The blue ocean, covering 71% of the earth’s surface area, is the largest ecosystem on this planet and provides a variety of ecosystem services to human beings, including food supply, livelihood and employment, natural resources, tourism and recreation, biodiversity, clean water, carbon sink and climate change adaptation. The coastal habitats particularly, can provide the surrounding local communities with ecological safety barrier functions such as climate disaster prevention and mitigation. According to the Nobel Prize winning economist Dr. Elinor Ostrom and her research team, the ecosystem services provide by the Earth’s nature worth a total of $33 trillion USD, of which the oceans provide more than $23 trillion in value. However, nowadays with the rapid socio-economic development, the oceans are facing an unprecedented crisis under the combined pressure of the impacts of human activities and the climate change effects.
President Xi of PRC has suggested that “We need to care for the ocean as we treasure our lives.” The Ministry of Natural Resources of PRC has proposed 16 Principles for Blue Partnership in 2020 (Conserve the Marine Ecosystems, Tackle Climate Change, Reduce Marine Pollution, Sustainable Use of Marine Resources, Thrive Blue Economy, Strengthen Guidance of Technological Innovation, Implement Integrated Management, Contribute Solutions, Reinforce Capacity Building, Adhere to Openness and Inclusiveness, Welcome Multi-party Participation, Encourage Voluntary Commitments, Take Collective Actions, Promote Legislative Governance, Share Development Outcomes, and Safeguard Intergenerational Equity) to promote the harmonious development of people and the sea and advance the construction of ecological civilization.
In order to promote Blue Partnership Principles, SEE Foundation, together with Ant Foundation and other social welfare forces, launched the Blue Partnership Action Fund (BPAF). By enhancing cooperation among stakeholders, including civil society organizations, private enterprises, research institutes, international organizations, and national governments agencies,
SEE Foundation was established by the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE) Conservation, which is dedicated to funding and supporting the growth of private environmental public welfare organizations in China, creating a socialized conservation platform for entrepreneurs, environmental public welfare organizations and the public to jointly promote ecological conservation and sustainable development. By 2021, SEE Foundation has directly or indirectly supported the work of over 900 Chinese private environmental charity organizations or individuals, with public welfare spending of over 1.1 billion yuan, and has influenced and motivated nearly 800 million people to become supporters and participants of environmental protection.
Ant Foundation is a non-public foundation initiated by Ant Technology Group Co., Ltd. and was officially registered in April 2019 at the Civil Affairs Department of Zhejiang Province. It was rated as a 5A social organization in the evaluation of social organizations in Zhejiang Province in 2021. The mission of Ant Foundation is to promote technological innovation to solve social problems and bring more universal benefits and development opportunities to the world. The Foundation’s key focus areas include digital inclusion and inclusiveness, green sustainable development, rural revitalization, exploration and innovation, and emergency response and disaster relief.
