Explore the challenges facing Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where ineffective protections and weak enforcement turn them into “paper parks.” Discover how true conservation efforts, like those in Blue Parks, set an example for effective management and biodiversity preservation in this endangered marine region.| Marine Conservation Institute
Discover the 2025 Blue Park Award nominees, five exceptional marine protected areas (MPAs) dedicated to biodiversity and ecosystem protection. Learn about their critical role in ocean conservation and how you can contribute through public comments.| Marine Conservation Institute
Four marine protected areas (MPAs) were honored today with prestigious Blue Park Awards today at the 3rd UN Ocean Conference. The newly awarded Blue Parks are: Cahuita National Park (Costa Rica), Gorgona National Natural Park (Colombia), Kaho'olawe Island Reserve (Hawai'i, U.S.), and Shark Fin Bay MPA Network (Taytay, Philippines). The post 2025 Blue Park Award Winners Announced at the UN Ocean Conference appeared first on Marine Conservation Institute.| Marine Conservation Institute
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
ShareLikeTweetLinkedInPin Article photo: David Garcia By Olivia Richter | May 6, 2025 Some of the planet’s most diverse marine life thrives within the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Recently, countries in this region have stepped up their conservation efforts, with several areas now designated as Hope Spots and awarded Blue Park status in recognition of their achievements. In these…| Marine Conservation Institute
ShareLikeTweetLinkedInPin Article photo: Cristina Mittermeier By Marine Conservation Institute | April 18, 2025 One of the largest strongly protected ocean reserves is the latest target of the U.S. administration. While the rest of the world rallies around protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 to recover wildlife populations and turn the tide on decades of destructive…| Marine Conservation Institute
ShareLikeTweetLinkedInPin Article photo: Cristina Mittermeier By Bea San Juan Silva | March 28, 2025 South Africa’s oceans are teeming with biodiversity, from vibrant coral reefs to rich fish populations. To protect these vital ecosystems, the country has established a network of 42 marine protected areas (MPAs) – 41 in the mainland Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and one in…| Marine Conservation Institute
Discover the 2025 Blue Park Award nominees, five exceptional marine protected areas (MPAs) dedicated to biodiversity and ecosystem protection. Learn about their critical role in ocean conservation and how you can contribute through public comments.| Marine Conservation Institute
Bottom fishing continues to threaten Europe’s fragile marine ecosystems despite new protections. Our latest study uncovers an 81% reduction in harmful activities but highlights persistent illegal incursions and gaps in enforcement. Dive into the data and explore the path forward for safeguarding vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs).| Marine Conservation Institute
Marine Protected Area (MPA) managers and local stewards are on the frontlines of ocean conservation but often lack resources to meet mounting challenges. Through Blue Parks Small Grants, Marine Conservation Institute has provided crucial support to MPAs in 2023. From enhancing monitoring systems to engaging local communities, these grants have empowered on-the-ground conservation efforts, helping MPAs around the world protect marine biodiversity and sustain coastal ecosystems. The post Blue P...| Marine Conservation Institute
Report & Toolkit | Key Findings | Policy Recommendations | 30×30 | The MPA Guide | Explore Results | Case Studies Published in Conservation Letters in May 2024, this analysis* establishes a baseline for measuring marine protected area (MPA) quality and provides recommendations as the international community works toward the 30×30 goal established by the Convention…| Marine Conservation Institute
The Blue Park Standard The Blue Park Standard relies on up-to-date science regarding the attributes of effective marine protected areas (MPAs). A considerable body of scientific literature has focused on the MPA attributes that result in biodiversity conservation; the Blue Park Award Criteria represent a synthesis of this MPA science. Through workshops, meetings and conferences,…| Marine Conservation Institute
The Blue Parks initiative sets a science-based standard for marine protected area quality, incentivizes the standard with prestigious international awards, and supports conservation leaders around the world who are working to achieve the standard. We need standards to ensure that marine protected areas (MPAs) truly protect marine biodiversity. We launched the Blue Parks initiative to…| Marine Conservation Institute
Marine Conservation Institute partners with NGOs, leaders and governments to help them create effective marine protected areas that meet Blue Park Award standards. Using Blue Park evaluations, these Blue Spark collaborations ensure that marine protected areas live up to their promise, effectively safeguard wildlife and earn Blue Park Awards. Learn about our Blue Spark collaborations.…| Marine Conservation Institute
Blue Parks in Action: How Small Grants Have Made a Big Impact for Marine Conservation| Marine Conservation Institute
Discover how the establishment of Everglades National Park inadvertently provided a critical refuge for the Critically Endangered smalltooth sawfish. Learn about the dual threats of fishing and habitat loss, and the ongoing challenges facing this remarkable species. Authored by Elijah Winger.| Marine Conservation Institute
My first impression on visiting Topocalma wetland in Chile was how similar it looked and felt to my local stomping grounds along the Sonoma Coast of California. All that was different was the access road and the lack of development nearby. I thought to myself, this is probably what the California coast looked like before we built over it. Visiting my colleague, Juan Buttazoni, to witness his conservation efforts was eye-opening. I knew, as an ecologist, that both coasts are “Mediterranean...| Marine Conservation Institute
ShareLikeTweetLinkedInPin Article By Beth Pike | May 10, 2024 In our study published in May 2024 in Conservation Letters, our analysis, “Ocean protection quality is lagging behind quantity: Applying a scientific framework to assess real marine protected area progress against the 30 by 30 target” reports the results of applying scientific criteria to globally reported…| Marine Conservation Institute
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