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Abrolhos Hope Spot New Champion Designation Highlights Brazil’s Marine Biodiversity

[ABROLHOS, BRAZIL] – International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue is proud to announce new Champions for our Abrolhos Hope Spot. Danieli Marinho Nobre, Senior Conservation Analyst at WWF-Brazil, and Guilherme Fraga Dutra, Executive Secretary of Abrolhos Forever (Abrolhos para Sempre), have been at the forefront of safeguarding this globally significant marine area, working together to catalyze Abrolhos Forever, a conservation collective to protect the region.
“I’m delighted to share wonderful news about one of the most extraordinary places in the ocean, Abrolhos, a Hope Spot that truly lives up to its name,” said Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue. “That’s why the creation of the Abrolhos Forever Coalition makes such a vital step in terms of making a difference. The Hope Spot Champions, along with the coalition, are working to catalyze action to build partnerships and of course to ensure that the Abrolhos continues to thrive as a beacon of hope.”…

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Hope Spot Champion Grantee Highlight: Kahaluʻu Bay

Header Image: Identifying Coral Species. Credit: The Kohala Center. 
Hānau ka ʻUkukoʻakoʻa, hānau kāna, he ʻĀkoʻakoʻa, puka 
Born was the coral polyp, born was the coral, came forth  
Article written by: Cindi Punihaole & Kathleen Clark – The Kohala Center.
The Kumulipo, a Hawaiian genesis chant, reveals to us that the coral polyp was the first  being born from the darkness. Koʻa (coral) is the ancestor from which all other life  followed. Koʻa spawning, an ancient process, connects us to the past. This year, as our  team diligently prepared for another opportunity to learn from this sacred process, we  opened ourselves to the limitless wisdom found in the winds, currents, tides, fish, coral,  and limu. Kahaluʻu holds all the answers we seek; it is our kuleana (responsibility) to  listen. …

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Mission Blue, together with our incredible Hope Spot Champions and partners, united to make this the most impactful Marine Protected Areas Day yet!

Header image – MPA Day participants in the False Bay Hope Spot. Credit: Two Oceans Aquarium

In just five years, South African-born Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day has grown into a global movement, raising awareness about the critical importance of MPAs – for both people and nature.
Since joining the campaign in 2024, Mission Blue, through its powerful network and passionate Hope Spot Champions, has played an integral role in creating the biggest wave of impact yet.
This year, the campaign more than doubled in size, thanks in part to Mission Blue’s global reach and unwavering commitment to ocean protection. Highlights from this year’s celebration include:

Dr. Judy Mann, Founder of MPA Day, Executive of Strategic Projects at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, and False Bay Co-Champion, shared:

“We knew that this year’s MPA Day would be big, but we never imagined it would be this big.…

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Exmouth Gulf Marine Park Declared, Protecting Hope Spot

Cover image: Courtesy of Oceanwise Australia
EXMOUTH GULF, AUSTRALIA – Exmouth Gulf and the Ningaloo Coast form one of Earth’s extraordinary marine ecosystems, home to whales, dugongs, dolphins, turtles, manta rays, sea snakes, and migratory shorebirds. The area is also home to significant Aboriginal cultural heritage, with evidence of continuous connection and stewardship stretching back more than 40,000 years. Its seagrass meadows, mangrove systems, and sheltered waters provide important nursery grounds for marine life and play a vital role in the broader Ningaloo ecosystem.
On September 4, 2025, the Cook Government announced the establishment of a whole-of-gulf marine park, marking a major milestone in conservation for the region. This outcome reflects decades of persistent research and advocacy, outlined in detail in the timeline below.…

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Hope Spot Champion Grantee Highlight: Conserving Coral and Building Community in the Conflict Islands Hope Spot

Header Image: The Conflict Islands. Credit – Conflict Islands Conservation Initiative (CICI).
A tiny and remote atoll off Papua New Guinea holds an extraordinary secret: it is home to more than 400 species of coral. The Conflict Group of Islands, named after the HMS Conflict whose crew first identified them on British navigation charts in the late 19th century, are a chain of 21 privately owned islands in Papua New Guinea. Together, the islands form an atoll, a ring of coral marking the location where a volcanic island once rose out of the waves. Long since eroded and dormant, all that is left of the volcano is a ring of pristine beaches and a central lagoon bursting with incredible marine biodiversity.…

