Blue Communities is a 4 year research capacity-building programme for marine planning in East and South-East (E/SE) Asia, funded by the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) of which the total value is £1.5 billion. The programme has 12 interconnected research projects, which will be actively integrated to support marine planning, and 10 cross-cutting capacity building activities.
Millions of people across the globe rely on marine and coastal ecosystems for their livelihoods: food, employment and their general well-being. However, the marine environment is under immense pressure from the multiple, and often conflicting, needs of the people that use it. In E/SE Asia, where marine activities are important contributors to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), marine spatial planning involving coordinated decision-making has been highlighted as a key requirement for a sustainable future.
Through academic-stakeholder collaborations, community co-creation and co-delivery, Blue Communities will support the development, implementation and ongoing management of initiatives that promote the sustainable use of marine resources by multiple users, whilst protecting the fragile marine ecosystems and supporting the livelihoods food security, health and well-being of the people in these coastal communities.
Key Outputs
- Established interdisciplinary and international research and stakeholder networks to continue initiatives into the future
- Ongoing bespoke training programmes
- Knowledge exchange and the co-development of planning and management tools
- Co-developed best practice guidance
- Long-term collaborations between researchers, stakeholders and regions.
- Increased experience of UK researchers addressing Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Development Assistance Committee (DAC) issues and challenges
All information retrieved from Blue Communities Research Programme. Please visit their website for further details.
Involved team members
