Photo Credit: Giuseppe Lanotte
| September 25, 2026
The ocean is one of the reasons we travel. We dive coral reefs, watch whales, explore islands, fish, sail, surf, snorkel, and seek out places where the sea still feels wild. But we need effective marine conservation to safeguard those special places. Your next ocean trip can be an opportunity to discover marine conservation in action and help to advance it.
Here's our guidance on how to do it.
KEY RESOURCES - USE THESE THROUGHOUT
Marine Protection Atlas (mpatlas.org) - find and learn about marine protected areas (MPAs) near your destination.
Blue Parks map (blueparks.org) - find Blue Parks, MPAs that meet rigorous, science-based standards for effective conservation.
Before You Go...
1. Learn about the ocean places you're visiting
Before you travel, find out what is happening beneath the surface of your destination. Use Marine Conservation Institute's Marine Protection Atlas to explore the marine protected areas (MPAs) in the region. Learn where they are, who manages them, and what activities are allowed. Expand your search to the nearby MPAs’ official websites to learn more about the wildlife protected there and who is involved.
☐ Find the MPAs near your destination using the Marine Protection Atlas
☐ Learn what they protect. Try to find their official website for information about the ecosystems and wildlife in these places.
☐ Look beyond the boundaries on a map: find out who is involved in protecting these areas. Are there governments involved? Local communities?
2. Find a Blue Park
Once you've identified the MPAs near your destination, see whether there is a Blue Park nearby. Blue Parks are marine protected areas that meet a rigorous, science-based standard for effective marine conservation. If there is one within reach of your trip, consider making it part of your itinerary – these special places are worth the visit, if you can get to them! One of the best ways to understand and appreciate the importance of effective conservation is to experience it firsthand.
☐ Look for a Blue Park near your destination using the Marine Protection Atlas
☐ If you find one nearby, read its Blue Park page to see what makes its protections effective
☐ Consider adding it to your itinerary – the best protected places in the ocean are worth the visit!
3. Connect with the people supporting local MPAs
An MPA is more than a line on a map. Find the people who dedicate themselves to making the MPA possible. Through the official website or social media accounts of MPAs, you can look for MPA managers, local and Indigenous community organizations, marine conservation nonprofits, scientists, researchers, fishing organizations, and businesses working with the protected area. If you can’t find much online, ask the local travel contacts what they know about the MPA. Maybe the hotel staff, dive master, or shop owner you speak with can share some insights.
Identify local conservation organizations and MPA partners.
☐ If you find conservation partners that engage the public through educational programming, tours, public clean-ups, or restoration projects, reach out and ask how you can learn more while you're there.
☐ Look for opportunities to meet people involved in protecting the place.
A simple question can open the door: “I'm visiting your area and would love to learn more about the marine protected area and the work being done to protect it. Is there someone you recommend I speak with or a way for visitors to learn more?"
While You're There...
4. Experience conservation in action
When you're in the water, pay attention to the protections that are safeguarding the wildlife you see. Are there signs indicating restrictions on fishing or boating, patrols, ecological monitoring or research, restoration projects, or community involvement?
☐ Visit or experience the protected area.
☐ Look for: What is being protected? What rules are in place? How are the rules communicated and enforced? Who is responsible for making sure the protections work?
☐ Ask your guide or a conservation partner about the protections.
☐ What can you learn about the biggest challenge facing the MPA?
5. Put your travel dollars behind conservation
Look for ways your trip can support the people protecting local ocean ecosystems and wildlife.
☐ Choose local operators that actively support the MPA.
☐ Look for businesses or organizations that contribute to conservation.
☐ Support local conservation nonprofits and community-based initiatives.
☐ Pay appropriate park or MPA fees.
☐ Ask how tourism supports conservation in the places you visit.
6. Ask one good question
The more we understand what effective marine protection looks like, the better equipped we are to recognize it, support it, and ask for more of it. Once you have learned about the ocean conservation efforts in your destination, share what you learned. Point friends toward the MPA, the people protecting it, and resources where they can learn more. The best stories often begin with a good question.
☐ Ask a guide, conservationist, researcher, or MPA manager: “What makes this ocean area special?” And if it is protected, “How did it become protected?”
When You Get Home
7. Tell the story
Share what you learned, including what you’ve learned about its conservation.
☐ Post a photograph
☐ Write about your trip
☐ Tell friends about the place
Blue Park Stories: We love sharing conservation stories from the field. If you have a story about visiting a Blue Park or another compelling experience related to visiting an MPA, we would love to read it and will consider publishing it as a guest blog.
