The Nature Conservancy to Map Ocean Wealth

In a press release dated June 17, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a CTI-CFF Development Partner, announced it will embark on a three-year initiative called “Mapping Ocean Wealth.”

The announcement was made in line with TNC’s participation at the “Our Ocean” Conference hosted by the U.S. State Department on June 16-17 in Washington, D.C.

TNC will work with a wide range of partners to quantitatively describe, map, and make widely available information about the key services the ocean provides to people. This data will guide investments and decisions to support both economic development and marine conservation.

Mapping Ocean Wealth is broadly conceived as a contribution to the Global Partnership for Oceans and will map not only dollar values but also benefits such as jobs, fish production, food security, and risk reduction.

The Global Partnership for Oceans is a growing alliance of over 140 governments, international organizations, civil society groups, and private sector interests committed to addressing threats to the health, productivity, and resilience of the ocean.

The partnership aims to tackle documented problems such as overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss. Together, these issues are contributing to the depletion of a natural resource bank that provides nutrition, livelihoods, and vital ecosystem services.