The Blue Parks initiative unites the ocean’s best protected places and the people who champion them in a strategic network to save life in the sea.
Blue Parks incentivizes a global ocean refuge system to safeguard biodiversity in at least 30% of the ocean. Blue Park Awards recognize outstanding marine protected areas (MPAs), and the Blue Park Criteria provide a science-based standard for conservation effectiveness.
The Blue Park Awards are supported by Blue. Each Blue Park now receives US $10,000 (platinum level), US $8,000 (gold level), or US $6,000 (silver level) as well as an etched glass trophy to recognize their achievement.
We need standards to ensure that marine protected areas (MPAs) truly protect marine biodiversity.
We launched the Blue Parks initiative to celebrate effective MPAs and incentivize governments, managers, communities and leaders to achieve effective conservation.
Blue Parks are the MPAs in the right places with the right rules and the right management to safeguard wildlife. The standards are based on the science of MPAs.
Celebrate these conservation successes with us! Together we can protect marine life in every ocean ecosystem.
Blue Parks
Assembling a Global Network
The Blue Parks network aims to safeguard marine biodiversity by assembling a strategic network of effective marine protected areas (MPAs) that includes replicate representation of all marine habitats in each biogeographic region and supports marine population persistence.
Blue Parks Benefits
The award, which confers prestige, funding leverage and ecotourism opportunities, aligns governments' interests with biodiversity conservation. Blue Park status also provides a benchmark that both private and governmental funders can use to measure the impacts of their investments.
Blue Parks is endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade
