CARLOS DUARTE
Venue
MARINE NATURAL CAPITAL THE OCEAN AS AN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
Marine natural capital refers to the elements present in marine ecosystems, which have emerged as a category of non-cyclical assets.
These assets contribute to countries’ economies as a source of wealth and human well-being, whose full potential we have not yet fully discovered. The importance of Natural Capital is demonstrated by its crucial role as a source for nations’ stability, thus highlighting the great investment opportunity it represents: sustainable benefits, reinforcing the strategic importance of preserving, regenerating, and managing marine resources appropriately.
Throughout his research, Duarte has focused on understanding the effects of global change on marine ecosystems and developing nature-based solutions to global challenges, including climate change, developing evidence-based strategies to rebuild the abundance of marine life in 2050. In his research, Duarte demonstrated that mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes are globally relevant carbon sinks and, together with different UN agencies, developed the term Blue Carbon as a nature-based solution to climate change, which has catalysed their conservation and global restoration.
In addition to having conducted research on all continents and oceans, Duarte has published more than 1,000 scientific papers and has received numerous awards and honours including the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography in 2001, the Alejandro Malaspina National Prize for Environmental Research in Spain (2007) and the Knowledge Award in Ecology and Conservation Biology (2020) from the BBVA Frontiers Foundation, among others. In addition, he has been appointed Academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain (2021) and is part of the Group of Experts supporting the High Level Panel, which includes 12 heads of state, with proposals that develop the path towards a Sustainable Ocean Economy.
