Mission Blue and IUCN join forces with the One Ocean Partnership
The One Ocean Partnership puts coastal communities at the heart of protecting and restoring the ocean.
Mission Blue® and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) today announced a new collaboration to advance the One Ocean Partnership — a global effort to accelerate locally led ocean conservation by connecting coastal communities with the science, expertise, partnerships and finance they need to scale solutions and develop regenerative seascapes.
The collaboration was announced by Dr. Sylvia Earle, CEO & Founder of Mission Blue and IUCN Patron of Nature, and Razan Al Mubarak, President of IUCN, during Climate Week NYC 2026.
The partnership will bring together IUCN’s network, scientific expertise, partnerships and regenerative seascape approach pioneered under its Great Blue Wall initiative with Mission Blue’s global network of Hope Spots — ocean areas of critical ecological importance championed by local leaders.
“There is only one ocean, and every breath we take, every drop of water we drink and every life on Earth depends upon it. Hope Spots show what becomes possible when science, local knowledge and courageous leadership come together. Through this collaboration with IUCN and the One Ocean Partnership, we can give local champions the recognition and support they deserve, create an effective network of action, and turn hope into lasting protection and recovery of the ocean at the scale needed for enduring security for life on Earth, humans very much included.” — Dr. Sylvia Earle, CEO & Founder of Mission Blue.
Dr. Sylvia Earle and IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak at UNOC 2025. © Mission Blue
“Sylvia Earle and Mission Blue have shown the power of local leadership through Hope Spots. Through this partnership, we want to build on that foundation, connecting locally led conservation with the science, expertise, partnerships, and investment needed to sustain it and expand its impact. By linking Hope Spots with wider regenerative seascapes, we can help turn successful local action into lasting progress for the Ocean and the communities that depend on it” — Razan Al Mubarak, President of IUCN.
Together, Mission Blue and IUCN will:
- Connect Hope Spots and regenerative seascapes, linking local conservation efforts with regional and global ocean goals;
- Advance regenerative blue economy models that restore marine ecosystems while creating sustainable livelihoods;
- Support coastal and island leadership, bringing local knowledge and solutions into regional and global ocean discussions;
- Strengthen south-south and triangular cooperation between countries and communities, helping ocean leaders share knowledge and successful approaches;
- Connect local leaders with expertise, partnerships and finance to help turn solutions into action; and
- Share successful examples of ocean conservation and regeneration to inspire action in other regions.
Ocean ecosystems cross political boundaries, but ocean challenges and solutions vary from place to place. By connecting Hope Spot Champions and other local ocean leaders with IUCN’s regional networks and expertise, the partnership will help communities identify shared priorities, work together, share solutions and turn global ocean goals into action on the ground.
At the heart of the collaboration is a vision for a regenerative blue economy — one where economic activity helps restore, rather than deplete, the ocean. The partnership will connect ocean protection and restoration with sustainable enterprise, innovation, local value creation and investment, demonstrating how healthy marine ecosystems can support livelihoods, resilient coastal economies and long-term prosperity.
The need for action is urgent. The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet and supports food, livelihoods and economies for billions of people, while helping regulate our climate by absorbing carbon dioxide emissions. Yet warming, acidification, pollution, overfishing, more frequent extreme natural events and habitat loss are putting marine ecosystems and coastal communities under growing pressure.
Protecting and restoring the ocean is essential to meeting global commitments on biodiversity and sustainable development. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas to be effectively conserved and managed by 2030. Sustainable Development Goal 14 calls for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. Delivering these commitments will require coordinated action that is locally led, supported by science and finance, and connected across regions.
Mission Blue and IUCN will work together to help turn these global commitments into action on the ground by supporting coastal communities and local leaders to protect and restore marine ecosystems, share solutions and build sustainable livelihoods. By connecting people, knowledge, partnerships and investment, the collaboration aims to help create a healthier ocean and a more secure future for the people who depend on it.
© IUCN
–
Resources:
IUCN Explainer Brief – Regenerative Blue Economy
IUCN Explainer Brief – Ocean Warming
–
Contacts:
IUCN Press office: press@iucn.org
Emily Davenport, Director of Communications, Mission Blue: edavenport@missionblue.org
–
About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,600 Member organisations and around 19,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.
IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.
Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.
www.iucn.org
https://twitter.com/IUCN/
–
About Mission Blue
Mission Blue®, founded by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, inspires action to explore and protect the ocean. Mission Blue’s global Hope Spot® network recognizes special places that are scientifically identified as critical to ocean health and supported by local conservation leaders known as Hope Spot Champions. By connecting science, communities, policy, storytelling, and global partnerships, Mission Blue works to accelerate meaningful ocean protection and advance the goal of safeguarding at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.
LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram
–
About the One Ocean Partnership
The One Ocean Partnership’s aims to build on the impact and success of the Western Indian Ocean-born Great Blue Wall, with a goal to accelerate and scale up at a global level the establishment of a network of climate, nature and people positive coastal and marine areas – also referred to as regenerative seascapes.
The One Ocean Partnership will function as a global accelerator for the establishment of this network of regenerative seascapes by supporting local stakeholders to (i) establish participatory inclusive governance and locally-led management mechanisms, (ii) regenerate our blue natural capital by scaling up critical marine and coastal ecosystems and species conservation, and (iii) develop a pipeline of bankable regenerative blue investment opportunities that will act as the economic engine of these regenerative seascapes.
By 2030, the One Ocean Partnership aims at catalysing at least USD 2 billion of investments in the regenerative blue economy in order to support (i) the conservation of at least 2 million km² of coastal and marine area, (ii) the protection and restoration of at least 2 million hectares of critical blue ecosystems, and (iii) the creation of at least 2 million blue jobs.