The IOC’s Olympic Forest project – a reforestation initiative launched in Mali and Senegal – generated interest from National Olympic Committees, who expressed their wishes to take action against climate change and to implement similar projects in their own countries.

Following this interest, the IOC launched the Olympic Forest Network, where NOCs could build on the original Olympic Forest project by designing and implementing their own initiatives to restore existing forests, wildlife corridors, coastal watersheds, and ecosystems, as well as implement regenerative agriculture projects.

The Network builds on, and expands, the IOC’s Olympic Forest initiative, helping to profile Olympic Movement’s work that contributes to fighting climate change and conserving nature. It recognises local projects delivered by NOCs according to best practices and within the IOC’s framework. The IOC provides support to NOCs (guidance, technical advice for the application to the network, workshops, webinars and in some cases funding), receives their projects and assesses them using specific criteria. Thanks to its offices located worldwide, IUCN helps the IOC in providing technical feedback about the projects, carrying out field visits and reviewing the technical documentation provided by the NOCs.

Three binational (Canada-United States) commissions play a role in the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes, including the Great Lakes Commission (GLC), Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), and International Joint Commission (IJC). More specific to the Great Lakes, the work of the IJC is supported through the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). While none of these commissions explicitly represents and advances an agenda related to protected and conserved area (PCA) networks, they share goals and have capacities that can support such networks. 

To this end, the Great Lakes Protected Areas Network (GLPAN) continues to find opportunities to profile PCAs, meet its network ambitions, and address conservation issues by standing on these platforms. In particular, the GLWQA has specific Annexes addressing the priority issues which are also of importance to PCAs, such as Habitat and Species, Climate Change, Aquatic Invasive Species, Science, and Lakewide Management. Engaging with the GLWQA is an effective means to address conservation at scale and represents a significant return on investment given the capacity and collaborative support partners bring. More specifically, "Lakewide Action and Management Plans" (5 year rotation on each of the 5 Great Lakes) and "Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiatives" are two GLWQA initiatives that PCAs and PCA networks can lever and contribute to help advance conservation efforts.    

There are over 650 coastal and freshwater protected areas representing over 40 agencies in the Great Lakes. Prior to the Great Lakes Protected Areas Network (GLPAN) establishment in 2019 there was no forum or network that supported a direct dialogue or collaboration across protected and conserved areas in the Great Lakes. 

Members of the GLPAN are individuals or representatives from agencies that carry out professional activities related to Great Lakes conservation and/or protected areas management. Members are generally senior positions that can contribute expert knowledge, relevant information, and capacity to achieve GLPAN objectives, including: 

• Contribute to the conservation and protection of the Great Lakes coast and lake ecosystems through a collaborative network of people and places; 
• Provide a platform for enhancing communication and knowledge exchange across Great Lakes protected and conserved areas;
• Build partnerships and support projects of interest to the GLPAN membership; 
• Raise awareness and appreciation of Great Lakes protected and conserved areas with the public and other domestic and binational conservation initiatives; and, 
• Serve as a regional hub for the North American Marine Protected Areas Network (NAMPAN). 

Our Blue Future (OBF) developed a three-year strategy (2023-2025), which will be implemented through a collaborative OBF system involving government agencies, the private sector, local communities, and development partners. The strategy is to deliver on three strategic pillars:

1. Empowering stakeholders
2. Improving integrated ocean governance
3. Promoting sustainable investment and financial flows in the blue economy sectors.

Thematic action areas were identified as the following: Blue tourism, circular economy, community livelihoods, ports and shipping, blue finance, fisheries, blue technology, and nature-based solutions/grey-green infrastructure.

Concrete activities are being implemented in the pilot country of Mozambique, including work on circular economy and the development of a Club of Friends for Maputo National Park.

The private sector has a profound role to play in catalyzing and accelerating the transition to an inclusive sustainable blue economy (ISBE).  There has, however, been minimal private sector engagement in ISBE matters. Our Blue Future has developed a private sector engagement strategy, which focuses on effective ways to engage the private sector and the benefits they can gain.  

The private sector is driven by opportunities, value creation, financial risk, operational risks, and regulatory risks. Our Blue Future offers the private sector opportunities through Innovation Teams to mobilize resources, a showcase platform, a collective voice for advocacy, an innovation testing ground, matchmaking with other partners, a sense of community, and the chance to build a legacy.

Partners of Our Blue Future (OBF) model a culture of dialogue and collaboration, and work together as peers through a multi-stakeholder approach - a structured, transparent, and participatory collaboration between two or more stakeholder groups working towards a common goal. It offers an opportunity to generate innovative, appropriate, locally owned, and ultimately sustainable solutions, supporting transformative change.

