A coalition of philanthropic organisations has come together to launch a new marine fund to protect the oceans around Southeast Asia, an area recognised as one of the world’s richest for biodiversity, in a vital move to catalyse the region’s advance on its 30×30 goals.

Announced as world leaders lay out new plans to address the global biodiversity crisis at COP16 in Cali, Colombia this week and established by the Rumah Foundation, Oceankind, and the Asia Community Foundation, the fund seeks to provide a platform for both collaborative philanthropy and shared learning, while accelerating targets to conserve and restore 30% of the world’s land, freshwater, and oceans by 2030.

Governments, world leaders, and delegates at COP16 this week have been urged to ‘act with urgency’ to meet the targets that were first set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022, a pledge towards which global efforts have so far been wide of the mark.

To date, just four out of 11 Southeast Asian countries have joined the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, an inter-governmental coalition that aims to deliver upon this target. With less than 3% of the region’s national waters under formal protection, the 30×30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund aims to make significant contributions to the protection of 30% of Southeast Asia’s seas by the 2030 deadline.

“Ocean philanthropy stands at a pivotal crossroads, urgently calling for funders to unite in addressing the critical challenges facing marine ecosystems,” said Kathryn Tan, director of Rumah Foundation.

“With the region home to approximately a third of the world’s coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves, Southeast Asia’s marine biodiversity is remarkable both regionally and globally. By supporting the 30×30 goal, funders can play a vital role in safeguarding the livelihoods of millions and the ecosystems that sustain them, while also contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

The 30×30 Southeast Asia Fund will, therefore, operate to fulfil three core objectives: creating new marine protected and conserved areas, expanding coverage of existing marine protected and conserved areas, and strengthening the effective management of them.

Quite unique to this coalition will be its efforts to extend its impact beyond the traditional systems of Marine Protected Areas to include other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), Indigenous and Traditional Territories, Locally Managed Marine Areas, and other relevant designation and conservation efforts. 

Just how vital such protections are for communities across the region cannot be oversold. Millions across Southeast Asia rely on ocean-based livelihoods and the maintained health of some of the world’s most biodiverse hotspots. It’s therefore been underscored that the equitable scale-up of marine protection across the region is essential, to ensure that a people-centred conservation approach is adopted to benefit Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

To make the plans a success, a large emphasis has been placed on the engagement of local people in their local communities. 

Mariko Powers, programme officer at Oceankind, said: “We believe that investing in local capacity to drive ocean protection is key to achieving 30×30 and that the Impact Fund represents an incredible opportunity to channel resources to impactful projects, civil society champions, and strong local organisations toward these ends.”

Globally, Oceankind’s conservation portfolio is centred around efforts to reduce overfishing, establish marine protections, and safeguard critical ocean ecosystems such as blue carbon habitats. In a similar vein, the Rumah Foundation has a humanitarian portfolio dedicated to empowering marginalised communities by focusing on critical areas, such as refugee support, poverty alleviation, and community development.

The 30×30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund has been launched as an ‘open to interest’ initiative, encouraging local actors and conservation practitioners alongside regional and global funders to join the cause.

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