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Monthly Archives: May 2023
Byron Bay Named Australia’s Newest Mission Blue Hope Spot Highlighting Need for Improved Marine Protections

Featured image: Migaloo white humpback whale and Wollumbin © Craig Parry
(BYRON BAY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA) –
An 8-hour drive north from Sydney, Australia rests the small coastal town of Byron Bay, appreciated by its 9,000 residents for its sparkling blue waters, golden sands and epic surf breaks. The area encompasses the Cape Byron Marine Park and the Julian Rocks Nguthungulli Nature Reserve, which represent the ecological, cultural, and economic importance of the region. In recent years, Byron Bay has become a popular tourist destination, with 3 to 5 million annual visitors. However, this added pressure comes with a downside: much like many marine ecosystems around the world, the area struggles with the negative effects of pollution, runoff, and increasing coastal development, which has caused habitat degradation of the local marine life.…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, sylvia earle, Uncategorized |

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The Great Lakes Named Mission Blue’s First Freshwater Hope Spot

Featured image: Aerial view of Sleeping Bear Dunes © Shedd Aquarium
(LAKE MICHIGAN, CHICAGO, UNITED STATES) –
International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue has named the Great Lakes the first and only freshwater Hope Spot with the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, as the Hope Spot Champion. 
 
 
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, posed a challenge to Shedd Aquarium last April to consider the Great Lakes for designation, in part, due to the unique connectivity they share with marine environments and human health. “The Great Lakes represent both the figurative and the literal heart of the North American water system,” Dr. Earle stated. “A source of water for over 40 million people and more than 3,500 plant and animal species, many of which are unique to the Great Lakes, the inclusion of this critically important natural area as a Hope Spot will highlight the connection and significance of protecting inland habitats, as we really understand that the whole aquatic world; inland waters and the ocean beyond are one interconnected system.” …

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Uncategorized |

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