GlobalWarming & ClimateChange News Desk – The ocean powers more than 100 million full-time equivalent jobs and feeds over three billion people.  It regulates the weather and supports biodiversity.

Game Changers for a Livable Planet 

The ocean adds $2.6 trillion to the world economy per year. Protecting this blue expanse is a gamechanger for people, marine life, economy and planet.

Countries have stepped up efforts to manage ocean resources more sustainably so that the ocean can continue to produce economic and social benefits, while their ecosystems are protected.   

Sustaining the Ocean for the Next Generation in the Pacific 

In Pacific Island countries, fish supply per capita decreased by 14 percent between 2007 and 2021. This causes a problem for Kiribati, which has one of the highest rates of fish consumption of any country around the world due to lack of alternatives.

The fisheries industry – mostly the coastal commercial and coastal subsistence fisheries – makes up 34 percent of the country’s GDP. Effective fisheries management is a priority.  This includes management for coastal fisheries that provide most communities with their livelihoods and sustenance.

“Here in Kiribati, the ocean is our life. Our people depend on it. And we need to sustain it for our next generation,”
said Maaria Henry, a former fisheries protection officer, who now works with the Coastal Fisheries Division. 

Maaria joined the Fisheries Enforcement Unit in 2021 to protect domestic fish stocks and end unsustainable fishing practices.

“We’ll be inspecting fishing boats to check if fishers are practicing any illegal fishing such as taking undersized fish or using any fishing methods and gears that are repealed or banned,” said Maaria, when out on one of her inspections.

Thanks to Maaria’s community-level enforcement work, behavior toward fisheries management has changed.  By engaging directly with communities, the government has been able to improve fisheries workers’ responsible use of inshore fishery, which is a type of fishing closer to shore in smaller vessels. It allows fishers to work by daylight and return in the evening.

Maaria’s work is part of a broader effort by the Government of Kiribati, supported by the World Bank through the Pacific Islands Regional Oceanscape Program (PROP), to safeguard its territorial seas and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the largest in the world. Income from industrial tuna fisheries in Kiribati’s EEZ is the country’s most important source of revenue at 65.5 percent of Gross National Income.

Fisheries management across seven Pacific Island countries has been enhanced with better monitoring, efficiency and compliance, including through community-based management approaches in domestic coastal fisheries and monitoring of industrial oceanic fleets.

Protecting People against Coastal Erosion in West Africa 

For the ocean to play its role in providing jobs and livelihoods, countries need to prioritize its restoration and sustainable management. Only then can it truly recover from overexploitation, erosion, pollution, climate change and extreme weather events. 

For decades, the West African coast has been affected by fast-moving coastal erosion, with Benin and Togo losing 15 meters of coastline every year.

But that is changing.

With funding from the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program(WACA), 42 kilometers of major cross-border coastal infrastructure—including breakwaters, groins, and sand walls—have been constructed. 

Consequently, the sea has significantly retreated, by up to 200 meters along a 5.3-kilometer stretch in Grand-Popo, Benin. 

Targeted coastal areas in both countries have been protected from flooding, safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of more than 145,000 people.

“At high tide, powerful waves over two meters high would crash and break the walls and doors of our homes, flooding them completely. We faced the risk of electrocution, and the men had to stay up all night to protect the women and children,” says Ayayi Hounlédé, a resident of coastal Aneho in Togo.

“Ever since they built the breakwaters, we’ve got more beach space. We now sleep peacefully, free from the fear of inundation.”

Artisanal fishing has returned to the coast. Species that had vanished have begun to return.

“Fish thrive in pits. With WACA’s support, underwater excavations were dug to collect the sand used to rebuild the beaches. When fish pass by, they are funneled toward the shore. This is a boon for us.” Djourdé Bouboukari, a former student turned fisherman in Togonormal

“On good fishing days, our income can reach FCFA 3 to 4 million (about $8,000) per day,” adds Dosseh Legbeze, chairman of Togo’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperatives.

The WACA program supports nine West African countries—Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, and Togo—in managing shared coastal resources and protecting coastal communities through policy reform, institutional support, and local interventions. It has reduced flood risk for 16,242 households, created 9,260 jobs, and restored over 28,000 hectares of ecosystems.

