Investing in Ocean Conservation and 30x30 – Reflections from Blue Action Fund
Blue Action Fund is one of the largest funders of area-based marine conservation in the Global South. Its grant portfolio currently comprises €210 million to support marine protected areas and coastal communities. In 2027, Blue Action Fund turns 10 years old, which makes this a good moment for reflection.
In this presentation, Markus Knigge - Executive Director of Blue Action Fund - will share thinking on the Fund, the funder landscape, the characteristics of successful investments, and what the marine protected area (MPA) community needs to do better. We hope for an open and honest exchange, including critical questions about Blue Action Fund's own practices, priorities, and blind spots.
About the speaker
Markus Knigge has been Executive Director of Blue Action Fund and Chair of its Management Board since the foundation’s inception in 2017. In this role, he’s set up and grown the fund and oversees all aspects of the organisation and its Grant Programme. Markus is co-initiator and host of the Berlin Ocean Dinner series and serves as Germany’s representative to the governance committee of the G20 Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP).
Prior to Blue Action Fund, Markus held various positions with The Pew Charitable Trusts, where he built up the European Marine Programme and led Pew’s efforts to end overfishing in the European Union. He also worked as EU Marine Programme Officer at the WWF European Policy Office and was a senior fellow of the Ecologic Institute in Berlin and Brussels.
As a scholar of the German Academic Exchange Service, Markus graduated with distinction from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C. with a master’s degree in International Affairs and International Economics. Prior to that, Markus received a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the Technical University of Berlin. In 2004, Markus was awarded the John J. McCloy Fellowship in Environmental Affairs. In 2023, The Rockefeller Foundation invited Markus to its Bellagio Residency Programme.
Registration
Please register using the form at the top of this page.
You can attend either in-person or online. If attending online we will share the joining link closer to the event.
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If you have any questions please contact Jack Hayes, CCI Collaborations and Events Coordinator at j.hayes@jbs.cam.ac.uk