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Brazil’s Award-Winning Alcatrazes Archipelago Joins Hope Spot Network

Featured image: Leo Francini
(SÃO PAOLO, BRAZIL) –
 Just off the coast of São Paulo, Brazil, a small grouping of rocky islands teem with life above and below the ocean’s surface. The Alcatrazes Archipelago and their surrounding waters are home to coral reef environments over rocky shores, and contain two no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) that safeguard over 1,300 marine and terrestrial species, 20 of which are endemic.
International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue is pleased to announce the Alcatrazes Archipelago as a Hope Spot. Dr. Vinicius José Giglio, Professor at Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará (UFOPA), and Dr. Ronaldo Bastos Francini-Filho, Professor and Researcher at Center for Marine Biology at the Universidade de São Paulo are recognized as the Hope Spot Champions. …

Posted in Featured, Hope Spot, hope spots, mission blue, Partner Stories |

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Grand Cayman Port Controversy

In 2016, George Town Harbor was designated by Mission Blue as a Hope Spot. Mission Blue and the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) define Hope Spots as “areas in the ocean recognized by scientists for having unique ecological attributes that make them especially deserving of designation as marine protected areas.” These areas that are privileged enough to be recognized have qualities of ecological, biological, aesthetic, or socioeconomic significance.
Hope Spots were created to “encourage people to take responsibility and ownership of their environment” and now for the first time, the people of the Cayman Islands could have a direct say in the fate of their marine environment and the fate of George Town Harbor through a referendum. If you live in the Caymans, the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF) encourages you to take responsibility for your ocean and stand up for what is right with your vote. …

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, Hope Spot, mission blue, Uncategorized |

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Mission Aquarius Training Underway in Key Largo

By Deb Castellana

(c) Aquarius Reef Base

Training has begun for Dr. Sylvia Earle and her team of aquanauts in Key Largo, Florida in preparation for Mission Aquarius. On Sunday, July 16th, the team will undertake a saturation dive lasting until July 21st to the Aquarius Reef Base, sitting in 63′ of water in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It’s the last remaining underwater laboratory in the world, and Mission Blue will be there both to celebrate 50 years of underwater exploration, and also to bring awareness to the looming funding cuts ahead. This may well be the last mission of Aquarius.

Since 1993, the Aquarius undersea lab has supported 114 missions, with over 550 peer-reviewed scientific publications produced, numerous educational programs and television pieces.…

Posted in Aquarius Reef Base, DJ Roller, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Hope Spot, Liquid Pictures 3D, Mission Aquarius, mission blue, One World One Ocean |

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