LocationsUNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge Spans Fishing Nets to Coconut Husks
Innovation Is an Ecosystem That Needs Support
September 27, 2024
A pile of coconut husks ready to be processed into fiber at the factory.
Photo: David Cutler/Fortuna Cools
Based in a storied maritime country with a long heritage of ocean exploration, Sweden’s international development co-operation agency Sida is a natural fit with UNDP’s Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC). Launched in 2020, the OIC supports ocean innovations that contribute to the achievement of SDG 14 – Life Below Water, which aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. OIC Projects contribute more broadly to the rest of the 2030 Agenda and the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“Our innovators change lives, working on gender, youth and livelihood issues as well as the technological innovations which other programmes might have as their sole focus” says OIC Manager Mary Matthews.
Cox's Bazar, Chittagong Division, Bangladesh.
Photo: Didarul Islam/Pexels
Supported by Swedish and Norwegian development agencies Sida and Norad, the OIC has just completed its fourth round of calls for innovative ideas to support blue economies and sustainable fisheries, protect marine biodiversity, and address marine pollution. The scheme offers much more than material support – successful innovators benefit from technical and management mentoring, aid for communications and promotions, and access to capital.
“Innovation comes out of necessity” said Mary Matthews, speaking at World Water Week in Stockholm. “Innovation is an ecosystem that needs support like any other. We need to help our developing country innovators pilot, scale and replicate all the transformational ideas that are out there, and there are so many for us to support and incubate and see them spread all over the world.”
Coconut farmer in the Philippines.
Photo: Fortuna Cools
Ranging from upcycled coconut husks, to extending the useful life of fishing nets, to protecting biodiversity in coral reefs, the three projects described here illustrate the breadth of imaginative innovations that OIC supports, out of the 36 initiatives selected in the challenges.
Fortuna Cools aims to solve two problems with one solution and have transformed the landscape of sustainability and livelihoods in the Philippines, their first country of operation. Fortuna upcycles waste coconut husks (which otherwise would be burned) into insulated fresh fish cooler boxes (which otherwise would be produced from polystyrene foam with big CO2 and plastic waste footprints). Now looking to expand into Viet Nam and Thailand, Fortuna has diverted over 400,000 coconut husks from burn pits, prevented 400 tonnes of plastic foam pollution, and 600 tonnes of CO2 emissions during their two year OIC involvement. More than 1,000 fisher families enjoy improved livelihoods, and more than 1,200 coolers have been sold.
“Fortuna joined OIC with zero, and wants to reach 250,000 sales in 5 years and 2 million in 10 years” comments Ahmed Elseoud, OIC Project Management Mentor.
A fresh fish cooler box upcycled from discarded coconut husks.
Photo: Fortuna Cools
In Somalia, the extensive coastline has the potential to transform the economy through a sustainable Blue Economy, relying on fishing techniques passed down for generations. The equipment carries a high price tag – a new gill net costs from $400 to $600, but a lack of time and resources limits essential net repairs and maintenance. OIC innovator the African Development Trust is releasing an untapped resource by training an initial 20 women from the coastal communities of southwest Somalia who were traditionally not involved in this work.
“This innovative approach challenges traditional gender roles, creating new opportunities for women in the maritime sector, enabling them to support their families and contributing to a stronger and more inclusive Somali economy” explains Abdurazak Mohamed of the African Development Trust.
This pilot will be replicated to other fishing communities in Somalia to improve family livelihoods and reduce poverty, leading to a broader transformation of cultural perceptions around female contributions to the economy.
Photo: Somalia African Development
In Bangladesh, St. Martin Island is unique – it has the country’s only coral bed. The country has designated the site a Marine Protected Area, but MPAs are notoriously difficult to make effective, because each site has its own special context and requirements. OIC supports the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s SEA Success project, which connects St. Martin’s islanders with hand-picked international experts from Thailand, Malaysia and Cabo Verde to build their expertise on topics such as turtle habitats and coral reef conservation and restoration. The Cabo Verde project has achieved significant impacts which St Martin hopes to emulate – the West African project benefits 12,000 inhabitants and has avoided the emission of about 69,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The project aims to prevent 930,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over the next 20 years.
“These sites face diverse challenges that require tailored solutions to maintain the health and productivity of the ocean and enable sustainable use of their marine resources” says IUCN’s Marie Fischborn.
The initiative, alongside a sister project in Thailand, continues and there is the prospect of scaling up to other countries.
Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Phi Phi National Park, Thailand.
Photo: Sean Chinn/Ocean Image Bank
“OIC shows that providing a wrap-around package of mentoring, communications and promotion support, and access to capital greatly increases the impact of any funds we provide. And the support need not be only top-down – OIC arranges innovator-to-innovator peer mentoring, and we’re looking forward to the growth of the OIC Alumni Group where innovators support each other, cross-fertilizing experience from one initiative to another. We are positive about UNDP continuing to develop the concept of challenge funds, as a means to mobilise private resources, based on the learning from this experience.” says Maria Vink, Senior Programme Specialist, Water Security at Sida.
Innovators from the early cohorts of OIC have already brought in external funding to continue their work. OIC also supports entrepreneurship in the private sector and the local economy through a tailored mentoring strategy to connect innovators with the necessary capital to support their projects. This helps them identify and apply for grants, develop compelling pitch decks and elevator pitches, and source strategic investors and partners.
“We are wrong to think people have to be well-educated and from developed countries to know how to solve problems. Smart people are all over the world, regardless of their background.” concludes Mary Matthews. “Our approach would work to incubate innovation on virtually anything anywhere. It democratizes development and opens the door to fresh ideas and optimism from smart innovators everywhere.”
