The Government of Niue and the non-profit Tofia Niue (a public-private
partnership) have launched a sustainable funding initiative to ensure long-term
conservation of its sovereign waters: Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs).
The initiative will be managed by the newly formed Niue and Ocean
Wide (NOW) Trust, a charitable trust established to support conservation goals and foster a sustainable blue economy for the people of Niue.
OCCs are a philanthropic mechanism designed to help fund the long term
protection of Niue’s ocean territory whilst leveraging a wide range of
mutually reinforcing outcomes. Donors may sponsor one or more OCCs, each
representing the costs to protect and manage a square kilometre of Niue’s
ocean territory for up to 20 years.
Sponsorship of one OCC is $250, with 127,000 OCCs available (based on the
size of Niue’s Moana Mahu Marine Protected Area, which spans 127,000
sqkm). As part of the launch of the new initiative, Premier Dalton Tagelagi
says the Government of Niue will sponsor nearly 1,700 OCCs – one for
every resident of Niue. The funding will allow Niue to achieve many things
in conserving its marine environment, including enhanced community
engagement and monitoring, compliance, and enforcement through building
control and surveillance capacities.