The University of Wollongong (UOW) Blue Economy projects recognized that building a community based approach requires an investment in relationships. This means that we expended considerable resources in building networks, fostering relationships and giving those relationships time to mature and evolve. This occurred internally, as we got to know the different disciplinary areas that different team members represented within the project. It also involved building collaborations with external partners over time. The most significant demonstration of this the growing role of Aboriginal partners in the research. Aboriginal partners and co-investigators had input into the early stages of the project and over time this relationship grew and evolved to the point that today our partners, the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council, are co-leaders in the project and are co-developing future collaborations with UOW.

Kelp Blue is a commecial entitiy founded by Daniel Hooft in February 2020. Its business headquarters are in Zeist, The Netherlands. It has a subsidiary in Namibia with operational headquarters in Luderitz, Nambibia. At the moment it employs 12 full time employees, 5 part-time employees and 4 interns. The gender balance is 50% female, 50% male. Its mission is "to rewild the oceans by cultivating giant kelp forests"

In the framework of the COP13 of the Convention on Biological Diversity held in December 2016 in Mexico, CONABIO, the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN-Mexico) developed together with the agricultural, forestry, fisheries and tourism sectors, the Strategies for the Integration and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, These Strategies set out the strategic lines of action that will guide their actions in the short, medium and long term to achieve a sustainable use of biodiversity, contributing to its conservation and guaranteeing the wellbeing of future generations through the adequate management of ecosystem goods and services. It is within the framework of this effort that the Biodiversity Integration Center is established.

Sustainability objectives for productive processes cannot be met by a single institution or person; they necessarily involve the coordination of a large number of actors and sectors in order to be successful. Having a space dedicated to the issue of biodiversity integration helps to promote the intersectoral dialogue necessary to find comprehensive solutions to complex problems, so the Biodiversity Integration Center is proposed as a space for intersectoral coordination that contributes to the fulfillment of the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda and where the different instances are supported to strengthen the planning instruments, strategies and programs of government institutions, generating benefits related to poverty alleviation, food security and sovereignty and adaptation to climate change, among other aspects.

The Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development is strongly committed to achieving sustainability in the sector, as expressed in the Sectoral Program for Agriculture and Rural Development and its mandate to make progress in ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture, which are goals set out in Sustainable Development Goal 2 of the 2030 Agenda approved by the United Nations, which this Secretariat is responsible for implementing and monitoring. The Biodiversity Integration Center responds to the actions for the fulfillment of Objective 3 of the Sector Program: To increase sustainable production practices in the agricultural and aquaculture-fishery sector in the face of agro-climatic risks.

Small scale fishing communities were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reduced demand for seafood due to the disruption in distribution and decline in tourism led to reduced seafood prices, resulting in a significant drop in household income. Having access to alternative livelihoods and/or access to savings helped to mitigate this loss in income. 

Alternative livelihood programmes can increase local resilience to economic shocks. Alternatives accessed during the COVID-19 crisis included seaweed and sea cucumber farming, drying or smoking fish to preserve and store it until markets recover and collectors return.

Community-led savings and loans groups have provided a critical buffer against financial difficulties as they enable people to save money and access credit in remote areas where this would otherwise not be possible. These locally led community groups pool together their savings in order to address financial hardship and provide loans to those most in need within their group. 

In order to enable communities to engage in the complex, long term work of the sustainable management of marine resources, their basic needs must be addressed. Working across sectors to enable communities to meet their basic needs creates an enabling environment within which they are able to work towards longer term goals.

The need for a livelihood is addressed through Blue Ventures’ work to rebuild fisheries, and through livelihood diversification initiatives where appropriate. The unmet need for health care is addressed through supporting and strengthening local health systems, and through partnerships with health care providers.

Working in a multisectoral way creates efficiencies through the sharing of resources and opportunities across programmes. It provides opportunities to broaden community engagement and build trust, and experience has shown that it enables communities to better respond to shocks and stressors.

Our strong local presence, and emphasis on working in partnership with communities and local stakeholders to rebuild fisheries, has meant that much of the work has been able to continue in spite of travel restrictions and other disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Empowering communities to sustainably manage their own resources and health services has proven to be a more resilient approach to conservation in the context of this major shock. 

Communities have the most to gain from the effective management of natural resources (and good community health services), and the pandemic has served as a powerful reminder of the value of locally led approaches to marine conservation. 

This BB aimed to structure the tasks related to stakeholder engagement and communication through the development of:

I) A Strategy for Public Participation based on:

• Three pillars: identification of stakeholders; engagement activities; and monitoring and evaluation of participation

• A two-way participatory approach: balance between top-down and bottom-up

II) A Communication and Dissemination Plan to set a unified tone and direction so that all activities, tools and materials work in harmony to create a shared vision to raise awareness of the initiative and its results. It also included monitoring of a number of metrics – through various channels and means – to evaluate the overall impact and success of communication and dissemination actions.

Standalone communication and dissemination plans, as well as engagement plans and reports were developed to guide and evaluate each activity implemented. The key messages from these reports were used as web news in order to communicate and report back to the stakeholders.

In the Western Mediterranean pilot, the following engagement activities were implemented:

• Institutional workshops at national and regional levels

• Training courses for governmental authorities and sectoral stakeholders

This BB aimed to structure the tasks related to stakeholder engagement and communication through the development of:

I) A Strategy for Public Participation based on:

• Three pillars: identification of stakeholders; engagement activities; and monitoring and evaluation of participation
• A two-way participatory approach: balance between top-down and bottom-up

II) A Communication and Dissemination Plan to set a unified tone and direction so that all activities, tools and materials work in harmony to create a shared vision to raise awareness of the initiative and its results. It also included monitoring of a number of metrics – through various channels and means – to evaluate the overall impact and success of communication and dissemination actions.

Standalone communication and dissemination plans, as well as engagement plans and reports were developed to guide and evaluate each activity implemented. The key messages from these reports were used as web news in order to communicate and report back to the stakeholders.

In the Southeast Pacific pilot, the following engagement activities were implemented:

• Stakeholder meetings, especially for the mapping exercise in the Gulf of Guayaquil
• Institutional workshops at national and regional levels
• Training courses for governmental authorities and sectoral stakeholders