THE OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTRALIA TO CREATE AN ABUNDANT AND SUSTAINABLE OCEAN… AND ECONOMY

THE PROBLEM

The environmental and socioeconomic challenges facing the ocean have reached a critical level. Decades of mismanagement combined with a rapidly growing population and the ever increasing threats posed by climate change place the long-term health of the ocean on a delicate precipice. 

Major challenges include overfishing, plastic pollution, habitat and biodiversity loss, unsustainable coastal development, stormwater and agricultural pollution and a range of climate change impacts including increased ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, ocean acidification and coral reef degradation. 

We are at a key juncture in time - a time for vision and strong leadership. A time for collaboration and collective action at a scale not previously seen. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

Australia can be, and should be, a world leader when it comes to ocean solutions and a sustainable ocean economy. Australia is an ocean nation with all of the ingredients to be a breeding ground for ground-breaking ideas and ocean solutions. 

Australia is a land girt by sea. We are a nation of swimmers, surfers, beachgoers and ocean lovers. The ocean is part of the very fabric of what makes Australians Australian. Saltwater runs through our veins. 

Australia is home to the UNESCO World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef: estimated to contribute $6.4billion AUD to the Australian economy annually. It’s also home to other ocean icons such as The Great Southern Reef, Ningaloo Reef and one of the most productive and pristine ocean areas left on the planet in the Great Australian Bight. 

In geographic terms, Australia has the third largest marine jurisdiction of any nation on earth - 13.6 million km , extending from the tropics to Antarctica and including vast areas of the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. It has 60,000 km of coastline and more than 85% of Australia’s population lives within 50 km of the coast. Yet 75% of Australia’s marine estate is yet to be explored. 

In addition to its natural spoils and geographic advantages, Australia has a national network of globally respected marine industry and research organisations with world class infrastructure and important international collaborations. 

By 2025, Australia’s marine industries will contribute around $100 billion per annum to our economy, more than doubling its contribution of $47.2 billion in 2012. Over the next decade, Australia’s blue economy is set to grow at 7.5 per cent per annum, far outstripping the projected 2.5 per cent growth rate of Australia’s GDP.  

The value of Australia’s ocean’s ecosystem services, such as climate regulation, temperature and freshwater variability, carbon dioxide absorption, nutrient cycling, coastal protection and oxygen production, are estimated to be worth a further $25 billion per annum.  

The challenge for Australia is providing for this anticipated level of growth sustainably whilst also contributing as part of the international community to the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) targets. In order to do this Australia needs to shift gears in a new environmental era, from a history of over reliance on resource extraction to exploring new environmentally sustainable growth opportunities. We need to become an attractive destination for impact investors. We also need to respond to consumer demand about how their funds are invested. 

Australia is in a premier position to invest in developing an ocean impact startup & innovation ecosystem. The long term environmental, social and financial benefits could be enormous. It will require vision, leadership and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Most importantly it will require an organisation to pull together the disparate ecosystem parts and manage the long term development and growth of the ecosystem. 

THE SOLUTION

Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO), a not-for-profit organisation, is building an ecosystem which is educational, inspirational and innovative: a multi-disciplinary ecosystem of founders, startups, SME's, marine experts, business mentors, industry partners, corporates, research institutions, marine organisations, media organisations, not-for-profit partners, investors and philanthropists all coming together to create solutions that will ensure the long term sustainability of the ocean, waterways and environment. An ecosystem that is solution, technology and industry agnostic, and where the glue that holds the ecosystem together is simply a burning passion to protect what people love.

OUR OBJECTIVES

• Establish Australia as a world leader in ocean solutions 

• Accelerate 100 ocean impact startups within 5 years 

• Drive investment of $100mil into ocean impact ventures within 5 years 

• Raise awareness of major ocean challenges and bring them into the mainstream consciousness 

• Drive business success metrics away from financial only and towards financial and measurable positive environmental impacts or "financial through environmental impact"

OUR CORE VALUES

• We believe in ocean protection and conservation so that future generations may enjoy the ocean as a source of abundance and inspiration. 

• We believe in the potential of the ocean to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

• We believe in the power of business as a source for good. 

• We believe in an inclusive and sustainable economy where profits and growth are seen as a means to greater outcomes for communities, employees and the environment.

LEADERSHIP, INSPIRATION AND INNOVATION

Leadership is traditionally thought of as flowing from the top down. However, to address the multifaceted and interrelated challenges we face, it's essential that we become leaders in our own communities. Looking to the future, young people in particular recognise that social, economic and human rights issues are inextricably linked to a sustainable and healthy environment. Not only do we have a right to live in a healthy environment, but the environment itself is a rights holder, and in this sense, we are its duty bearers. 

An evolving communications landscape also means we are more connected than ever. With amplified networking opportunities, the ability to share skills and experiences and open avenues for creative, innovative, cross-industry solutions to environmental challenges has never been greater and developing at an exponential rate. We have greater access to information than ever before, and greater propensity to develop technologies rapidly and with far reaching impacts. 

Communication shapes culture, which has the power to in turn influence policy and business. A prerequisite for good business in the ocean economy is the fundamental acknowledgement that the ocean underpins life on earth. It is with this in mind that Ocean Impact Organisation is positioning itself not only as an innovation and acceleration ecosystem for ocean impact startups and SME's, but as a creative communicator that elevates the conversation about the relationship between ocean health and good business. 

We are not only looking to boost investment, but to generate a global movement of grassroots action with the message being that multifaceted challenges demand multifaceted solutions, and there is no shortage of room at the table for anyone who has a new idea. Creative solutions are unlimited, and we aim to highlight these entrepreneurs, change makers and creative people in their work, whatever angle they are approaching the solution from. While we live in a time of great challenges, we also live in a time of unprecedented innovation and human ingenuity.

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