Goal: Catalyze the creation of about 148,000 km² of new ocean conservation areas and improve the management of 238,000 km² of existing ones

The Blue Nature Alliance is partnering with The Nature Conservancy and the Benguela Current Convention Secretariat to form the Blue Benguela Partnership. This partnership will work across the region to strengthen ocean governance frameworks, identify sustainable financing opportunities, assist in the development of a capacity development program, and support regional surveillance efforts to help combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.  

The cold nutrient-rich waters of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) serve as a hotspot for marine biodiversity and food production. Spanning Angola, Namibia, and South Africa’s west coast, the region is home to 20+ commercial fish species, numerous marine mammals, and an array of seabirds, including cape gannets, African penguins, crowned cormorants, and more. The Benguela Current supports the economies of all three countries through a range of activities including fisheries, diamond mining, marine transport, tourism and oil/gas production. Sustained health and protection of the ecosystem is essential for the region’s continued development and prosperity. 

Since the mid-1990s, the Republics of Angola, Namibia and South Africa committed to the joint management and sustainable use of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME). This commitment was formalized through a 2014-ratified Benguela Current Convention (BCC), establishing a permanent legally binding intergovernmental organization for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the BCLME. Following almost three decades of investment, the region is ready to participate in the global 30×30 ambition to increase both the coverage and quality of ocean conservation. By realizing these goals, the BCC and member states can inspire similar management schemes across Africa and beyond.    

Together with our local partners, the Blue Nature Alliance is undertaking an approach that involves a combination of national level interventions in each of the three member countries as well as an overarching set of regional interventions to support the ocean conservation areas across the BCLME. Region-wide initiatives include strengthening ocean governance frameworks, identifying sustainable financing opportunities, and supporting regional surveillance efforts to help combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.