🌊 Reflections from Our Ocean Conference 2026: From Plastic to Protected Reefs
- Siana Phillips
- 11 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Before diving into the discussion, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the incredible panellists who shared their expertise and experiences so generously. Our conversation was enriched by perspectives from academia, conservation, community leadership, and finance, creating a truly interdisciplinary dialogue.
A special thank you to:
🌍 Dr. Samantha Petersen (WWF) for her insights on investment readiness, accelerators, and de-risking community-led initiatives.
🌍 Dr. Mariam Swaleh (University of Mombasa & BausTaka) for highlighting the importance of partnerships between universities, NGOs, and local communities.
🌍 Prof. Bernerd Fulanda (Pwani University) for challenging us to rethink how financial systems and value chains can better support coastal livelihoods.
🌍 Alice from Oceans Alive for sharing practical examples of how community-led marine conservation models can be successfully scaled.
🌍 Mohammed Hassan, representing Kenya’s small-scale fishing communities, for grounding the conversation in the realities faced by fishers every day and ensuring community voices remained at the centre of the discussion.
Team photo of our panelists. Mohammed, Alice, Dr Mariam, Prof Fulanda & Dr Samantha (from left to right).
Thank you also to everyone who attended, asked thoughtful questions, and stayed long after the session officially ended to continue the conversation. Your engagement reinforced just how important—and timely—this discussion is.
Introduction From Plastic to Protected Reefs
From Plastic to Protected Reefs: What We Learned at Our Ocean Conference 2026
When we think about ocean conservation, it's easy to picture satellites, government negotiations, or billion-dollar investments. But after moderating our side event at the Our Ocean Conference 2026, I left convinced of something much simpler:
Some of the most innovative solutions already exist within coastal communities.
Our session, “From Plastic to Protected Reefs: Unlocking Ocean Finance Through Community-Led Circular Blue Economy Hubs,” brought together researchers, conservation practitioners, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to tackle a question that echoed throughout the conference:
How do we bridge the gap between community innovation and large-scale investment?
Again and again, the discussion returned to the same conclusion. The problem is not that communities lack ideas. Across East Africa, they are restoring fisheries, protecting coral reefs, reducing plastic pollution, and creating sustainable livelihoods.
The challenge is creating the systems that allow those solutions to grow.
The panel for “From Plastic to Protected Reefs: Unlocking Ocean Finance Through Community-Led Circular Blue Economy Hubs” brought together experts from academia, conservation, finance, and Kenya’s coastal communities to explore how local innovation can be transformed into scalable, investable solutions for ocean restoration and sustainable livelihoods.
Partnerships are the Missing Ingredient
Dr. Samantha Petersen and Dr. Mariam Swaleh emphasised that meaningful partnerships between universities, NGOs, businesses, governments, and communities are essential if grassroots initiatives are to become investable.
Dr. Mariam shared how the University of Mombasa collaborates with organisations like BausTaka, who then work directly with communities on the ground. This layered approach creates a bridge between research, implementation, and local ownership, ensuring that ideas are translated into practical action.
Investment Readiness Starts Long Before the Investment
One of the most insightful discussions focused on de-risking finance for community organisations.
Dr. Samantha described accelerator programmes that prepare grassroots groups to absorb funding responsibly, putting governance structures, leadership systems, and accountability mechanisms in place before significant capital arrives.
She also highlighted an uncomfortable truth: many community-led projects fail not because they lack passion or potential, but because NGOs hand over responsibility too quickly without ensuring the groups are ready to stand on their own.
Rather than simply funding projects, we need to invest in building networks.
Formal Structures Unlock Opportunity
The panel also explored the importance of helping communities formalise into recognised self-help groups or legal entities. Without these structures, many groups struggle to access loans, grants, or financial services regardless of how impactful their work may be.
This requires patient, long-term support from organisations working alongside communities.
At Ocean Sole, this philosophy underpins our work with initiatives such as the Ocean Sole Mamaz and the Kwa Chambo Fishermen. By strengthening governance, leadership, and organisational capacity, we aim to create an environment where communities can confidently attract and manage investment while remaining locally led.
When Banks don't Understand Fishermen
Prof. Bernerd Fulanda highlighted another challenge: traditional financial systems often fail to understand coastal livelihoods.
A small-scale fisher applying for a loan may be viewed as high risk simply because banks lack frameworks for assessing fisheries businesses. In contrast, sectors such as poultry or retail already have established models that lenders understand.
Developing practical business frameworks and investment protocols for fisheries and other coastal enterprises could dramatically improve access to finance.
Perhaps his most thought-provoking idea centred on the fisheries value chain.
Healthy marine ecosystems support not only fishers but traders, processors, transport providers, retailers, exporters, and governments through taxes and economic activity. By understanding the full economic value generated by healthy oceans, we can make a far stronger case for reinvesting in the ecosystems that underpin those livelihoods.
After all, every successful business maintains its assets. Why should our oceans be any different?
Proven Models Deserve Scaling
Alice from Oceans Alive shared inspiring examples of community-led marine conservation that have successfully expanded beyond individual sites. Her experience demonstrated that when local leadership is paired with scientific support, effective governance, and trusted partnerships, conservation outcomes can be replicated across multiple communities.
The takeaway was encouraging: we don't need to invent entirely new models. We need to identify what works and give it the resources to grow.
Listening to the People Closest to the Problem
Perhaps the most grounded perspective came from Mohammed, representing Kenya's small-scale fishing communities.
Headshot of Mohammed, a fisherman from Kilifi County who represented the community voice.
His reflections on the challenges fishers face in accessing government support sparked a lively debate around investment priorities. Should scarce resources be directed towards larger boats that allow fishers to travel further offshore, or should they be invested in restoring coral reefs, strengthening nearshore fisheries, and supporting traditional, sustainable fishing methods?
There was no single answer, but the discussion reinforced the importance of including communities themselves in decisions about the future of their livelihoods.
Looking ahead
As the session ended, people remained in the room for another 15 minutes, continuing conversations and asking questions. It was a reminder that this topic resonates far beyond one panel discussion.
I left feeling optimistic.
The leadership is already there. The innovation is already happening. Communities are already proving what is possible.
Now our task is to build the partnerships, financial systems, and policy frameworks that allow these local solutions to flourish.
Because when we invest in coastal communities, we are investing in the future of our ocean.
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