An ocean of opportunity: Commonwealth progress on ocean action

Abstract

An Ocean of Opportunity Commonwealth Progress on Ocean Action 2024 An Ocean of Opportunity Commonwealth Progress on Ocean Action, 2024 ii \ An Ocean of Opportunity This report was developed by Thuso Ltd. © Commonwealth Secretariat 2024 Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom www.thecommonwealth.org All rights reserved. This publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or otherwise provided it is used only for educational purposes and is not for resale, and provided full acknowledgement is given to the Commonwealth Secretariat as the original publisher. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are the responsibility of the author and should in no way be attributed to the institutions to which they are affiliated or to the Commonwealth Secretariat. Wherever possible, the Commonwealth Secretariat uses paper sourced from responsible forests or from sources that minimise a destructive impact on the environment. Published by the Commonwealth Secretariat About the Commonwealth Secretariat \ iii About the Commonwealth Secretariat The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal sovereign countries, and home to 2.7 billion people. The Commonwealth Secretariat is an independent organisation working with the 56 member countries to promote prosperity, democracy and peace, amplify the voice of small states and protect the environment. The Commonwealth Secretariat’s Trade, Ocean and Natural Resources Directorate assists member countries to sustainably manage their natural resources, in the ocean and on land, for the benefit of present and future generations. The Oceans and Natural Resources (ONR) Section of the Secretariat manages the Commonwealth Blue Charter Programme. The ONR provides technical assistance and support to member countries in the development of policies, laws, design of fiscal regimes and strengthening national institutions as they seek to implement the Sustainable Development Goals. This report is an update of the report An Ocean of Opportunity: Commonwealth Blue Charter Ocean Action Report published in September 2022. The report was initially compiled by Thuso, with research support from Daniel Cronin, editorial oversight by Matthew Goldie-Scot, specialist input from Michael Brown, design work overseen by Alexandra Tigan, review by Dr David Sheppard and Dr Ameer Ebrahim, and with additional inputs and revisions by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Contents \ v Contents About the Commonwealth Secretariat iii Acronyms and Abbreviations vii Foreword ix Executive Summary 1 Introduction 7 Sea Change 11 Harnessing the Momentum behind the Blue Charter 11 Waves of Action 23 Updates from Blue Charter Action Groups 23 Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance 24 Coral Reef Restoration and Protection 28 Mangrove Ecosystems and Liv