The initiative aligns with the global 30×30 conservation goals, which aim to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
Jakarta, Indonesia – A new financial model is poised to change the future of ocean conservation. Rare, a global leader in community-driven conservation, has officially launched the implementation of the Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) Impact Bond—the first of its kind designed to revitalize coastal ecosystems and empower small-scale fishing communities.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
This innovative approach mobilizes private, public, and philanthropic capital to create three new Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The initiative aligns with the global 30×30 conservation goals, which aim to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
Scaling Sustainable Finance for the Ocean
The official launch of the SSF Impact Bond took place in Jakarta at the Waves of Change: Sustainable Financing Models for Ocean Conservation in Indonesia event. The gathering drew stakeholders from across the conservation, financial, and policy sectors, all rallying behind the potential to scale this model across Southeast Asia and beyond.
Rare’s initiative represents a paradigm shift in conservation financing, proving that private investment can be a force for sustainability. Instead of relying solely on government grants or donor funding, the SSF Impact Bond attracts impact investors who provide upfront capital. Their investment is repaid by outcome funders—organizations that commit to paying for measurable conservation results.
The SSF Impact Bond provides financing for community-led fisheries management, helping to:
- Strengthen sustainable fishing practices
- Protect marine biodiversity
- Improve the livelihoods of coastal communities
- Ensure formal recognition of small-scale fishers
The project’s financial model aligns incentives across stakeholders, ensuring that conservation efforts deliver tangible environmental and social benefits while offering returns to investors.
A Global Initiative with Local Impact
Rare has a 50-year history of driving social change for conservation across 60 countries. With this pilot program, which was introduced at COP28 in Dubai, Rare is now expanding its efforts in Indonesia, a country with one of the world’s largest and most biodiverse marine ecosystems.
By integrating financial innovation with community-led conservation, the SSF Impact Bond supports Indonesia’s national commitments to sustainable fisheries and marine protection.
This groundbreaking initiative is backed by a coalition of visionary investors and funders who are reshaping conservation finance:
- The Pershing Square Philanthropies
- Minderoo Foundation
- Builders Initiative
- UK DEFRA through the
- Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance
- Walton Family Foundation
- Milkywire
- Rumah Group & Foundation
Their collective support demonstrates a bold commitment to innovative financing that prioritizes both environmental sustainability and economic resilience.
Lead image courtesy of Quangpraha from pixabay (Fishermen On The Shore At Dawn)
You may also be interested in :
The 30×30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund: A New Hope For Marine Conservation Announced At COP16
