The blue economy offers significant opportunities to improve livelihoods for all and sustainable urban development. Indeed, the contribution of the blue economy to land value in cities and the broad range of direct and indirect livelihood and economic opportunities are obvious.While it offers economic opportunities to all income levels, sandy beaches attract numerous tourism related activities such as leisure accommodation and water sports. With only investing 0.2 percent of total GDP in “greening” the tourism sector could result in 7 percent additional growth, like seen in Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand. The scale and nature of these economic activities typically create proportional environmental impact and cost and given the frequent fragility of coastal zones and oceans; this needs careful management to ensure sustainability.

The concept of Blue Economy (BE) is recognized as central for sustainable development that incorporates socio-economic benefits and ecological conservation. However, in Africa, much of the emphasis on BE is placed on economic gains; as a result, traditional livelihoods and small-scale local operations are outcompeted by international corporations and government initiatives, with little or no regard for social inclusion and environmental sustainability. successful BE initiatives in Africa accentuate the involvement of local communities and promote sustenance of the natural ecosystem. Success in terms of the sustainability balance among ecological, social, and economic aspects.

The sustainability of energy and mineral resources within and around water bodies is important in the public discourse on the blue economy. With increasing primary energy demand across the key fuels (oil, coal, gas, biomass, nuclear, hydro, and other renewables), the whole subject of energy efficiency becomes a critical driver for sustained blue economy developments. Many countries and especially Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and SIDS rely directly on oceans, lakes, seas, and other water bodies which are the backbone of their existence. Sustainable marine energy exploration and development can play a vital role in social and economic growth, as well as in offering realistic climate adaptation and mitigation alternatives.

Food security involves food availability (production, food imports and food stocks) access to food (business, food stocks, employment /social protection), as well as food utilization (food and nutrition interventions for vulnerable groups /nutrition education). Further, the affordability of food promotes good societal health. Sustainable fisheries, maricultural and aquaculture are well placed to meaningfully contribute to the achievement of this objective. Climate change has increased the vulnerability of poor people and is compromising food security. Addressing availability and access to food and nutrition involves market-based economic development (inputs, outputs, finance, aquatic resources, and land), decentralization and price stabilization, as well as support to communities to withstand shocks and strengthen their resilience

The Nature Conservancy works to keep marine habitats healthy, while bringing degraded ones back to life. We work with partners like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States to restore important marine habitats, as well as with other governmental agencies around the world. Through our coral reef resilience program, our global shellfish restoration work and interactive decision support to aid recovery and restoration efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, our goal is to increase the protection of 35 percent of the world’s coral reefs and 80 percent of oyster reefs. From shellfish reefs, sea grasses and kelp beds to mangroves, coral reefs, and salt marsh estuaries – coastal ecosystems are vitally important to people around the world, providing food and jobs as well as protecting communities from storm damage. Some habitats, like coral and shellfish reefs, are especially important to ocean health and human well-being. These habitats are also extremely threatened: Globally 85 percent of oyster reefs have been lost and 70 percent of coral reefs are threatened.

With the maturing of ICM, its scope has expanded to include regional or transnational projects and programs. Inherent linkages among terrestrial and ocean processes have led to several regional ocean initiatives; 16 regional action plans have been formally adopted as of 2001 under the UN’s Regional Seas Program. Each plan focuses on the unique problems of its region. For example, the East Asian Seas region has tackled problems of coastal aquaculture, fisheries exploitation, coral reef restoration, and resource extraction, using an ecoregion approach. Nations in the Western Indian Ocean region, where 70% of the African continent earn their living from natural resources, focus on simultaneously alleviating poverty and conserving natural resources. These developing regions promote sustainable livelihoods to meet both conservation and development goals.

Natural and man-made hazards include, for instance, droughts, desertification, floods, fires, earthquakes, and dispersion of radioactive gases in the atmosphere. They have significant social, environmental, and economic impacts. Natural hazards are those resulting from an adverse interaction between a natural process and human society or its man-made environment. For most communities, natural hazards are the primary concern of disaster managers. Natural hazards that may be faced by a community are dictated largely by the climate, geography, geology, and land use practices of that community.

Transportation in general and maritime transport remains the backbone of the world globalized economy. As the cheapest mode for bulk transportation with over 90 percent by volume and 70 percent by value of global trade, shipping and seaports are at the forefront of globalization. Therefore, maritime transport and related developments in transport technologies play a crucial role in the global economy. In Sweden maritime transport is estimated to handle about 90 percent of international trade and Pakistan can show a similar high dependence on shipping for the foreign trade to support various land locked countries in the region. Shipping, i.e., the ownership of the ships that carry merchandise, has become one of the most international activities in the world. Globalized production and distribution of goods require effective logistics with shippers focusing more on balancing inventory holding costs against transportation costs. Maritime transport services create job opportunities in among other areas, shipping, ship building and repairs, vessel registration, seafaring, port operations, insurance, shore based auxiliary support and financial services.

Water plays a vital role in life sustenance on earth and will become increasingly critical in the future given the continuing population growth and economic development. There is growing and conflicting demand for water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes in the face of water scarcity, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to water, and habitat destruction and pollution, all of which affect water quality and quantity. The availability of and access to water has become one of the most important challenges that countries face today, and water resource management has become a major priority in most countries where water supply shortage is threatening their development. The ecosystem-based management approach ensures an integrated and holistic approach to the management of river basins down to the coastal and marine areas. This involves protection of forests, watersheds, wetlands, surface water (rivers, lakes, streams) and groundwater aquifers to ensure adequate water supply and acceptable water quality.

The cumulative release of pollutants to oceans and water bodies from point and non-point sources greatly affects the growth of blue economy. Specifically, non-sustainable agricultural activities along the water bodies promote increased pollution in freshwater bodies, seas, and oceans. The effects of pollution on oceans include depletion of oxygen content in the water, toxicity of the marine environment, contamination of food chains, hazard to human and aquatic health, hindrances to marine activities, disruption to reproductive systems and cycle of coral reefs, impairment of quality for use of water and reduction of amenities. Large algal blooms lead to very low levels of oxygen in water, killing fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants.

The problem of marine litter into oceans is another major source of pollution. The World Economic Forum projects that in 2050, dumping of plastics into the oceans will be over 8 million tons per year resulting in more plastics than fish in the oceans. It’s estimated that over 10 percent of the total ocean contamination is caused by lost or discarded fishing gear which can result in entanglement and death of marine mammals and other aquatic organisms.