Supporting A Green/Blue Economy: Liberia Blue Ocean Program

The purpose of the intervention is to maintain the moment generated during the BOC and sustain its outcomes. The goal of the Blue Oceans Program is to promote sustainable management of Liberia’s coastal and marine ecosystems through conservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystem servic…See More

Objectives

A healthy ocean is essential to sustaining life on Earth and it underpins ecosystem and human well-being. More than half of the Liberian population lives along Liberia’s 565km coastline with their survival and well-being directly linked to the ocean. The 2019 Blue Oceans Conference held in Monrovia was the first ocean-focused international meeting held in West Africa. Four thematic areas were discussed at the conference: climate change, marine pollution, sustainable fishing, and blue economy. The Blue Oceans programme seeks to build on the themes and efforts of that conference, to promote the sustainable management of Liberia’s coastal and marine ecosystems. It will work toward the conservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystem services to alleviate poverty, protect biodiversity, and mitigate and adapt to climate change. The objectives of the programme are: • Enhanced science-based understanding of drivers impacting coastal and marine ecosystem health and services; • Enhanced circular economy approaches addressing marine pollution; • Effective governance and integrated management of coastal and marine ecosystems; • Enhanced education and outreach/public awareness.