources by creating community groups and designating their marine resources as Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs). BV supports these community groups by:
Over 100 million people in the developing world depending on small-scale fisheries for sustenance could benefit from BV’s work in preventing further marine degradation and rehabilitating marine life. BV contributes to:
Indicator | 2021 |
# of people reached through BV intervention | 671'825 |
# of people in alternative livelihoods | 848 |
Tons of CO2 emissions sequestered through mangrove forest protection | 432'021 |
Marine area (KM2) under management | 27'760 |
By engaging with Blue Ventures, we align with and contribute to Goal 14 (Life Below Water) of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, target 14.2.: By 2030, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration to achieve healthy and productive oceans.