Philippines, France strengthen marine conservation cooperation efforts

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and France are taking steps to strengthen cooperation in ensuring marine conservation, with key government officials from both countries holding the first of a series of “Blue Talks” with local and foreign experts on biodiversity.

The first conference was held last Wednesday. It was organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute in partnership with the embassy of France in the Philippines.

French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel explained that the Blue Talk conference is part of the Blue Nations initiative, a holistic program of bilateral cooperation between France and the Philippines in the perspective of working together as two maritime nations toward the next United Nations Ocean Conference, which will take place in France in June 2025.

“Discussions on marine biodiversity and biodiversity conservation is also very important because the Philippines, an archipelagic state made up of more than 7,100 islands, maintains an existential link with the ocean,” she said.

“The purpose of this conference is to foster the dialogue between all stakeholders in order to identify successful ways and ideas to help the policymakers and every one of us (to) better protect and preserve the biodiversity that we all depend on,” she added.

Fontanel announced the second Blue Talk conference will take place on Nov. 21 and will explore the possibility of having a maritime dialogue between France and the Philippines.

Stratbase ADR Institute president Dindo Manhit noted the importance of working with like-minded states like France in protecting the Philippine marine environment for future generations.

“The development of a ‘blue economy’ is a crucial step towards sustainable growth and today’s collaboration with the embassy of France offers a valuable opportunity to strengthen partnerships with like-minded nations,” he said.

He added that the conference “underscored the benefits of sustainable ocean use and conservation such as ensuring food security and boosting livelihoods and connectivity” as the threat of climate change is constantly increasing.

Environment Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo Jr., who is also supervising the Biodiversity