SDG 14 – Life below Water

The challenge of marine protection

At the beginning of 2020 British researchers took an unusual approach: they named a newly discovered amphipod species “Eurythenes plasticus” because they found plastic in its body. Scientists at Newcastle University discovered this species at one of the deepest points on earth, in the Mariana Trench. The discovery shows that even there, living creatures accumulate plastic. To draw attention to the state of the oceans and the alarming consequences of the plastic deluge, the researchers integrated the word plastic into the name of the amphipod. They wanted to send a strong message against marine pollution.

After all, the world’s oceans are under severe pressure for a number of reasons: they are polluted, littered, overfished, their species richness is massively compromised. Mangrove forests, sea grass meadows and coral reefs are being lost at breathtaking speed. And climate change is putting even more pressure on the oceans.

Yet the marine ecosystem provides invaluable services. Without the oceans, which cover over 70% of our planet, life on earth in its present form would not be possible. Oceans regulate the climate, produce about half of our oxygen and store around a quarter of global CO₂ emissions. They also absorb most of the additional heat generated by the man-made greenhouse effect. Furthermore, they are home to the greatest biodiversity on the planet and play a vital role in feeding the world. They provide natural resources, serve as trade routes and ultimately as places of recreation. Marine ecosystems are irreplaceable – as are terrestrial ones.

The two SDGs on life on land (SDG 15) and life below water (SDG 14), together with SDG 6 (drinking water) and SDG 13 (climate), are of central importance: without sustainable life on land and in water, human existence is not possible, nor is the achievement of all other sustainable development goals. This is why the international community adopted the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) with 23 specific goals at the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in Montreal. Among other things, this provides for at least 30% of land and marine areas to be protected by 2030. The UN Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), signed in 2023, will for the first time regulate the conservation and sustainable use of marine areas that lie beyond national jurisdiction and make up around two thirds of the world's oceans.

However, progress in establishing and successfully managing marine protected areas, combating illegal fishing and supporting small-scale farmers and fishermen is not progressing as quickly or to the extent required to achieve the 2030 target. SDG 14 is one of the most underfunded goals of all; the global financing gap is estimated at USD 150 billion per year. With its projects and initiatives in the field of marine conservation, KfW is helping to close this gap.

For a long time, oceans were regarded as a kind of substitute rubbish dump where waste could be disposed of without having to worry. This attitude has longe since changed, but economically disadvantaged countries in particular often lack a regulated wastewater and waste disposal system. In many places, waste and wastewater still end up untreated in the ocean, endangering fish and seabirds, and ultimately landing on people’s plates via the food chain. Added to this is the sharp increase in the consumption of single-use plastic products and packaging worldwide.

An estimated 150 million tonnes of plastic waste are already in the oceans today, another 5 to 12 million tonnes are added annually. In the North Pacific, there is now floating a garbage patch three times the size of France – with an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic. If we do not change our current practices, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans – based on weight. The price we pay is high: not only are valuable materials lost that could be recycled, but the costs of the environmental and health damage are enormous and can hardly be quantified.

Because the bulk of the rubbish comes from land, this is where the protection of the oceans has to start. Systematic and circular waste and wastewater systems and treatment plants are needed to stop marine littering. KfW has long been committed to this with its projects, for example in Indonesia, Egypt or Peru.

In 2018, KfW launched the Clean Oceans Initiative (COI) together with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French development agency AFD in order to focus its promotional activities even more on the problem of waste entering the oceans. Since then, other partners have joined, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the promotional and development banks of Italy and Spain and, most recently, the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The original goal was to mobilise EUR 2 billion in funding commitments for projects to reduce plastic waste entering the world's oceans by 2023. Due to the success of COI so far and the urgency of the matter, the stakeholders decided to extend the initiative until the end of 2025 and to double the joint pledge target ahead of schedule to EUR 4 billion, which was already achieved by the end of 2024. The next stage was therefore launched in June 2025 with ‘COI 2.0’ – a further EUR 3 billion is now to be mobilised for the protection of the oceans by 2030.

KfW is currently supporting the initiative with around EUR 990 million. In terms of content, the spectrum ranges from wastewater projects in Sri Lanka, Egypt and South Africa to flood protection programmes in Benin, Morocco and Ecuador as well as waste management projects in Togo and Senegal. COI thus also underlines the joint commitment of various development banks in the field of marine protection.

