Ahead of the Curve: GRID-Arendal Annual Report 2016

Ecosystems, Economies and Sustainable Development The search for solutions

Human beings think of themselves as living on the land but our well-being, livelihoods, nutrition and safety also depend on healthy marine ecosystems. Without them, human food supplies and economies in many countries would be in trouble.

About a billion people – mostly in developing countries – rely on fish as their primary source of animal protein. Fisheries alone employ over 200 million people around the world. As well, achieving the goals set out by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be very hard, if not impossible, without healthy marine ecosystems. GRID-Arendal’s Ecosystems, Economies and Sustainable Development programme focuses on the oceans and works where conservation and development intersect.

Blue Solutions is a partnership between the GIZ, GRID- Arendal, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and UN Environment.

The Blue Solutions Partnership Initiative has been a core activity of this programme since 2013. The initiative looks for good ideas that have worked in marine management around the planet and then shares them. This helps different countries learn about solutions they can apply in their own work.

Small scale fishing in Zanzibar. Photo: Rob Barnes

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