Our Ocean Conference – international commitment to our oceans

The Our Ocean Conference in Oslo provides impetus for greater commitment to protecting the oceans.

The oceans are the least protected areas on earth. The Our Ocean Conference provides impetus for greater commitment to protecting the oceans. The topics range from marine protected areas, climate change, sustainable fishing, marine pollution and the “blue economy” to maritime security. This year the conference will be organised by the Norwegian Government and will take place in Oslo from 23 to 24 October.

As in previous years, the participating countries will announce voluntary commitments and pledges to protect the world’s oceans. The commitments made by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) within the framework of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) include the following:

• a €4.8 million project to protect and strengthen the resilience of coastal seagrass ecosystems in Asia. Seagrass meadows are the most important food source for the highly-endangered dugongs (fork-tailed manatees).
• Another €5 million flow into a project in Colombia that supports the identification and designation of marine-protected areas, as well as the development of a management strategy for these zones.
• €9.2 million will be allocated to a project in the Pacific Island States to strengthen and protect coastal carbon sinks, such as mangroves, seagrass meadows and salt marshes.