Do you have an innovative solution to protect and restore marine biodiversity in the Western Indian Ocean region? If so, the “Great Blue Wall Challenge” would like to hear from you.
The challenge is a global call for start-ups and social enterprises that are using nature-positive innovations to improve the region’s sustainability and the resilience of its people and ecosystems, and possible solutions can be submitted to UpLink – the open-innovation platform of the World Economic Forum
The organisers are looking for solutions aligning with the Great Blue Wall Initiative. This initiative, led by Western Indian Ocean countries with the support of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a coalition of partners, represents a roadmap for protecting and restoring, by 2030, at least 2-million km2 (around 30%) of critical ecosystems in this region. The involved countries include South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles
A challenge to change
The African-led challenge aims to establish a novel network of seascapes that will benefit both people and nature. These seascapes will create a “great blue wall” of effectively conserved marine ecosystems that delivers socio-economic and conservation outcomes, shelters communities from adverse climate change impacts, and helps biodiversity to recover.
The overarching goal of the initiative and the supporting challenge is to dramatically accelerate and upscale ocean conservation actions while enhancing socio-ecological resilience and developing a regenerative blue economy. The latter has huge potential to contribute to sustainable development and the reduction of social inequalities in the Western Indian Ocean region.
“There is a great and urgent need to identify and support innovative approaches to seascape conservation and restoration in this region,” says Kristian Teleki, director of the World Economic Forum. “We need new, scalable, and ocean-friendly solutions to help protect and restore marine biodiversity.”
As such, the Great Blue Wall Challenge promotes concrete, future- and results-oriented action that contributes to the resilience of people and the environment amid climate change.
“Western Indian Ocean countries have an inspirational vision to protect and restore some of the most biodiverse seascapes in the world while leveraging the tremendous untapped potential of a sustainable blue economy to support these efforts,” says Teleki. “The private sector and innovation will play an essential role in bringing the Great Blue Wall to life by creating new business models that derive value from ecosystems without damaging them, and by offering new opportunities for employment and community development.
“The World Economic Forum looks forward to identifying and scaling innovations that can help realise the Great Blue Wall,” says Teleki.