Background
The OCPP is a UK-led programme funded through the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund. The Blue Planet Fund is financed through the UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget and is supporting developing countries to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty.
Bilateral partnerships under the OCPP are primarily delivered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (Cefas), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The OCPP also makes funding contributions to the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) and Friends of Ocean Action (FOA). GOAP partners with ODA-eligible countries to calculate and account for the value that a healthy ocean brings to their economies, by supporting them to develop ocean natural capital accounts. FOA is hosted by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the World Resources Institute, which brings together ocean leaders from a wide range of sectors to encourage action and investment into sustainable ocean projects.
Impact statement of OCPP
Partner countries are better able to address challenges to their marine environments and biodiversity, enhance marine dependent livelihoods, and improve the wellbeing of those that depend on them, sustainably, equitably and inclusively.
The OCPP is providing demand-led technical assistance in marine science to partner countries, supporting them to overcome challenges that threaten marine environments and the livelihoods that depend on them.
The programme is working across three themes, recognising the interdependencies:
- Marine Pollution: The OCPP is supporting countries to be equipped with the skills and expertise needed to tackle, reduce and mitigate marine pollution through the development of science-led policy. By improving our understanding of the impacts of pollution, as well as identifying and supporting effective responses, we are making sure that communities are better equipped to prevent and manage marine pollution. This will improve health and livelihoods.
- Sustainable Seafood: The OCPP is supporting the development of the skills and expertise needed to adopt sustainable seafood practices. This will reduce risks such as the spread of zoonotic diseases from unsustainable or unsafe activities, and will support trade in safe seafood.
The programme will also help crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by supporting the development of better management, monitoring and enforcement capabilities. - Marine Biodiversity: The OCPP is helping countries to develop the skills and expertise needed to establish designated, well-managed and enforced marine protected areas. This work will support healthy ecosystems with thriving biodiversity and fisheries that communities rely on for food and livelihoods.
The programme aims to achieve these objectives by strengthening marine science expertise, developing evidence-based policy and management tools, and creating educational resources for coastal communities.
Marine Biodiversity Theme Ambition
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can help address the twin threats of biodiversity loss and climate change. Evidence has also shown that MPAs can effectively contribute to poverty reduction by improving capture fisheries beyond their boundaries, supporting the creation of jobs in trades such as tourism, and improving governance and stewardship of the marine environment.
Under the marine biodiversity theme, the OCPP is partnering with countries who wish to develop, or further improve upon, MPAs and MPA networks, building capacity to enable sound and robust decision making on MPAs.
Our work will:
- Increase understanding of the value of MPAs in supporting sustainable livelihoods, food security, health and well-being;
- Increase understanding of MPA theory and practise, including evidence gathering, identification, selection, monitoring and assessment of MPAs;
- Increase support and compliance for MPAs with stakeholders;
- Enhance capability and drive within countries to sustainably manage, monitor and assess conservation activities in the future.
Delivery
Currently the OCPP is working with the following countries:
- Belize
- Maldives
- Sri Lanka
- Senegal
- Ghana
- Mozambique
- Solomon Islands
- Vanuatu
- Madagascar
Additional Work
General: The OCPP Biodiversity Team have collated information on MPA management effectiveness tools into this document to support the MPA community. Topics included in the document are: MPA assessments in relation to MPA implementation, different protected area management effectiveness (PAME) methods that can be used for individual MPAs and/or network-level assessments, benefits of PAME assessments, the PAME process and methods, a deep dive into the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT-4), and some case studies of METT-4 assessments carried out under the OCPP. To view this document please visit the Resource Hub.
India: In 2022/2023, the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) was invited to provide advice to support the designation process for the Mugli-Apsarkonda Marine Sanctuary (also known as Karwar Marine Park or the Mugali Marine Protected Area), which will be situated in the Uttara Kannada district within the Karnataka region of the Arabian Sea. Two reports were produced as part of this process and are available on the Resource Hub.
Published: .