AFD Group and the Ocean

The ocean — essential to development, food security, employment and the economy in numerous countries — is being damaged by increasing pressure from human activity. Environmental degradation, from the coast to the open sea, is accelerating due to untenable maritime and land-based activities. These include: unsustainable fishing and aquaculture practices; pollution generated by industrial and agricultural wastewater discharge and plastic waste; increasing shipping traffic; the artificialization of coastal areas, and so on.

The ocean plays a vital role in regulating the global climate by absorbing large amounts of atmospheric CO2. But as the planet warms, the ocean is impacted by the effects – disrupting habitats and marine biodiversity.

AFD's commitments to the oceans have increased in recent years. They include projects whose activities are directly linked to the ocean, as well as those located in coastal areas and watersheds, when they have an impact on oceans. The Group’s activities are structured around five complementary and interconnected pillars: governance, the sustainable blue economy, ecosystem protection, resilience and support for islands and overseas territories.