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Review
. 2021 Jun 8;12(1):3259.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-23168-y.

Financing a sustainable ocean economy

Affiliations
Review

Financing a sustainable ocean economy

U Rashid Sumaila et al. Nat Commun. .

Erratum in

  • Author Correction: Financing a sustainable ocean economy.
    Sumaila UR, Walsh M, Hoareau K, Cox A, Teh L, Abdallah P, Akpalu W, Anna Z, Benzaken D, Crona B, Fitzgerald T, Heaps L, Issifu I, Karousakis K, Lange GM, Leland A, Miller D, Sack K, Shahnaz D, Thiele T, Vestergaard N, Yagi N, Zhang J. Sumaila UR, et al. Nat Commun. 2022 Mar 28;13(1):1756. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29418-x. Nat Commun. 2022. PMID: 35347150 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

The ocean, which regulates climate and supports vital ecosystem services, is crucial to our Earth system and livelihoods. Yet, it is threatened by anthropogenic pressures and climate change. A healthy ocean that supports a sustainable ocean economy requires adequate financing vehicles that generate, invest, align, and account for financial capital to achieve sustained ocean health and governance. However, the current finance gap is large; we identify key barriers to financing a sustainable ocean economy and suggest how to mitigate them, to incentivize the kind of public and private investments needed for topnotch science and management in support of a sustainable ocean economy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Characterization of major ocean finance capital types.
Summary of major capital types, the level of risk vs. return for each capital type, and the key providers of these capital.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Ocean economic sectors.
Depiction of the four broad economic sectors that make up the ocean economy: extractable natural resources, natural capital, marine and coastal development, and knowledge and creativity.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Ocean finance gap.
Current investments are insufficient to support a sustainable ocean economy, resulting in a large ocean finance gap.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Creating an enabling environment for ocean finance.
Barriers and options for action in support of sustainable ocean finance.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. Actions that create barriers to, and opportunities for, a sustainable ocean economy.
Key barriers to the flow of finance to the ocean economy and opportunities for action to remove them.

References

    1. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018—Meeting the sustainable development goals (FAO, 2018).
    1. Teh LCL, Sumaila UR. Contribution of marine fisheries to worldwide employment. Fish. Fish. 2013;14:77–88. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-2979.2011.00450.x. - DOI
    1. Hoegh-Guldberg, O. et al. The ocean as a solution to climate change: five opportunities for action (World Resources Institute, 2019).
    1. Brondizio, E.S., Settele, J., Díaz, S., & Ngo, H.T. (eds.) Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES secretariat, 2019).
    1. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Ocean Economy in 2030 (OECD Publishing, 2016).

Publication types