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Science advances and good ideas spread in the scientific community when members get together at conferences. Marine Conservation Institute’s team of scientists recently attended , virtually that is, the 6th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC6). They played a very busy role co-hosting a two-day workshop, organizing a symposium viewed by over 100 people and giving…

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The global community is pushing forward on promises to achieve internationally agreed upon levels of environmental protection, and marine scientists are working diligently to evaluate the efficacy of these actions. Definitions are being refined, levels of protection are being researched, and “on the water” implementation is being evaluated. Marine Conservation Institute is leading this work…

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Our Marine Protection Atlas (MPAtlas.org) team has released its annual review of US marine protection levels for 2017. They update the SeaStates US report annually to ensure it is the most rigorous, quantitative, and topical accounting of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the waters of US coastal states and territories. First published in 2013, the reports…

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Here at MPAtlas.org we often get asked how much of the ocean would be protected as a result of various proposed and promised marine protected areas (MPAs). In order to help visitors to MPAtlas.org see the results for themselves, we’ve created the Ocean Protection Calculator. As you can see from the tool below, it is…

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Last week, I presented the results of our 2015 SeaStates US report, at the 2015 Esri User Conference in San Diego, California.  Marine Conservation Institute and Esri are partners on a wide range of projects and we are grateful that they have supported our conservation work for over a decade.  Mapping conservation priorities and assessing…

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Congratulations to our colleagues Jean Wiener (Haiti) and Howard Wood (United Kingdom), both of whom were recognized this week with a Goldman Environmental Prize for their work in designating marine protected areas in their respective home countries.  It is rewarding and encouraging to see accolades given for the hard, often unsung, work that it takes…

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For most of us who live in heavily settled urban areas where laws govern many of our activities, it might be surprising to learn that nearly half of our planet remains unclaimed and ungoverned by any nations. Where is this half of the planet that is essentially free from any real rules or protections? It…

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Shark Week brings an unprecedented amount of attention to sharks and we are excited to help highlight the importance of protecting these animals by sharing our new “Shark Sanctuaries” layer at www.MPAtlas.org. This website maps places where shark protections have been established around the world.  We invite you to explore our newest feature and learn more…

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Officially proclaimed World Oceans Month, this past June brought a series of impressive announcements about new initiatives to protect our oceans.  From President Obama’s proposal to create the world’s largest marine monument around the US Pacific Remote Islands to New Zealand formally declaring the Akaroa Marine Reserve, June 2014 will be remembered by ocean advocates…

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We are excited to see an article in The Atlantic today on marine protected areas that features our MPAtlas. “A Blueprint for Protecting the World’s Oceans” by Svati Kirsten Narula provides an insightful look at how to make marine protected areas more effective for conservation.  We’re pleased to see the prominence of MPAtlas, our tool…

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