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Engaging the private sector in protecting the Western Indian Ocean with a new approach

GEF-UNDP/UNEP Nairobi Convention SAPPHIRE Project

By IW:LEARN

October 26^th, 2020

Private sector enterprises are some of the main users of the ocean. From local tourist operators and fishers selling their products on the side of the road all the way to multinational oil, mining, shipping, large tourism and transport companies, these actors rely heavily on marine and coastal resources for their livelihoods and profits. And yet they are rarely involved in efforts to promote and protect these same ocean assets.

This is despite the fact that there are many ways that the private sector can contribute to ocean protection. For instance, transportation companies, from local boats ferrying tourists to diving locations all the way to cruise liners, could use greener technologies, fuel, or practices. Seaside hotels could adopt sustainable business practices, like banning plastic products or chemical products that often wind up in the ocean or by implementing water treatment processes. Shipping and transportation companies can reduce the amount of solid waste they generate by adopting stringent recycling programs and eliminating the use of disposable items.

Mainstreaming these and other sustainable practices into private sector operations can have a huge impact on the health of our oceans. Less trash in the ocean from shipping could lead to fewer animals dying from entanglement or accidental digestion of the waste. Hotels that use fewer harmful chemicals will contribute less toxicity to the water, leading to healthier marine life and the critical habitats so important to our job and food security. Meanwhile, incorporating simple practices on a boat, like fueling only at the marina or regularly inspecting vessels for toxic substance leaks, would mean less harmful chemicals that can poison beaches, mangroves, and coral reef composition, upon which many marine biodiversity depends.

Moreover, the private sector itself is an underutilized research in the transformation towards ocean sustainability. Their expertise, advocacy, innovation, business models, and financial resources can accelerate and give much-needed momentum towards conservation efforts.

It has therefore become increasingly clear to governments in the Western Indian Ocean region that any attempt to protect or restore marine and coastal resources in the region must include these crucial stakeholders. Private sector engagement is particularly important when considering the new focus in the region on Blue Economy measures, i.e. “the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihood and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.”

Blue Economy as illustrated by the World Bank.

That’s why an upcoming publication under the GEF-UNDP/UNEP Nairobi Convention Western Indian Ocean Large Marine Ecosystems Strategic Action Programme Policy Harmonisation and Institutional Reforms (SAPPHIRE) Project aims to help governments and partners engage the private sector in efforts to responsibly and sustainably use the Western Indian Ocean’s resources. The new Private Sector Engagement Strategy for the Western Indian Ocean Region, created in partnership with the South African Institute for International Affairs, outlines a framework for engagement with these actors, together with recommendations on which sectors to prioritize, resource mobilization, and other key considerations for building meaningful, long-lasting, and impactful partnerships.

African Penguin, Tourist attraction at Boulders Beach, South Africa, 2012. Photo credit: Peter Prokosch

Implementation of this strategy by governments in the region would result in ecosystem-based management and other ‘green’ practices being incorporated into daily business practices of the private sector. Partnerships and collaboration between conservation actors and the private sector would deepen, leading to more sustainable private sector activities and awareness of environmental issues and tools to address them. Additionally, innovation and dissemination of environmentally-friendly technologies and best practices from the private sector would be enhanced. Importantly, the contributions – both those already underway and in the future – of the private sector in the conservation and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources would be promoted and acknowledged.

The strategy will be released before the end of 2020. For updates, click here.

About the SAPPHIRE project

The SAPPHIRE Project is designed to implement the Western Indian Ocean Large Marine Ecosystems Strategic Action Programme by promoting policy and institutional reform and building capacity in the region to help improve the management of the Western Indian Ocean LME. It is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme and executed by the Nairobi Convention Secretariat with funding from the Global Environment Facility.

For more information on the SAPPHIRE project please contact the Project Manager, Sinikinesh Beyene Jimma (sinikinesh.jimma@un.org), or the Public Information Officer, Angela Patnode (angela.patnode@un.org) and visit the project website as well as the project page on iwlearn.net.