Capacity development and knowledge management are central to the Clean and Healthy Ocean portfolio. CHO-IP uses Knowledge Management and Learning (KML) to turn fragmented data, information and experience into practical knowledge, better decisions and locally adapted action. Through technical assistance, peer learning, shared platforms and cross-country exchange, the portfolio strengthens the capacity of practitioners, institutions, communities and partners to reduce nutrient pollution and marine hypoxia while contributing to a global knowledge base for a cleaner and healthier ocean.
Capacity support is delivered across the portfolio’s main areas of work. On data and monitoring, CHO-IP strengthens capacities of actors and mandated institutions for oxygen and nutrient monitoring, data collection, analysis, management and reporting, including monitoring plans, best practice protocols, oceanographic data analysis, policy-relevant data products and citizen science where relevant. On policy and governance, it supports science-policy pathways, Source-to-Sea and Land-to-Sea assessments, policy reforms, nutrient reduction targets and regional dialogues that connect evidence with planning and decision-making. On best practices it supports technical capacities of actors in agricultural, industrial and municipal systems, including nutrient management, wastewater treatment, sustainable aquaculture, livestock and fertilizer management, nature-based solutions, circular approaches and resource-efficient production. Portfolio-wide support to country projects also covers cross-cutting areas such as knowledge management and learning, gender mainstreaming, communications, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and reporting, and shared programmatic indicators.
CHO-IP Knowledge Hub
The CHO Knowledge Hub is the portfolio’s central space for documenting, organizing and sharing knowledge on nutrient pollution, marine hypoxia and solutions. It serves both as a public-facing program site and as a knowledge and learning hub, with information on the global program, country projects, regional activities, updates and events, knowledge products, technical resources, data visualizations, best management practices and links to international sources on marine hypoxia. It includes a resource library, multimedia materials, a course catalogue, data and information system catalogues, the BMP framework and archive, and entry points to related platforms such as GO2DAT and ODIS. Dedicated country project pages make national experiences, results and lessons more accessible across the portfolio and to wider regional and global audiences.
The Knowledge Hub supports the full KML cycle: creating and capturing knowledge through country implementation, expert networks, monitoring, stakeholder consultations, communities of practice and best management practice work; curating and storing knowledge through validation, tagging, translation, organization and archiving; sharing and applying knowledge through communication, outreach, learning events, IW:LEARN engagement and practical tools for decision-making; and evaluating knowledge use through feedback on the usefulness, accessibility and uptake of products and services. It is complemented by knowledge products such as IW:LEARN Experience Notes, technical guidance, learning materials, serious games and the Clean and Healthy Ocean Knowledge Atlas, which compiles key results, innovations and lessons in multiple languages.
Communities of Practice and Peer Learning
Communities of practice are key mechanisms for portfolio-wide capacity development, and promoting broader social learning. They provide peer-to-peer, experiential and iterative spaces where country project teams, technical experts, regional partners, financial institutions, private sector actors, civil society and other stakeholders exchange experience, solve common problems and improve coordination. The initial CoPs facilitated through CHO-IP focus on nature-based solutions for nutrient pollution control, Source-to-Sea governance and investment, and ocean oxygen monitoring. Each CoP uses an online community portal, where experts can learn from each other’s case studies and exchange resources and tips as well as discuss issues on via blogs and discussion boards. Each community convenes regular learning events such as webinars and workshops. They also help organize twining programs and site visits for country project to go and see each other’s on the ground interventions.
Serious Games
CHO-IP also uses serious games as an experiential learning approach to help project teams, partners and stakeholders understand the causes, impacts and solutions linked to nutrient pollution and marine hypoxia. These tools translate complex source-to-sea dynamics into participatory exercises that combine scientific knowledge, systems thinking, collaboration and strategic decision-making. Two prototype games support learning across the portfolio and beyond:
O₂No!, a fast-paced card game that builds awareness of ocean geography, hypoxia drivers, monitoring, impacts and practical solutions
Dead Zone, a strategy-based simulation in which players manage nutrient flows across a watershed by balancing agricultural, municipal and industrial development with pollution reduction measures, governance tools, nature-based solutions and gender-responsive actions.