Scientists believe that there is a 30 percent threshold of the global ocean that must be preserved in order to maintain resilient and functioning ecosystems that are critical to support humans and nature. However, much more work is needed as less than 10 percent of the global ocean is protected today.
The Blue Nature Alliance is a collaborative effort dedicated to expanding and enhancing ocean protections, and this past week they announced plans to catalyze the protection and conservation of 7 million square miles of ocean over the next five years. The effort is not only innovative in its massive scale and forward-thinking impact, but also in how it will be implemented. Combining ethics with ecology, they intend to collaborate with Indigenous peoples and local communities to ensure that their needs are met and they do not suffer in the name of conservation.
“Engaging with local communities is essential to the long-term success of ocean conservation efforts,” said Dr. Tony Worby, CEO of Flourishing Oceans at Australia’s Minderoo Foundation. “Local communities rely on the ocean for livelihoods, cultural activities and recreation, so it is critical that they are involved in decision making that supports long-term sustainability.”
By Blue Nature Alliance integrating local traditional knowledge and needs into their long-term conservation management plans, they believe they are building resilience into their conservation efforts.
Tom Dillon, senior Vice President for Environment at The Pew Charitable Trusts, reinforces the importance of collaboration in the Alliance’s work, “We need to tackle conservation holistically and in partnership. Our collective efforts will help secure a healthy ocean that is more resilient to climate change and yields benefits to both nature and people.”
The Alliance is led and supported by Conservation International, The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Global Environment Facility, Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation, with a growing network of world-renowned conservation experts, scientists, and financial strategists.
