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2023 Blue Park Award Winners Announced at 5th International Marine Protected Area Congress

 New Marine Protected Areas Recognized for Outstanding Conservation Sunday 5 February 2023 Press Kit (map, images, logos, background): https://marine-conservation.box.com/s/su5vpl6lasscfsko51stll2z15s2cqc6  Contacts listed below  [Vancouver, Canada, 5 Feb 2023]—Three marine protected areas (MPAs) won prestigious Blue Park Awards for exceptional marine wildlife conservation at the 5th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC5) today. Pitcairn Islands Marine Protected…

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Gitdisdzu Lugyks (Kitasu Bay) MPA Named a Blue Spark in Growing Network of Highest Quality Marine Protected Areas

Press Kit (map, images, logos, background): https://marine-conservation.box.com/s/su5vpl6lasscfsko51stll2z15s2cqc6  Contacts listed below  [Vancouver, Canada, 5 Feb 2023] Today, at the 5th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC5), Marine Conservation Institute announced that Gitdisdzu Lugyeks (Kitasu Bay) MPA is now a Blue Spark marine protected area collaboration. The Blue Spark designation for this Indigenous-led protected area reflects the…

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Three Blue Park Award Winners Announced at UN Ocean Conference

New Marine Protected Areas Recognized for Outstanding Conservation Friday 1 July 2022 [Lisbon, Portugal, 1 July 2022]—Three marine protected areas (MPAs) won prestigious Blue Park Awards for exceptional marine wildlife conservation at the United Nations Ocean Conference today. Apo Reef Natural Park (The Philippines), Raja Ampat Islands Marine Conservation Area (Indonesia), and Old Providence McBean…

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The Seychelles’ Giant Step in Ocean Conservation: A Cautious Hope for the Ocean

By Sebastian Nicholls, Blue Parks Ambassador. On March 26th, President Danny Faure of the Republic of Seychelles formalized a marine spatial plan for the entire exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Seychelles, touting “the legal designation of one-third of [the Seychelles’]  ocean territory, as a marine protected area.”[1] As governments work to make good on…

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Malpelo: A Blue Park Exploding with Life

Featured Picture: Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary. Photo courtesy of Ramón Pulido. By Sebastian Nicholls, Blue Parks Ambassador.   Surrounded by mangroves that grow on low-lying islands and the mainland coast, the Port of Buenaventura bustles with activity—it’s a gateway to that largest of oceans, the Pacific, and the diverse wildlife that calls the Colombian Pacific…

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Let Them Eat Fish?

Featured Picture: A rockfish searches for a place to hide off the coast of Southern California. Photo courtesy of NOAA. By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute   The next time you order fish at a restaurant, pull out your phone for a second and research where it might have come from (Monterey Bay Aquarium’s…

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What Are We Protecting? Exploring Seamounts in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument

Featured Pic: A giant basket star off the coast of Baker Island. Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust. By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute   Expedition Overview Marine Conservation Institute recently participated in the E/V Nautilus NA114 field expedition that explored numerous seamounts across the Central Pacific Ocean. The expedition focused on collecting baseline…

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Zombie Worms, Octopus Gardens and Hydrothermal Vents! Exploring the Unknown off the Coast of California: The 2019 Nautilus Field Season

Featured Picture: A baleen whale fall on Davidson Seamount off the coast of California. Image courtesy of Ocean Exploration Trust. By Samuel Georgian, Marine Biogeographer at Marine Conservation Institute   The deep sea is the last great unexplored region of our planet. We only have detailed maps for approximately 5% of the ocean – most of the…

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Six Blue Parks Join the Growing Network of Global Ocean Refuges

[October 24, 2019. Oslo, Norway]  Today at Our Ocean Conference in Oslo, Norway, Marine Conservation Institute and its international science council awarded six outstanding marine protected areas (MPAs) Blue Park designation. A total of 16 MPAs now hold the prestigious Blue Park Award indicating that they meet the highest science-based standards for marine life protection…

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