Moving a step closer to safeguarding our ocean resources, the Pacific Islands Development Forum wrapped up its first high level conference on the development of a roadmap for the Pacific Blue Economy in Suva yesterday.

PIDF’s Secretary General Francois Martel says they’ve been able to take the lessons learnt from around the world to form the blueprint for a regional strategy for region.

“We brought them from afar, from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, Grenada in the Caribbean, and we bought as far as we could find in the Pacific which is Palau, our friends from the Republic of Palau who also have experiences related to a blue economy, so they all form part of what we call the Global Island Partnerships so we tried to actually capture the elements of the Global Island Partnership.”

For Environmentalist and Hotelier Jean-Michel Cousteau, the concept of the blue economy is not new.

He says there’s a simple message that needs to be stressed.

“You know I created Ocean Future Society which is a not for profit organisation when my Father passed away to honour his philosophy and our mission is “If you protect the oceans, you protect yourself”.

Among the key outcomes of the conference was recognition of key elements in the Blue Economy which comprised of a blend of traditional and non-traditional sectors.

Deliberations were held on emerging industries such as seabed resources, ocean energy and ocean afforestation and blue carbon.