World development EnvironmentForest projects supported Marine projects supported Child
developmentProjects in Wales

We have supported Oceana one of their key campaigns, ‘Cut the Bait’ which is lobbying for a reduction in worldwide fisheries subsidies at a World Trade organisation level, and which seeks to establish strict limits and conservation standards on the world fishing industry.

The WTO multilateral trading system represents the best opportunity to address the problem of fisheries subsidies at a global scale.  The nature of fisheries as a common resource makes removing subsidies at a national or regional level difficult, as those that agree to reduce their subsidies could be disadvantaged by other parties that have the same access to the resource.  Unlike most other international organizations, WTO rules are binding, making any new measures on fisheries subsidies legally enforceable.

For more information please visit the website www.oceana.org

We have given core funding to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to establish the MSC concept in Europe and America and to develop MSC in the Asia Pacific region, and in developing countries elsewhere.

MSC is continuing to develop its vital fishery certification and eco-labeling system, which promotes sustainable fishing and seafood and has recently developed a new programme to make the MSC more accessible to small‐scale fisheries, most of which are in the developing world, and to help them to gain an increased market share in the export of seafood to the growing world market for certified sustainable fish.

If you are out shopping, look for the distinctive blue oval logo on your fish.

For more information please visit the MSC website at www.msc.org

Blue Ventures is an award-winning marine conservation organisation dedicated to conservation, education and sustainable development in tropical coastal communities.

Funding from TWF has enabled BV to develop a unique and ambitious project to demonstrate the economic benefits of marine conservation in Madagascar.

Blue Ventures has been working to develop highly-acclaimed marine conservation strategies in southern Madagascar for the past five years.  Projects have worked towards mitigating the effects of fisheries over-exploitation in one of the largest and most biodiverse coral reeds in the Indian Ocean.

Since 2003, the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) established by Blue Ventures and its community partners have demonstrated their effectiveness in improving fisheries productivity, and as a result have been replicated by coastal villages across almost 200km of coastline.  However, for this expansion to be financially sustainable and taken to a larger national or international scale, a new model for financing these projects must be developed.  With funding from TWF, Blue Ventures is developing the business case for MPA establishment by showing that investing in conservation makes sound business sense for local stakeholders.

For more information see www.blueventures.org and www.livewiththesea.org