IUCN

The objective of this report is to identify financial product structures that have the potential to establish conservation finance in mainstream investment markets. This report focuses on investment mechanisms that activate one or more cash flows generated by the sustainable management of an ecosystem, which in part remain within the ecosystem to enable its conservation, and in part are returned to investors.

The threatened species categories used in Red Data Books and Red Lists have been in place for almost 30 years. The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria provide an easily and widely understood system for classifying species at high risk of global extinction, so as to focus attention on conservation measures designed to protect them.

Our oceans and coasts are the origin of life on earth, an important food source, and crucial for the global ecological equilibrium,  yet despite their global significance, marine and coastal ecosystems face a wide array of threats. It was in the spirit of making enhanced concerted efforts at the global, regional, national and local levels that the Blue Solutions Initiative was created.