Blue Peace: A Framework for Environmental Peacebuilding in Marine Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations

The 'Blue Peace' framework by WWF International proposes an integrated approach to environmental peacebuilding in marine environments. It leverages predictive tools like the Oceans Futures Platform to identify climate-driven fisheries conflict hotspots and employs strategies such as Seafood Jurisdictional Initiatives (SJIs) and 'Conflict to Coexistence' (C2C) methods to resolve resource and human-wildlife conflicts. The framework also emphasizes inclusive Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), the creation of blue 'peace parks', and multilateral advocacy through Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and the IUCN to ensure conflict-sensitive conservation.

• The Oceans Futures Platform has identified 20 global hotspots where fisheries conflict driven by climate change is most likely to occur by 2030, which WWF uses to inform proactive adaptation and climate-smart investment.
• Seafood jurisdictional initiatives (SJIs) are used as place-based mechanisms to address conflicts arising from the global seafood market, specifically targeting fracture lines between artisanal and industrial fishing, Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, and disputes over quotas and water quality.
• WWF utilizes a 'Conflict to Coexistence' (C2C) method to manage marine human-wildlife conflict, which can serve as an entry point for broader peacebuilding in high-tension contexts.
• Inclusive Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and the establishment of blue 'peace parks' are proposed to reduce conflict over the siting of protected areas and aquaculture, with the goal of extending these concepts to Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to achieve 30x30 targets.
• WWF advocates for systems-level change through multilateral channels, including a motion submitted for the IUCN 2025 World Conservation Congress on conflict-sensitive conservation and leveraging Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) for conflict resolution.

APA

WWF International (2026). Blue Peace: A Framework for Environmental Peacebuilding in Marine Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2363/Blue_Peace_Framework-Brief.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Blue Peace: A Framework for Environmental Peacebuilding in Marine Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations. 2026. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2363/Blue_Peace_Framework-Brief.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Blue Peace: A Framework for Environmental Peacebuilding in Marine Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations |date=2026 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2363/Blue_Peace_Framework-Brief.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2026blue, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Blue Peace: A Framework for Environmental Peacebuilding in Marine Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/2363/Blue_Peace_Framework-Brief.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }