The blue economy encompasses aquatic environment activities, from traditional community development initiatives like fishing to emerging industries such as renewable ocean energies and marine biotechnology.
The blue economy reflects a growing recognition of the ocean’s critical role in economic growth, environmental protection, and social progress as well as food security and women and gender issues.
EnviroStrat owns 50% of New Zealand’s largest specialist aquaculture consultancy; Aquaculture Direct Ltd. Aquaculture is a huge growth opportunity for New Zealand and EnviroStrat felt that supplementing its core scientific, economic and financial capabilities with deep technical aquaculture skills would provide a unique opportunity in the New Zealand and international aquaculture sector. Our work in aquaculture since acquiring Aquaculture Direct has blended their world-class technical and operational expertise with EnviroStrat's in-house understanding of business growth, the blue economy and project development.
EnviroStrat proudly owns and operates New Zealand’s first regenerative ocean farming initiative, dedicated to advancing sustainable seaweed cultivation. Our regenerative farming approach requires zero external inputs—no added nutrients or feeds—yet yields significant economic, social, and environmental benefits. Through Greenwave Aotearoa’s innovative commercial model, we are restoring ocean ecosystems, capturing blue carbon, and removing excess nutrients from marine environments. The cultivated seaweed offers versatile applications, including food, biostimulants, animal supplements, and pharmaceuticals. In partnership with GreenWave US, we are executing a $5 million, three-year pilot project designed to establish a high-value, sustainable seaweed sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. Find out more…
The news that we’re partnering with Urchinomics to form Urchinomics Aotearoa is a significant milestone for impact investment project development leader EnviroStrat, and exemplifies what’s possible when you bring together global and local expertise and capital. We’ve successfully collaborated with Urchinomics, the leading global urchin (kina) ranching and kelp restoration company over the past 18 months Kinanomics pilot. Following the success of the pilot, Urchinomics Aotearoa will scale its operations to tackle the pressing ecological and climate challenges posed by overpopulated kina barrens that have decimated kelp forest ecosystems throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand operations are expected to kickstart…
EnviroStrat's Senior Environmental Scientist, Johnny Wright was interviewed by Radio NZ about the launch of our Kinanomics project. "Kinanomics" leading the way for a new delicacy to export | July 2023 EnviroStrat’s Kinanomics project is an innovative approach that leverages the economic, environmental, and cultural value of kina (sea urchins) to address ecosystem imbalances and support sustainable marine resource management. By focusing on the restoration of kelp forests through the targeted removal of overabundant kina, the project seeks to revitalise degraded marine ecosystems while creating commercial opportunities for high-value kina products. Kinanomics integrates traditional knowledge, community engagement, and cutting-edge science…
EnviroStrat's Senior Project Manager, Rebecca Barclay, was interviewed about our GreenWave Aotearoa project for Fish of the Day with Clarke Gayford. Fish of the Day | June 2022
EnviroStrat's Sustainability Director, Cerasela Stancu was interviewed for a podcast on Monocle 24: The Bulletin with UBS. Cerasela, along with UBS Optimus Foundation’s CEO Maya Ziswiler and Patti Chu of Mana Impact shared the key ambitions of the Catalysing Nature-based Solutions: Perspectives and Practices for Developing High Quality Projects report released in November 2022. “If there is one overarching and reassuring finding it is this aspect of multiple benefits that nature-based solutions provide and the fact that they really deliver value for money.” Nature-based Solutions, The Bulletin with UBS 429 - Radio | Monocle | December 2022
Water accounting has a critical role in proactively managing freshwater and making informed decisions. That’s the message EnviroStrat’s Cerasela Stancu shared with attendees at the 2023 New Zealand National Freshwater Conference. Drawing on EnviroStrat’s experience and insights, Cerasela spoke about our application of the UN SEEA water approach in the Hawke’s Bay region, producing the first systematic set of water accounts in New Zealand to inform Hawke's Bay Regional Council's Regional Security Water Programme. Cerasela Stancu at the National Freshwater Conference - YouTube | March 2023
How can we reduce waste and pollution, and regenerate natural environments, while still keeping our economy running? Nigel Bradly, EnviroStrat CEO, spoke to the Science Media Centre of New Zealand about the idea of a circular bioeconomy. “Building Aotearoa New Zealand’s circular marine bioeconomy is an exciting opportunity to leverage the country’s abundant marine resources for sustainable economic growth.” Moving to a circular bioeconomy - Expert Reaction - Science Media Centre | February 2023
In the last few decades, Aotearoa New Zealand’s rocky reef coastal ecosystems have undergone significant changes. We’re now facing a massive ecological challenge, but it’s one that most people don’t know about because it’s happening under the water. Vast stretches of our seafloor that were once abundant with dense kelp forests have been overtaken by exploding populations of kina (sea urchins) which have grazed the kelp down to bare rock. The combination of the removal of kina’s natural predators (like snapper and crayfish) through commercial and recreational fishing, impacts from land use and warming oceans have led to a proliferation…
Catalysing nature-based solutions: Perspectives and practices for developing high-quality projects gives a sense of the vast potential we have to harness nature to address global environmental and biodiversity challenges. The report was co-authored by EnviroStrat and Singapore-based impact investment and advisory firm, Mana Impact, with support from UBS Optimus Foundation. Download the NBS Report.
