By At the 2024 Our Ocean Conference in Athens, Greece, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) unveiled funding exceeding $103 million, contingent upon Congressional notification, aimed at conserving and safeguarding our ocean.
This initiative encompasses financing for various new programs, as well as supplementary funding for ongoing projects designed to fortify marine conservation efforts, foster resilient blue economies, and tackle the ramifications of the climate crisis.
Communities worldwide rely on the ocean’s vitality for their sustenance, livelihoods, and environmental well-being. However, the cumulative effects of overfishing, greenhouse gas emissions, and plastic pollution pose significant threats to marine health and biodiversity, thereby jeopardizing the welfare of these dependent communities.
In a statement, USAID announced the initiation and expansion of fifteen projects, pending Congressional notification, aimed at safeguarding ocean health and marine biodiversity.
Of this allocation, $19.2 million is earmarked for promoting marine protected areas. This includes $13.4 million designated for the previously unveiled Heshimu Bahari (Respect the Oceans) project. This initiative focuses on preserving vital coral reef habitat and enhancing community fisheries in Tanzania.
Additionally, $9.9 million is allocated to bolster sustainable blue economies in Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Within this framework, $2 million is earmarked to bolster innovation and sustainable financing for conservation efforts in the Caribbean.
The primary objectives entail enhancing governance structures, establishing diverse funding mechanisms, enhancing grant management practices, and facilitating the exchange of best practices among regional trust funds.
Additionally, $6.7 million will be used to advance sustainable fisheries by promoting sustainable fishing practices, strengthening conservation efforts, and reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This includes $1.2 million to improve the management of marine biodiversity and fisheries resources in the Indo-Pacific region by implementing regional policy frameworks, strengthening local communities’ climate resilience, and increasing investments in marine biodiversity conservation.
A further $4.8 million is expected to be used to combat climate change through projects with youth in the Pacific Islands. This includes $4.4 million to establish a Melanesian Youth Climate Corps that will equip young leaders in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to advance disaster risk reduction and adaptation efforts in their own communities.
