World Ocean Day: Catalysing Action for Our Ocean and Climate

World Ocean Day, which takes place on Sunday 8 June 2025, is an important reminder of the critical role oceans play in sustaining life, economies and climate stability. This year’s theme, 'Catalysing Action for Our Ocean and Climate', highlights the need for practical, locally driven solutions to protect marine ecosystems and support coastal communities.

In this context, we are pleased to share details of our ongoing projects that contribute to this effort – each focused on building resilience, improving livelihoods, and promoting more sustainable use of marine and coastal resources.

Under our work for the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, we are working with key partners including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Milieu Consulting, 3BIO, Leibniz Institute DSMZ and Blue Pangolin Consulting to support the ratification and early implementation of the High Seas Treaty (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement).

As part of this work, IUCN are coordinating the secretariat for the BBNJ High Amibition Coalition – co-chaired by Palau, Seychelles and the European Union – a global, ambitious, high-level government led initiative working to bring protection to the biodiversity of the High Seas and help deliver on key biodiversity, ocean and climate targets, through entry into force and robust implementation of the BBNJ Treaty.

Activities under this project include the organisation of a launch event scheduled during BBNJ PrepCom 1 in New York and an event at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference taking place in Nice, France between 9-13 June 2025.

Under our work with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the 'Risk Financing Solutions and Transfer Mechanisms to Promote Climate Resilience for Ecosystems Across Project Sites in Four Developing Member Countries in Asia and the Pacific' project aims to identify and make recommendations for the applicability of sustainable financing and risk management models and approaches for coral reef ecosystems in targeted sites in four countries – namely Fiji, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands – towards increasing the climate resilience of coastal businesses, communities and their livelihoods.

The project, which is Output 4 under ADB's technical assistance 'Building Coastal Resilience through Nature-Based and Integrated Resilience Solutions – Risk Financing and Insurance Solutions in Ecosystems', is funded by the Asia-Pacific Climate Finance Fund and the Global Environment Facility.

Landell Mills is leading this project in association with Swiss Re, and other consortium partners including Rare, Konservasi Indonesia, WWF-Pacific, Sustain Value, Blue Pangolin, Blue Seeds and the University of Queensland.

The 'Risk Financing Solutions and Transfer Mechanisms to Promote Climate Resilience for Ecosystems Across Project Sites in Four Developing Member Countries in Asia and the Pacific' project aims to:

• build the case for effective coral reef protection, restoration and sustainable management.
• implement strong policies and governance approaches to underpin their protection, restoration and sustainable management.
• assess viable options for sustainable financing and risk management to address climate change related hazards, and approaches to optimise and complement the limited public funds allocated for coral reef protection and restoration.

As part of our work under this project, coral reef surveys have been conducted in selected sites covering Denarau and Suva in Fiji, Rote Ndao and Nusa Penida in Indonesia, Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape in the Philippines, and the Arnavon Community Marine Park in Solomon Islands. Other work undertaken as part of the project includes climate risk assessments, ecosystem valuations, and legal and regulatory assessments to assess the enabling conditions for coral reef finance and insurance in the selected project sites. In May 2025, the recommendations were presented to stakeholders in Siargao.