24
GEF/UNEP Blue Forests Project
One of the Marine Division’s most significant strategic
project developments is the proposal for the GEF Blue
Forests Project. This four-year project, expected to begin
in the first quarter of 2014, will be implemented by UNEP
26
and executed by GRID-Arendal. It aims to provide a bet-
ter understanding of natural coastal carbon sequestration
and storage and other coastal ecosystem service values,
and explores how these values can be utilized for im-
proved and sustainable ecosystem management.
Core project partners
27
held their first formal meeting in
January 2013. The responsibilities and expectations of each
project partner and component were discussed, and a plan
of action for incorporating them into the project proposal
was agreed. Project consultations continued through 2013,
and the Full-Sized Proposal (FSP) has now been finalized
for submission by UNEP to the GEF. Additional project
partners and funding were secured during 2013, including
the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)
28
and the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data
26.
http://www.unep.org/27.
Blue Ventures, Conservation International,
Duke University,
GRID-Arendal, the
Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries,International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC),
and the
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)28.
http://www.noaa.gov/Initiative (AGEDI),
29
which together bring approximately
USD11 million in co-financing to the project.
30
AGEDI’s co-
finance includes the entire Abu Dhabi Blue Carbon Demon-
stration Project managed by GRID-Arendal (see below), as
a ‘featured intervention’ of the GEF project. Other interven-
tions of the Blue Forests Project include those planned in
Indonesia, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Ecuador. Rep-
lication and up-scaling activities are planned globally with
targeted activities planned in Central America and Kenya.
During 2013 GRID-Arendal represented the GEF Blue
Forests Project in the monthly Eye on Oceans and Blue
Carbon
31
partner calls, a Special Initiative of the Eye on
Earth Summit,
32
managed by AGEDI and UNEP. Since July
2013 GRID-Arendal has produced ‘Bluepages’, a bi-weekly
newsletter for the Blue Forests Project intended to keep all
partners updated on the progress of the project and up to
date with relevant news and events.
29.
http://www.agedi.ae/30. Other partners brought into the Blue Forests Project in 2013
include the
South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA),
Stockholm University,
Charles Darwin University, and
Blue Climate Solutions(a project of
The Ocean Foundation). Also, in September
2013, GRID-Arendal engaged with Washington,DC-based GEF
Blue Forests Project partners and Blue Carbon interests, including
UNEP-RONA,
World Bank’s Global Partnership for Oceans,
NOAA,
U.S. Department of State,
The Ocean Foundation,
Restore America’s Estuaries, and the
Marine Conservation Institute.31.
http://www.eyeonearthsummit.org/special-initiative-blue-carbon32.
http://www.eyeonearthsummit.org/Geographic reach of the GEF/UNEP Blue Forests Project though the small-scale interventions, replication and
up-scaling activities, and other project components.