Progress and Promise for Women Entrepreneurs in Tanzania 

For women entrepreneurs, the lack of collateral, financing and gender biases are major obstacles that keep them behind. With the right investment, women can be game changers. In Zanzibar, women seaweed farmers were empowered to grow their business.

In Zanzibar, the government provided soft loans and over 500 boats to seaweed farmers. This reduced physical harvesting costs and the time to transport seaweed from the farm to drying racks. 

Additionally, a switch to more efficient farming methods, such as deep-water farming, yielded higher-quality seaweed.

With these new investments, women seaweed farmers were able to reduce their production costs, grow their business and save over $6 per day. 

The production of Cottonii, a seaweed species, increased sixfold and benefited almost 16,000 members, mostly women. 

Women participated actively in the seaweed industry by using small boats. 

Now, women farmers can sell their produce competitively to any blue company. In addition, women have reinvested their profits into local businesses and initiatives.

Innovative blue financing options can direct public and private capital into sustainable ocean investments to support areas such as biodiversity, livelihoods and fisheries. 

The Seychelles issued the world’s first sovereign blue bond in 2018, raising $15 million to support marine conservation and sustainable fisheries, in collaboration with the World Bank.

In 2022, in a first for Central and Eastern Europe, the World Bank’s private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) issued a landmark €100 million first blue financing loan to Banca Transilvania. 

One beneficiary, fish farmer George Ionescu-Vitzu, co-founded a fishery cooperative focused on sustainability.

“For our businesses to be truly successful, we must focus on farming healthy fish within a healthy natural environment.”George Ionescu-Vitzu, a fish farmer from Romania normal

By limiting the number of cages in Oasa Lake, using the highest quality equipment, and prioritizing maintenance and upkeep, they have protected the water quality and produced high quality fish.

Ocean for the People and Planet

From Kiribati to Benin and Togo to Zanzibar, these programs have a common goal: to sustainably use ocean resources to boost economic growth, improve livelihoods, create jobs, and preserve ocean health. With support from the PROBLUE multi-donor trust fund, the World Bank’s Blue Economy portfolio is at the heart of this approach.

None of these programs would have been successful without game changers from coastal communities like Maaria and Djourdé.  They have the solutions. With financial support, training, and guidance, they have become game changers in their community – and beyond. 

These stories show what is possible when countries invest in local communities, prioritize public awareness, and tap into new sources of financing. When more countries learn from each other and scale up what works, the ocean can continue to change lives and power growth.

Photo and video credits: World Bank Group unless otherwise noted.

Related Links:

World Bank – EnvironmentPROBLUE – The World Bank’s Blue Economy Program Combating Coastal Erosion in West Africa To Reconcile Communities and the OceanThe Tamed Sea: An Alliance Restored With Coastal Communities

Game Changers for a Livable Planet

• A New Food Economy, Rooted in ProgressThe world is grappling with a multifaceted food crisis that is denying millions access to healthy diets and fulfilling lives. But the crisis also presents a unique opportunity to transform an unsustainable food economy.
• Clean Air, Blue SkiesClean air allows people, economies, and our environment to thrive. It means healthier communities and a healthier climate. Good air quality is fundamental to promoting a livable, breathable planet for future generations.
• Climate-Resilient IrrigationMore—and better managed—climate-resilient irrigation will help feed the planet with available water, strengthen livelihoods, grow economies and create jobs, reduce GHG emissions, and build resilience to climate shocks.
• Forests for UsForests play an important role in lifting communities out of poverty and ensuring a livable planet. They are game changers for people, climate, and nature.
• Carbon MarketsCarbon markets have to be trustworthy, transparent, result in real climate mitigation and bring tangible benefits, especially for developing countries, if they are to make a real difference. 
• Adaptation to Climate ShocksClimate change is indiscriminate, devastating communities rich and poor, but the poorest people are hit hardest. Countries need to act to protect people and help them prepare for a riskier world. 
• Urban TransportDiscover how sustainable transport can be game changer. All urban transport investments, whether large or small, are crucial to make urban living healthier, safer, more inclusive – and much less carbon intensive.
• The Solar StorySolar’s moment has been decades in the making, but today solar is seen as an essential tool to both to close the energy gap and decarbonize. Discover how the World Bank’s support over 25 years has been instrumental. 

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