At the UNFCCC COP26 in Glasgow, Western Indian Ocean states and partners including International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have launched the Great Blue Wall initiative to establish a network of marine and coastal conserved areas to benefit biodiversity and local livelihoods, empowering communities to become stewards of the ocean.

“If we need to keep climate emissions at 1.5oC to survive, we will need to rely on healthy oceans,” said Dr Bruno Oberle, Director General, IUCN. “The Great Blue Wall is a model for building climate resilience and livelihoods as well as managing the sustainable use and restoration of marine ecosystems worldwide.”