Header image – MPA Day participants in the False Bay Hope Spot. Credit: Two Oceans Aquarium In just five years, South African-born Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day has grown into a global movement, raising awareness about the critical importance of MPAs – for both people and nature. Since joining the campaign in 2024, Mission Blue, through its powerful network and passionate Hope Spot Champions, has played an integral role in creating the biggest wave of impact yet. This year, the campaig...| Mission Blue
Header Image: Giant Pacific octopus stretching out on Cordell Bank with schooling rockfish in the background. Image: Rob Lee. [SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA] – Off the coast of Northern California lie two federally recognized National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS), the Greater Farallones NMS and the Cordell Bank NMS. These distinct but interconnected sanctuaries are known for their [...]Read More...| Mission Blue
Cover Image: Mark Ziembicki The Quirimbas Archipelago was designated a Mission Blue Hope Spot in 2013, and Dr. Sylvia Earle considers this area to be a “shining beacon of hope on the African Coastline”. Hope continues to grow in this jewel of Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, with a large proportion of the area recently declared [...]Read More...| Mission Blue
Cover image: Diving in the Bazaruto Seascape © Andrea Marshall [Inhambane, Mozambique] –Mission Blue is pleased to welcome Rui Branco as the new Co-Champion of the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot in southern Mozambique. Rui Branco, founding member and Director of Associação NATURA and co-founder of the Malamba Coastal Collaborative and a Mozambique native, brings over [...]Read More...| Mission Blue
ShareLikeTweetLinkedInPin Article photo: Ocean Film By Nikki Harasta | June 3, 2025 At the legendary age of 99, following a decades-long career as the voice for a planet now on the brink of climate collapse, David Attenborough delivers an important message to his audience in his most recent nature documentary, Ocean: “If we save the Sea,…| Marine Conservation Institute
Tavarua Island from the Reef’s Edge. Image: Chris Park [TAVARUA, FIJI] The waters surrounding Tavarua Island are now officially protected, following the Fijian Government’s endorsement of the Tavarua Island Marine Reserve. The declaration is an inspiring step forward in the Pacific nation’s leadership in marine conservation. The new protected area was officially designated under the [...]Read More...| Mission Blue
A new analysis of the world’s largest 100 marine protected areas (MPAs) published today in Conservation Letters suggests that governments are falling short on delivering the promise of effective biodiversity protection due to slow implementation of management strategies and failure to restrict the most impactful activities.| Marine Conservation Institute