We are proud to announce the publication of the scientific paper, “Building equitable and nature-positive blue natural capital markets,” in Cell Reports Sustainability, to which One Ocean Foundation has contributed. The article explores how blue natural capital markets can be developed as credible, inclusive, and effective tools to support ocean conservation and sustainable development.
From dialogue to action
The publication builds on the outcomes of a high-level roundtable organised by One Ocean Foundation in June 2024 at SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan. The event brought together leading experts from science, business, international organisations, and policy to co-develop a shared roadmap for the creation of a robust Blue Natural Capital Market (BNCM).
Through interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration, participants identified the critical conditions, governance structures, and enabling factors needed to move blue natural capital markets from conceptual discussion to real-world implementation.
Why blue natural capital markets matter
The paper highlights the critical importance of blue natural capital — the marine and coastal ecosystems that sustain both environmental health and human well-being. Ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes, and coral reefs provide essential services, including carbon sequestration, coastal protection, fisheries support, biodiversity conservation, cultural value, and livelihoods for local communities. Despite their immense ecological and socio-economic contributions, these benefits are still largely undervalued by markets and insufficiently protected by policy frameworks.
The paper explores how blue natural capital markets can help address this gap. By creating incentives for the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems, these market mechanisms have the potential to generate measurable environmental outcomes while supporting sustainable and inclusive economic development.
Key challenges for blue natural capital markets
The authors also identify the key challenges that must be addressed to ensure blue natural capital markets are effective, transparent, and equitable, including market design, valuation methodologies, governance frameworks, credibility and impact measurement, as well as social equity and benefit sharing mechanisms.
To respond to these challenges, the paper proposes a set of solutions aimed at fostering inclusive and sustainable market systems for blue carbon and other marine ecosystem services.
A shared vision for the future
The paper delivers a clear message: private capital can play a critical role in closing the nearly $1 trillion annual nature finance gap — but only if nature markets are designed correctly.
This requires recognising the value of ecosystem services, not nature itself, ensuring Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are active participants and beneficiaries, and adopting credible metrics that capture carbon, biodiversity, social, cultural, and well-being outcomes. It also calls for strong public policy, effective regulatory oversight, and greater international coordination to ensure these markets are transparent, equitable, and scalable.
