Our Mission

Works on land

Protected areas have helped bring species back from the brink

Works in water

MPAs increase biomass 1.5 X, species density 6-7 times, and body size almost 30%

Helps Humanity

Coastal MPAs can also protect mangroves and oyster beds that absorb wave energy from storms and hurricanes, saving lives and homes

Our Goal

In 2023 the UN signed the “High Seas Treaty”, committing to preserving 30% of the ocean by 2030. Our goal is to support that ambition and help make it a reality by drawing attention to the problem and the opportunity to use Marine Protected Areas to save our oceans.

Oceans are "under-conserved"

We are land animals, and generally don’t see / know what’s going on in the water far away. For example, only ~20% of the seafloor is mapped¹¹ vs. 100% of the moon¹²
Land vs. ocean conservation: ~15% of land area is conserved¹³, but less than 3% of marine habitats¹⁴
Law of the Commons: There are no protected areas on the high seas¹⁵

Ocean health and our survival are closely linked

Food: Fish are the largest source of protein for humans, with ~3.5B people dependent on the ocean for food¹
Climate: The ocean generates ~50% of our oxygen, and absorbs ~25% of our carbon emissions and 90% of excess heat generated by these emissions²
Other benefits: Oceans are ~71% of Earth’s surface area and ~99% of the living space³, yet we are just beginning to understand the valuable secrets it may hold. For example, almost all the agents initially used against HIV owe their “chemical birth” to the Caribbean Sponge⁴, yet 80% of the ocean is still unexplored⁵

We are destroying the oceans at an alarming rate

Overfishing: Populations of tuna, cod, swordfish and marlin have declined by as much as ~90% in the past century⁶. Non-selective fishing gear such as trawl nets, longlines and gillnets kills ~20 million tons of sea life a year⁷
Plastics: We are dumping 8M+ tons of plastics into the ocean each year⁸, killing ~1M marine animals⁹
Climate change: The warming climate is heating and acidifying the ocean, leading to a 14% decline in coral reef coverage since 2009¹⁰

Oceans are "under-conserved"

We are land animals, and generally don’t see / know what’s going on in the water far away. For example, only ~20% of the seafloor is mapped¹¹ vs. 100% of the moon¹²
Land vs. ocean conservation: ~15% of land area is conserved¹³, but less than 3% of marine habitats¹⁴
Law of the Commons: There are no protected areas on the high seas¹⁵

Ocean health and our survival are closely linked

Food: Fish are the largest source of protein for humans, with ~3.5B people dependent on the ocean for food¹
Climate: The ocean generates ~50% of our oxygen, and absorbs ~25% of our carbon emissions and 90% of excess heat generated by these emissions²
Other benefits: Oceans are ~71% of Earth’s surface area and ~99% of the living space³, yet we are just beginning to understand the valuable secrets it may hold. For example, almost all the agents initially used against HIV owe their “chemical birth” to the Caribbean Sponge⁴, yet 80% of the ocean is still unexplored⁵

We are destroying the oceans at an alarming rate

Overfishing: Populations of tuna, cod, swordfish and marlin have declined by as much as ~90% in the past century⁶. Non-selective fishing gear such as trawl nets, longlines and gillnets kills ~20 million tons of sea life a year⁷
Plastics: We are dumping 8M+ tons of plastics into the ocean each year⁸, killing ~1M marine animals⁹
Climate change: The warming climate is heating and acidifying the ocean, leading to a 14% decline in coral reef coverage since 2009¹⁰

Oceans are "under-conserved"

We are land animals, and generally don’t see / know what’s going on in the water far away. For example, only ~20% of the seafloor is mapped¹¹ vs. 100% of the moon¹²
Land vs. ocean conservation: ~15% of land area is conserved¹³, but less than 3% of marine habitats¹⁴
Law of the Commons: There are no protected areas on the high seas¹⁵

Our Mission

What is a Marine Protected Area (MPA)?

A MPA restricts human activity for a conservation purpose much like a national park on land. It allows nature to heal itself, increasing diversity and resiliency.

Works on land

Works in water

Helps Humanity

Check out the miraculous recovery in the seas around Misool once fully protected in 2007

Check out Jardines de la Reina, one of the last major intact Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Caribbean, where fish numbers have increased 30-50% since 1996.

Check out Papahānaumokuākea, the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area in the U.S., and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world

Check out the expansion of the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Check out the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

Check out the miraculous recovery in the seas around Misool once fully protected in 2007

Check out Jardines de la Reina, one of the last major intact Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Caribbean, where fish numbers have increased 30-50% since 1996.

Check out Papahānaumokuākea, the largest contiguous fully protected conservation area in the U.S., and one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world

Check out the expansion of the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Check out the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

Check out the miraculous recovery in the seas around Misool once fully protected in 2007

Our Goal

In 2023 the UN signed the “High Seas Treaty”, committing to preserving 30% of the ocean by 2030. Our goal is to support that ambition and help make it a reality by drawing attention to the problem and the opportunity to use Marine Protected Areas to save our oceans.

Oceans are "under-conserved"

Ocean health and our survival are closely linked

We are destroying the oceans at an alarming rate

Oceans are "under-conserved"

Ocean health and our survival are closely linked

We are destroying the oceans at an alarming rate

Oceans are "under-conserved"

Save the Ocean, Save Ourselves