--- title: Our Mission --- [Skip to the main content.](https://blueoceanz.org/ourmission#main-content) [![logo symobl white](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20symobl%20white.png?width=1259&height=1182&name=logo%20symobl%20white.png "logo symobl white")](https://blueoceanz.org/?hsLang=en) [![logo symobl white](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20symobl%20white.png?width=1259&height=1182&name=logo%20symobl%20white.png "logo symobl white")](https://blueoceanz.org/?hsLang=en) - [Our Mission](https://blueoceanz.org/ourmission) - [Learn more](https://blueoceanz.org/learnmore) - [Stay tuned](https://blueoceanz.org/stay-tuned) - [About](https://blueoceanz.org/about) [Donate](https://app.hubspot.com/payments/Yl0Tb-JdTbWF?referrer=PAYMENT_LINK) Toggle Menu Toggle Menu [Donate](https://app.hubspot.com/payments/Yl0Tb-JdTbWF?referrer=PAYMENT_LINK) - [Our Mission](https://blueoceanz.org/ourmission) - [Learn more](https://blueoceanz.org/learnmore) - [Stay tuned](https://blueoceanz.org/stay-tuned) - [About](https://blueoceanz.org/about) [*LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/company/blueoceanz/about/) # Our Mission   [Donate](https://app.hubspot.com/payment-links/40199232/preview/1317398/test)   ## 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. ![SaveLand](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/SaveLand.jpg?width=69&height=82&name=SaveLand.jpg) #### Works on land Protected areas have helped bring species back from the brink ![SecureOcean2](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/SecureOcean2.jpg?width=69&height=82&name=SecureOcean2.jpg) #### Works in water MPAs increase biomass 1.5 X, species density 6-7 times, and body size almost 30% ![SaveHumanity](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/SaveHumanity.jpg?width=96&height=96&name=SaveHumanity.jpg) #### Helps Humanity Coastal MPAs can also protect mangroves and oyster beds that absorb wave energy from storms and hurricanes, saving lives and homes ![cuba coral garden](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/cuba%20coral%20garden.jpg?width=909&height=469&name=cuba%20coral%20garden.jpg) ### [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.](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=7065ff04b747ac94&sca_upv=1&q=jardines+de+la+reina&tbm=vid&source=lnms&prmd=imvnsbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjW5ZGSte2FAxVkFVkFHSQzDMEQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=1536&bih=703&dpr=1.25#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:d0ba21fb,vid:8zreWSBxxLs,st:0) ![Papahānaumokuākea](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Papah%C4%81naumoku%C4%81kea.png?width=585&height=298&name=Papah%C4%81naumoku%C4%81kea.png) ### [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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZG2Q-B6LvQ) ![Galapagos Marine Reserve](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Galapagos%20Marine%20Reserve.png?width=459&height=307&name=Galapagos%20Marine%20Reserve.png) ### [Check out the expansion of the Galápagos Marine Reserve](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX-syU19Mxg) ![Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Northeast%20Canyons%20and%20Seamounts%20Marine%20National%20Monument.png?width=976&height=476&name=Northeast%20Canyons%20and%20Seamounts%20Marine%20National%20Monument.png) ### [Check out the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ0vtf7afzQ) ![Islands of Raja Ampat SE Asis](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Islands%20of%20Raja%20Ampat%20SE%20Asis.png?width=1029&height=497&name=Islands%20of%20Raja%20Ampat%20SE%20Asis.png) ### [Check out the miraculous recovery in the seas around Misool once fully protected in 2007](https://vimeo.com/423964868)    ## 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. ![Screen Shot 2023-07-26 at 1.42.22 PM](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-26%20at%201.42.22%20PM.png?width=756&height=502&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-07-26%20at%201.42.22%20PM.png) ### 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 ![Screen Shot 2023-07-26 at 1.42.31 PM](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-26%20at%201.42.31%20PM.png?width=756&height=502&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-07-26%20at%201.42.31%20PM.png) ### 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 ![Screen Shot 2023-07-26 at 1.42.37 PM](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-26%20at%201.42.37%20PM.png?width=752&height=506&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-07-26%20at%201.42.37%20PM.png) ### 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 ##### Save the Ocean, Save Ourselves Save the Ocean, Save Ourselves - [Our Mission](https://blueoceanz.org/ourmission) - [Learn More](https://blueoceanz.org/learnmore) - [Stay Tuned](https://blueoceanz.org/stay-tuned) - [About](https://blueoceanz.org/about) [![logo symobl white](https://blueoceanz.org/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20symobl%20white.png?width=50&height=47&name=logo%20symobl%20white.png)](https://www.blueoceanz.org?hsLang=en) © 2026 BlueOceanz.org, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization [*LinkedIn*](https://www.linkedin.com/company/blueoceanz/about/) *Return to Top*