PR89078

ARLINGTON, Va., April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

  -- Blue Nature Alliance partners to protect 18 million square kilometers of

     ocean globally over five years

A new ocean conservation initiative is underway to catalyze the protection and

conservation of 18 million square kilometers of the ocean (7 million square

miles) over the next five years-an area twice the size of the continental

United States and larger than the continent of South America.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1490953/Blue_Nature_Alliance_Logo.jpg  

The effort, called the Blue Nature Alliance (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3133991-1&h=3828712751&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bluenaturealliance.org%2F&a=Blue+Nature+Alliance

), is a collaboration led by Conservation International, The Pew Charitable

Trusts, the Global Environment Facility, Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob and

Melani Walton Foundation. The Alliance aims to expand and enhance ocean

protections with a focus on working alongside Indigenous peoples and local

communities, scientists and academia, and other partners.

The Blue Nature Alliance is working with governments and other partners on

large-scale efforts in Fiji's Lau Seascape, Antarctica's Southern Ocean, and

Tristan da Cunha to collectively secure protections over 4.8 million square

kilometers (1.9 million square miles) of the ocean. The Alliance will soon

engage in efforts in Canada, Palau, Seychelles, and the Western Indian Ocean.

This will aim to strengthen and enhance the protection of nearly 2 million

square kilometers (734,000 square miles) of the ocean. A pipeline of 18

additional Blue Nature Alliance engagements has been identified across North

and South America, Europe, and the Asian Pacific region. The Blue Nature

Alliance will announce the next round of locations in summer 2021.

"A Healthy ocean is key to our existence. It provides nutrition and employment

for a majority of people around the world and half of the oxygen each of us

breathes. Yet significantly less of our ocean is protected when compared to

land," said 'Aulani Wilhelm, senior vice president of Oceans for Conservation

International. "We must collaborate globally, in partnership with local

governments and Indigenous peoples, to make the conservation of our ocean a

priority. The time is now to take big practical action to move this work

forward."

The world's ocean is under stress, it is facing threats from climate change,

damaging fishing practices, and pollution. Science shows that protecting and

conserving large areas of the ocean is necessary to support the air we breathe,

regulate the climate, and maintain essential levels of biodiversity.

"From the coastlines to the high seas, we need to tackle conservation

holistically and in partnership. Our collective efforts will help secure a

healthy ocean that is more resilient to climate change and yields benefits to

both nature and people," said Tom Dillon, senior vice president for environment

at The Pew Charitable Trusts. "To boost biodiversity, fisheries, and economies,

the Blue Nature Alliance will work with partners globally to apply science and

lessons learned, and build on best practices to conserve our ocean at scale. We

need this type of ambition to address the challenges facing our ocean today."

The Blue Nature Alliance's efforts support the push to protect at least 30

percent of the ocean by 2030, a global conservation goal expected to be

formally adopted at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference later this year.

To date, less than 10 percent of the global ocean is protected. The 30 percent

goal is widely agreed upon as the threshold needed to maintain a resilient and

functioning ocean that supports the health of people and nature.

"Conserving 30 percent of the world's land and sea in the coming decade will

require all of us to work together, with science as our North Star," said

Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment

Facility. "It is heartening to see collaborative work underway in the South

Atlantic, South Pacific, and Antarctica's Southern Ocean, and with work about

to begin in even more locations around Palau, Seychelles, Canada, and the

Western Indian Ocean. Through the Blue Nature Alliance, we will be contributing

significantly to the 30 percent global ocean conservation goal and ensuring we

have momentum to build on as we strive for our 2030 ambitions."

To achieve its ambitious goal, the Blue Nature Alliance is creating a global

network of partners dedicated to building on lessons learned from

well-functioning marine protected areas and innovating new approaches to

conserving large ocean areas, many of which have heavily incorporated the

traditional knowledge and needs of local communities and governments into their

long-term management plans - a practice that helps ensure resilience, both in

funding and implementation.

"Engaging with local communities is essential to the long-term success of ocean

conservation efforts," said Dr. Tony Worby, CEO of Flourishing Oceans at

Australia's Minderoo Foundation. "Local communities rely on the ocean directly

for livelihoods, cultural activities and recreation, so it is critical that

they are involved in decision making that supports long-term sustainability. A

measure of success for the Blue Nature Alliance will be to build community

support for ocean conservation measures that are enduring."

"Melani and I care deeply about the future of our planet and the communities

that depend on nature for their health, livelihoods and culture," said Rob

Walton, co-founder of the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation. "That's why we are

pleased to be part of the Blue Nature Alliance - which brings together

philanthropists, businesses, governments and NGOs to substantially increase and

improve ocean conservation. Now is a critical time. The ocean is under immense

pressure, and we all have a responsibility to help safeguard it."

In addition to its five founding partners, the Blue Nature Alliance's growing

network includes world-renowned conservation experts, scientists, and financial

strategists including Big Ocean, the Global Island Partnership, the Gordon and

Betty Moore Foundation, the Murphy Family Foundation, Nekton, Oceana, Ocean

Unite, the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, and SkyLight Surveillance and Enforcement

Technology.

SOURCE: Blue Nature Alliance

For full press release, materials in English/French/Spanish, B-ROLL, and

photos, visit: bluenaturealliance.org/news. CONTACT:

annette@bluenaturealliance.org