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Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot Welcomes New Co-Champion

Cover image: Diving in the Bazaruto Seascape © Andrea Marshall
[Inhambane, Mozambique] –Mission Blue is pleased to welcome Rui Branco as the new Co-Champion of the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot in southern Mozambique. Rui Branco, founding member and Director of Associação NATURA and co-founder of the Malamba Coastal Collaborative and a Mozambique native, brings over 20 years of experience in biodiversity protection, community rights advocacy, and sustainable development. Branco is dedicated to fostering collaboration with local communities, strengthening governance, and supporting sustainable natural resource use. 
The Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) will continue as co-Champion, with Chief Operating Officer Sarah Butchers stepping in to continue the fantastic work of MMF co-founder Andrea Marshall, who remains on medical leave. Sarah Butchers is based in Tofo, Mozambique, where she manages MMF’s main office, as well as overseeing the organization’s global finances and operations.…

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Tavarua Island Marine Reserve Endorsed to Safeguard Iconic Coral Reefs and Marine Life

Tavarua Island from the Reef’s Edge. Image: Chris Park
[TAVARUA, FIJI] The waters surrounding Tavarua Island are now officially protected, following the Fijian Government’s endorsement of the Tavarua Island Marine Reserve. The declaration is an inspiring step forward in the Pacific nation’s leadership in marine conservation.
The new protected area was officially designated under the Fijian Government’s Fisheries (Tavarua Island Marine Reserve) Regulations 2025, and extends 5.62 square kilometers. The reserve lies within the Vanua o Malolo customary fishing rights area (CFRA) in Nadroga/Navosa. 
At the launch of the reserve, Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Hon. Alitia Bainivalu MP said, “These regulations, enacted under the Fisheries Act 1941, establish clear protections for the marine reserve and buffer zone. They restrict harmful activities such as illegal fishing, harvesting of marine life, and unapproved coastal development.” …

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Research Expedition to Paramount: The Forgotten Seamount

Cover image: Alex Hearn
In January 2025, a team of scientists from Universidad San Francisco de Quito and Galápagos Science Center (USFQ-GSC) and the Galápagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) carried out a two-week expedition to Paramount: a shallow-water seamount rising from a depth of over 1,500 m to only 180 m below the surface, located 100 nautical miles northeast of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. The objective of the expedition was to characterize the fish community around the seamount and explore its connections with Galápagos. The work was supported by the organizations Mission Blue, Galápagos Conservation Trust, MigraMar, and Bezos Earth Fund. 
Dr. Alex Hearn, Galápagos Hope Spot co-Champion and lead scientist on the expedition, explained that, “due to their relative inaccessibility, oceanic seamounts are relatively understudied, but often play similar roles to oceanic islands in the marine ecosystem.…

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New Co-Champions Announced for Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot

Cover image: Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot Dedication
Overstrand, South Africa – The Cape Whale Coast on South Africa’s Western Cape stretches over 200 kilometers of coastline from Rooi Els to Quoin Point. A region of striking natural beauty, the Cape Whale Coast Hope Spot hosts a complex coastline of estuaries, beaches, and bays. Offshore, the convergence of the warm Agulhas Current and the cold Benguela Upwelling creates a nutrient-rich environment that sustains a wide diversity of marine life, including important breeding areas for the endangered African penguin (Spheniscus demersus). 
“South Africa is such an incredible part of the planet, where the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean converge,” says Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue. She continues, “To be able to stand at the Cape of Good Hope and actually have two oceans, blue and green, coming together, it’s just magical.…

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The Mission Blue South Africa Initiative – Catalyzing and Advancing the Hope Spot Network

Cover image: Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot. Credit: Allen Walker
The South African coastline is home to seven Hope Spots. Six of these – False Bay, Cape Whale Coast, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Algoa Bay, and Aliwal Shoal – were designated in 2014, while Maputaland, a transboundary Hope Spot spanning both South Africa and Mozambique, was designated in 2024.These areas host an important array of species and habitats, including the Knysna seahorse (Hippocampus capensis), the only endemic seahorse species in South Africa; the largest gannetry in the world, with 250,000 breeding pairs; one of the most important nursery areas for the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis); as well as abundant kelp forests and colorful coral reefs.
In 2024, Mission Blue received generous funding to launch The South Africa Initiative, which aims to catalyze and strengthen the South African Hope Spot network.…

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