Impact for family offices: Investing in sustainable life below water

The 14th SDG, as set out by the UN, aims to conserve and encourage the sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. Here’s an exploratory look at why marine conservation presents an interesting avenue for family offices involved in impact investing.
investing ocean conservation

What you need to know

  • Over 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.
  • Yet, 40% of the ocean is heavily affected by pollution, depleted fisheries, loss of coastal habitats and other human activities.
  • Impact investing places a third dimension at the core of your investment strategy: to have a positive impact on the world.
Impact Updated on October 21, 2022

As a response to the climate emergency and social crises, the United Nations established a set of Sustainable Development Goals, to be achieved by 2030. These are organised in 17 concrete objectives to tackle global issues in order to reach a sustainable and peaceful future for everyone, everywhere. For family offices exploring ways to make a meaningful impact, investing in ocean conservation presents an interesting opportunity to achieve the 14th SDG.

Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth’s surface and contain 97% of the earth’s water. They are essential providers of natural resources including food, medicines and biofuels. They also play a key role in regulating the climate, and rainwater, and providing oxygen. Achieving a sustainable future will inevitably come through careful management of this essential global resource. At the moment, there are 3 main issues with life below water: pollution, global warming, and overfishing.

There are many types of pollution including plastic, hydrocarbons, and organic compounds, which all damage marine ecosystems. Plastic pollution is a major issue for ocean preservation, as plastics take hundreds of years to decompose and the entanglement or ingestion of debris can kill organisms or make it impossible for them to reproduce. Sewage and industrial or agricultural run-off of chemicals also endanger marine life. Noise pollution from boats can trouble marine wildlife’s migration patterns and damage their internal organs.

About the Authors

Julien Lescs

Julien Lescs

Pyschodynamics & Impact Investing

Julien is co-founder of Kimpa, a family office dedicated to impact investing. Grandson of an agricultural family business that was destroyed in a fratricidal war, Julien has become a specialist in psychodynamics related to family business governance.

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