Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation Aims

A graduate of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and former employee of several Fortune 500 companies, Aaron Eichler founded Strategic Consulting in 2017. Outside of his consulting business, Aaron Eichler supports charitable organizations including the Nature Conservancy.

Operating in 79 countries on six continents, the Nature Conservancy strives to combat climate change and conserve land and water worldwide. In 2019, the organization introduced Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation, an initiative that would unlock $1.6 billion in funding to protect more than 1.5 million square miles of ocean over five years.

Current projections show that 90 percent of the world’s coral will be extinct within the next generation. The Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation initiative proposes to refinance and restructure debt for coastal and island countries, incentivizing them to protect ocean areas such as mangrove forests, reefs, and fish spawning sites. The Nature Conservancy plans to utilize this model in 20 countries over the next five years, ultimately saving more than 13 percent of the world’s coral reefs, protecting habitats, and preserving economies that benefit more than 43 million people around the globe.