Re-engineering the ocean health index

sustainability-performance

THE BACKGROUND

Oceans represent 72% of the total Earth surface, and 95% of it still remains unexplored. About 80% of our oxygen, or 4 out of every 5 breaths we take, comes from Earth’s oceans. Mangroves, trees that grow in coastal waters, store fifty times more carbon than forests. Many people also rely on oceans for survival. For example, 2.5 billion people live within 100 kilometers of the coast, where 25% of them rely on fish for daily protein. Still, we are putting unsustainable pressure on Earth’s oceans through activities such as overfishing (e.g., 100 million sharks are killed each year, one-third for their fins only), coastal urban expansion, loss of biodiversity, and marine plastic pollution. It is, therefore, crucial to be able to monitor the global health of our ocean.

THE PROJECT

The project goal was to assess the performance of the Ocean Health Index (OHI). The OHI assesses health based on 10 widely held public goals for a healthy ocean. These goals include Food Provision; Artisanal Fishing Opportunities; Natural Products; Carbon Storage; Coastal Protection; Sense of Place; Coastal Livelihoods & Economies; Tourism & Recreation; and Clean Waters. The OHI allows policymakers, managers, and the public to better understand our footprint on the ocean.

FINANCE FOR IMPACT carried out an international benchmarking study to identify best ESG practices for index creation. Our team advised Conservation International on how to redesign the index, improve the use of resources, amend the scoring algorithms, and use data aggregation techniques.

The structure of the index included specific pillars with indicators:

- Step 1: LEARN FROM DATA, COLLECT EVIDENCE Desk review, stakeholders mapping, and data collection to establish baseline to assess performance.

- Step 2: QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENT Interviews and focus group discussions.

- Step 3: Survey Perception survey with all stakeholders to assess design, usage, quality and impact of the OHI.

- Step 4: Benchmarking Benchmark against a peer group of indices. Different options from detailed analysis of all dimensions to a question level deep dive.

- Step 5: Propose actions Set or adjust the OHI strategy to close the identified performance gaps.

THE RESULTS

Conservation International gained valuable information and support from FINANCE FOR IMPACT for strengthening the impact and sustainability of the OHI. The team proposed recommendations to inform future choices and a possible adaptation of the current OHI (an action-oriented science and policymaking tool).