The ‘Blue Economy’ is a concept that develops opportunities which come with the conservation and sustainable use of water and water resources for the sustainable development. The concept of the Blue Economy provides for harnessing water resources to promote development and conceptualises Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, Floodplains and other water bodies as a development space were if well managed can lead to sustained economic growth, food security, job creation and sustainable livelihoods. The Blue Economy discussions came to the fore during the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which took place in 2012 in Brazil.
The Blue Economy concept encompasses resources which cut across various economic sectors such as capture fisheries, aquaculture, biotechnology, mining, energy, transport and trade.