Sustaining the Blue Pacific: ADB’s Roadmap for Ocean-Based Prosperity and Resilience

The Asian Development Bank’s Brief No. 355 (October 2025) is a collaborative study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Cowater International New Zealand Ltd., MarTina Corporation, and Riyan Private Ltd. It presents a comprehensive framework for advancing the Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE) in Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, and Tuvalu, three atoll nations whose prosperity and survival depend on the health of their oceans. The report defines the Sustainable Blue Economy as the equitable and inclusive use of ocean and coastal resources that provides social and economic benefits while preserving ecosystem integrity. With 67 atolls and nine raised coral islands spread across 6.5 million square kilometers of ocean, these nations rely on marine ecosystems for food, income, and identity. The blueprint calls for evidence-based marine spatial planning, climate adaptation, and sustainable finance as key elements for long-term development that balance environmental protection with economic growth.

A Regional Framework for Ocean Resilience

ADB situates this initiative within its Strategy 2030 Midterm Review, emphasizing the need for deeper regional cooperation among small island developing states. The blueprint urges atoll nations to strengthen existing Pacific policy frameworks such as the Framework for the Pacific Oceanscape (2010), the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy (2003), and the Framework for Pacific Regionalism (2014). It also highlights the importance of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its Implementation Plan (2050IP), both of which recognize oceans as shared assets essential to the region’s collective prosperity. These frameworks guide atoll nations toward sustainable resource management, climate-resilient economic systems, and inclusive governance. The SBE is built on five guiding principles: healthy ecosystems, equity and inclusion, circular processes, sustainable consumption and production, and climate stability. ADB emphasizes that atoll nations already exhibit leadership through regional cooperation platforms such as the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, which has pioneered sustainable fisheries management across borders.

Empowering Small Enterprises for a Blue Recovery

The report identifies micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as critical drivers of post-pandemic recovery and inclusive growth. According to ADB data, MSMEs represent more than 95 percent of enterprises in Asia and the Pacific, employing over half the workforce and contributing about one-third of national output. Yet in atoll nations, these enterprises face persistent barriers including limited access to credit, dependence on imports, market isolation, inflation, and labor migration. The report calls for new financial models such as quasi-government credit institutions, development banks, and digital payment systems to strengthen MSME capacity.

Several Pacific success stories are cited. The Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership, cochaired by Fiji and the Marshall Islands, promotes low-carbon maritime transport through transition credits. Niue has launched a public–private trust that funds ocean conservation by selling Ocean Conservation Commitments. The Micronesia Challenge Trust Fund supports community-based MSMEs developing climate-resilient livelihoods. By empowering small businesses, especially those led by women, the blueprint envisions diversification across tourism, handicrafts, coastal fisheries, and marine transport, enabling broader community resilience and inclusive prosperity.

Readiness, Innovation, and Sustainable Investment

Before large-scale investment, ADB stresses the need to evaluate each nation’s institutional readiness to absorb and manage new projects effectively. Fisheries, already a cornerstone of regional cooperation, are identified as an entry point for advancing the SBE. Two pilot approaches under marine spatial planning (MSP) are proposed. The first integrates climate variability into the fiscal management of fisheries revenue to strengthen budget resilience. The second focuses on improving community-based food security and ecosystem monitoring. These initiatives would enhance data collection, strengthen human capital, and help governments design incentives for low-carbon marine transport and rural enterprise development.

ADB also recommends reforming public financial management (PFM) systems to integrate ocean and climate data into budgeting and planning. This would link environmental protection with fiscal stability and ensure that revenues from ocean resources contribute to long-term adaptation and resilience.

Diversifying Ocean Economies Beyond Tuna

The brief warns against overdependence on tuna fisheries as the primary revenue source for atoll governments. It calls for developing backward and forward linkages in fisheries value chains to capture more economic value through local vessel participation, crew training, and domestic processing. Building a distinct Pacific fisheries brand could strengthen market competitiveness and channel profits into climate-resilient community investments.

Beyond fisheries, the report highlights the potential of aquaculture, offshore renewable energy, sustainable tourism, marine crafts, and ocean monitoring as new frontiers for economic diversification. Investments in renewable energy for fisheries centers and green maritime transport can boost productivity while lowering carbon emissions. The brief also stresses the importance of long-term asset maintenance. Governments and MSMEs should be required to prepare asset management plans before receiving financing. Establishing national asset registers and integrating them into marine spatial planning would further strengthen infrastructure resilience.

Freshwater scarcity is identified as another urgent issue. Many outer islands face aquifer contamination and limited groundwater reserves. The report urges greater investment in rainwater harvesting, desalination, and aquifer monitoring, referencing the Global Environment Facility’s Managing Coastal Aquifers in Selected Pacific SIDS project as a model of effective practice.

Three Transformative Projects for the Future

To operationalize its recommendations, ADB proposes three flagship projects forming the core of the medium-term roadmap. The first, Blue Public Financial Management, embeds ocean-climate data in fiscal systems to promote transparency, oversight, and intergenerational equity. The second, Innovation for Green Maritime Transport, focuses on climate-resilient, low-carbon shipping to improve connectivity, trade, and tourism across atolls. The third, Innovation for Outer Island Fisheries and Community-Based Management, enhances small-scale fisheries through improved data systems, AI-based monitoring, and solar-powered infrastructure. Together, these projects align governance reform, technological innovation, and community empowerment to create a sustainable and inclusive blue economy.

The ADB blueprint envisions a future where the Sustainable Blue Economy becomes the foundation of prosperity and survival for Pacific atoll nations. The report portrays these countries not as helpless victims of geography but as leaders in ocean stewardship. By merging sound policy, financial innovation, and inclusive technology, the blueprint transforms the challenges of isolation and climate change into opportunities for regional leadership and resilience. It calls for a new era where economic vitality and ecological integrity flow together, shaping a sustainable and united Blue Pacific future.