So far, only a small part – a good 8% – of marine areas have been placed under protection. In addition, not all of these areas are well managed, have a strict conservation plan and the necessary resources for monitoring. Their protection therefore often exists only on paper. The pressure to act is enormous: 20% of coral reefs, 30% of seagrass beds and 35% of all mangrove forests have already been destroyed. In addition to the Montreal 30x30 target, a significant increase in the funding contributions of the industrialised countries was therefore also agreed.

Ideally, a network of protected areas will be created, so that migrating species are protected when making their way through the oceans. Crucial to the success of marine protected areas is the participation of local user groups in the designation and management of these areas. Methods such as satellite monitoring and patrol boats are additionally important to control whether protection regulations are being violated. However, the countries involved must have the appropriate political will and be prepared to invest significantly in relevant technology. KfW promotes many projects around the world to protect marine areas, some of them also with the necessary equipment for monitoring, for example on the coast of West Africa, off Mozambique and in Central America.

To make marine protection even more effective, KfW has set up various international funds on behalf of the German Federal Government, each of which is unique: with the Blue Action Fund (BAF), KfW supports marine conservation projects of non-governmental organisations worldwide, which can expand their work through access to public funds in order to establish new protected areas, expand or manage existing ones more effectively, and improve the living conditions of local communities in the long term through sustainable practices.

The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) has a regional focus on marine conservation in the Caribbean. In this region, which is so important for biodiversity, it helps to designate new protected areas and preserve existing ones with long-term financing. Since October 2022, the CBF has also included a circular economy component: with the specific promotion of projects on waste management and recycling, the influx of plastic into the ocean is reduced, thus building a bridge to the COI.

Oceans are home to many important resources for humans. Perhaps the most important is fish as a source of protein; millions of people depend on it. A growing world population will not be able to feed itself without this seafood. However, more than one third of fish stocks are already overfished, and another 60% are exploited to the limits of sustainability. But the oceans are not only important for food security. More and more wind turbines are turning in off-shore farms and tidal energy is only just starting to develop. Tourism along coastlines also plays a major role in the economy.

As a result, the world’s oceans are essential for continued economic development. This makes it all the more important to strike a good balance between economic interests and nature conservation, while also keeping an eye on the poor, such as small fishermen or aquaculture farmers, and employees in the value chains. More than 10% of the world’s inhabitants depend on small-scale manual fishing for their livelihood, most of them in the Global South. For them, coastal areas are simultaneously places to live and to develop economic activity – also for future generations. This is why KfW projects are committed to the sustainable management of marine resources, which is promoted in all regions of the world, for example in Madagascar, Mauritania, or Indonesia. The eco.business Fund (ebF), established in 2014 by KfW on behalf of the BMZ, also supports companies that switch to certified sustainable production in areas such as fishing, aquaculture and ecotourism.

KfW has also been supporting the Sustainable Ocean Fund (SOF) since 2019. The fund invests in small and medium-sized enterprises that practice sustainable fishing, are committed to the conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, and contribute to reducing plastic pollution of the oceans through their production methods or business models.

Germany is one of the most committed donors to marine conservation in the world. KfW promotes the conservation of marine biodiversity as well as sustainable fisheries management and wastewater, waste and rainwater management on behalf of the German Federal Government. In 2024, KfW Development bank provided new financing totalling almost EUR 487 million, which is expected to contribute to achieving SDG 14. The financing agreements signed in 2024 are expected to contribute to the protection of over 95 million hectares of terrestrial and marine protected areas over the next few years. This corresponds to around 2.6 times the land area of Germany.

In 2021, KfW signed the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles of UNEP FI for all activities in the area of Financial Cooperation (FC), and in 2023 supported the Cartagena Call of the development banks in favor of more investment in the protection and sustainable use of marine resources in order to confirm and expand its commitment to marine conservation. The UNEP FI guidelines are consistent with those of KfW Development Bank in the design of its financing instruments and the established environmental and social standards. Detailed information on the marine portfolio and the respective evaluation reports are freely accessible via the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Transparency Portal in order to improve reporting on the implementation progress of the principles. In the future, KfW is seeking more synergies through the joint use of “open data exchange platforms” and the exchange of scientific information on marine ecosystems collected in the context of projects.

A protected area as large as Germany

Five years ago, KfW founded an innovative new fund for marine conservation. On behalf of the German Federal Government, it contributes to the preservation of endangered fish populations and the oceans. KfW Stories speaks to Executive Director Markus Knigge about what the Blue Action Fund has achieved since then.