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A map can reveal the real-time status of ocean protection around the world. How does it work?
What if you could choose a travel destination based not just on how beautiful is, but also on how well-protected it is? What if you had the tools to understand how your local bay or favorite surf break is managed—tools that could help you advocate to improve those protections and save the wild ocean places…
Read MoreFive Feats to Celebrate from 2021!
As Marine Conservation Institute successfully concludes our 25th year (missed our Anniversary Gala? Watch here!), it is a time for reflecting on our most recent year of achievements. Our lean, smart team has been hard at work in 2021 to advocate for and protect extraordinary ocean places—from publishing significant contributions in Science and Nature, to…
Read MoreEffective Protections are needed to Restore Marine Life and Ensure a Resilient Future
The world faces the dual challenges of biodiversity loss paired with a rapidly changing climate and many scientists point to the urgent need to increase effective global marine protection to at least 30% by 2030. Known as “30×30,” this worldwide campaign is designed to apply pressure to nations currently negotiating a new agreement on conservation…
Read MoreBlue Parks Network Grows & Inspires
At Marine Conservation Institute’s 25th Anniversary Gala on December 9th, we announced four new Blue Park Award winners – marine protected areas (MPAs) that have achieved the highest science-based standards for marine life protection. We welcome these four new Blue Parks to the global Blue Parks network, designed to protect and regenerate our ocean’s biodiversity.…
Read MoreIn the World of Conservation, “Compliance” Makes or Breaks a Marine Reserve’s Success. Here’s How We Can Be Better.
By Blue Parks Intern Kate Allcock Featured Image by Antonio-Soriano When it comes to conservation, quality matters as much as quantity. When a marine protected area’s rules aren’t followed, non-compliance can result in marine reserves that are protected “on paper” but ineffective at achieving any real biodiversity or climate benefits. What factors contribute to non-compliance,…
Read MoreNewly released MPA Guide assessments of Canadian federal MPAs published on MPAtlas.org
This week, MPAtlas history was made, as the first regional application of The MPA Guide framework was released for 18 Canadian marine protected areas. Evaluating Canadian MPAs necessitates careful consideration of important Indigenous fishing rights which are closely entwined with marine protections in Canada. Little is known about the impacts—or even the possible biodiversity benefits—of…
Read MoreBlue Sparks Light up the Eastern Tropical Pacific at COP26
Featured Image: Parque Nacional Isla del Coco. Photo credit: Avi Klapfer This week and next week, the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“COP26”) brings negotiators from nearly every nation together in Glasgow, Scotland, to discuss the future of climate change. Tensions are high— hundreds of climate…
Read MoreA hundred nations just signed a landmark biodiversity declaration—what does that mean for the climate?
The world has been holding its breath for some time, waiting for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity—postponed for over a year due to the global pandemic—to resume. Just this week, part one of the 15th Conference of Parties to the 1992 UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15), was held in Kunming, China. The…
Read MoreThe U.S. Wants to Save 30% of the Ocean. But Real Conservation Will Take More than Numbers—Here’s How
How to address catastrophic climate disruption? How to approach our treatment of nature? These are important choices that the US faces. For over 150 years, American conservation efforts have seesawed between strict protection of unique, natural places and an approach that can be summarized as ‘multiple use’ or ‘sustainable use’. Thinkers and conservationists like Henry…
Read More5 Ways Aquarium Keepers Can Be Conservationists
From dazzling multi-story tanks in aquariums and marine labs to carefully curated displays in classrooms and private homes, fishkeeping can offer windows into the colorful and complex interrelationships under the ocean’s surface. But can captive fish be managed in a way that synchs with conservation values? Our guest blogger this week is David Thomas from Everything…
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