The multi-stakeholder approach is reflected in OBF’s set-up:

1. The Preliminary Steering Team co-designs the strategy, steers the alliance, monitors implementation, and evaluates impact
2. Multi-stakeholder Task Teams support the development of governance, stakeholder engagement, and communication strategies
3. a Secretariat ensures smooth operation and coordination
4. Innovation Teams tackle critical, sector-specific challenges through concrete actions and projects
5. a Transformation Network includes multi-stakeholder partnerships across the WIO region.

The Collective Leadership Institute (CLI) plays a key role in supporting OBF’s multi-stakeholder approach and strengthening the capacities of its members. It contributes expertise in bringing leadership concepts to enliven the alliance by encouraging a high-quality, inclusive, and action-oriented stakeholder engagement and dialogue process within OBF.

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region is recognized globally as a biodiversity hotspot with high ecological and socio-economic value. However, with increased global demand for natural resources, pollution, climate change, and a diversity of unsustainable economic activities, the region’s fragile coastal and marine ecosystems are under threat. In response to this, efforts and innovative solutions are urgently required as a business-as-usual scenario will likely result in the depletion of coastal and marine resources and associated socio-economic benefits. Starting in 2020, to bolster collective leadership between state, private sector, and civil society actors, GIZ’s Western Indian Ocean Governance Initiative (WIOGI) and partners supported discussions to develop a regional multi-stakeholder initiative for an Inclusive Sustainable Blue Economy in the Western Indian Ocean region. This proposal was presented and endorsed during the tenth Nairobi Convention Conference of Parties (Decision CP.10/12) in November 2021.

Drones play a pivotal role in the 3LD-Monitoring system, complementing other data collection methods.Drones are essential tools in partner countries to fortify technical skills among local staff. These skills encompass flight planning, navigation and image evaluation. The drone monitoring aims to empower project staff to capture data tailored for photogrammetric analyses, from which crucial geoinformation emerges.

The drone mapping methodology encompasses five stages, with the first two focusing on drone operations:

1. Mapping mission preparation (desktop work)
2. Mapping mission execution (fieldwork)
3. Development of Digital Surface Model (DSM) & Orthomosaic generation (desktop work)
4. Data analysis and refinement (desktop work)
5. Integration into the prevailing data system (desktop work)

Drone data aids in evaluating indicators linked to carbon/biomass, such as mortality rates and forest types. Notably, with the application of allometric equations and proper characterization of the land type, above-ground biomass estimations of trees can be determined.

Satellite data forms the bedrock of the 3LD-Monitoring system, harnessing the capabilities of open-source imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 and LANDSAT satellites. An algorithm, meticulously developed by Remote Sensing Solutions (RSS) GmbH, revolutionizes this process. Users can seamlessly submit the shapefile of their area of interest, prompting the algorithm to automatically fetch and analyze relevant data. A spectrum of robust analyses are conducted including the 5-year vegetation trend using NDVI for assessing vegetation gains or losses, 5-year vegetation moisture analysis through NDWI, and a nuanced 5-year rainfall trend evaluation. Additionally, the algorithm facilitates the visualization of vegetation changes since the inception of the project, bolstering the monitoring framework with dynamic insights. Satellite data, a vital component of the 3LDM-Monitoring system, leverages open-source imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission and LANDSAT satellites. For predefined areas, this data is automatically fetched and analyzed for specific parameters. Key analyses include a 5-year vegetation trend using NDVI as a proxy for vegetation gains or losses, a 5-year vegetation moisture trend through NDWI, and a 5-year rainfall trend. In addition vegetation changes from project start can be visualized.

The ROGS Support Team supported a diverse WIO ROGS Task Force, involving state and non-state representatives from various sectors and organisations. This inclusive forum facilitated stakeholder dialogue and collaboration, with members providing inputs directly to the ROGS and expanding regional contributions by inviting stakeholders from their networks. The Task Force, along with key stakeholders, contributed strategic and technical insights to the ROGS through Technical Dialogues and regional events.

The Collective Leadership Institute (CLI) supported the Task Force through in-person workshops and online sessions  to enhance collective leadership and collaboration. An experienced ocean governance advisor, Mr. Kieran Kelleher, played a key role in formulating strategy questions and compiling ROGS content.

The inclusive and participatory approach aimed to foster ownership, improving the quality, feasibility and credibility of the ROGS. If adopted at the next Nairobi Convention Conference of Parties, this ownership is expected to boost the strategy's implementation.