Hope Spot® Conservation Wins

• 2025 — Quirimbas Archipelago (Mozambique) — Northern Quirimbas Archipelago Environmental Protection Area declared.
• 2025 — Exmouth Gulf (Australia) — Exmouth Gulf Marine Park declared.
• 2025 — Tavarua Island (Fiji) — Tavarua Island Marine Reserve endorsed.
• 2024 — Tropical Sea of Peru (Peru) — Creation of the Grau Tropical Sea National Reserve approved.
• 2024 — Great Southern Reef and Salisbury Island (Australia) — New marine parks established.
• 2024 — Pearl Island Archipelago (Panama) — Saboga National Wildlife Refuge adopted.
• 2024 — Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary of Uruguay (Uruguay) — Establishment of the country’s first-ever oceanic marine protected area.
• 2023 — Humboldt Archipelago (Chile) — Multi-Use Marine Coastal Protected Area approved.
• 2022 — Palmahim Slide (Israel) — New marine protected area established.
• 2019 — Houtman Abrolhos (Australia) — National Park declared.

• 2025 — Great Fringing Reef of the Red Sea (Egypt) — Full government protection announced and signed into law, safeguarding more than 2,000 km of coral reef coastline.
• 2024 — Azores Archipelago (Portugal) — Protection expanded to cover 30% of waters.
• 2022 — Malpelo Island (Colombia) — Expanded protections helped achieve national 30×30 targets.
• 2022 — Galápagos Islands (Ecuador) — Marine reserve expanded by 60,000 km².
• 2021 — Cocos Island (Costa Rica) — Nearly 53,000 km² added to protected waters and strengthened connectivity within the Cocos-Galápagos Swimway.
• 2021 — Cordillera de Coiba (Panama) — Expansion helped Panama achieve 30×30 ocean protection goals.

• 2024 — Greater Skellig (Ireland) — Announcement of Ireland’s first Marine National Park.
• 2022 — Great Fringing Reef of the Red Sea (Egypt) — Initial government commitment to marine protection.
• 2022 — Azores Archipelago (Portugal) — Government announced plans to expand protections in the Azores and Madeira.
• 2021 — Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Reef (Australia) — Commitment to create a new marine park through spatial management planning.

• 2026 — Pangatalan Island (Philippines) — Macuao MPA (92 ha) approved by local vote, becoming the eighth community-led marine protected area in Shark Fin Bay.
• 2025 — Pangatalan Island (Philippines) — Batas MPA (138 ha), Debangan MPA (120 ha), and Pabellon MPA (600 ha) approved, expanding the Shark Fin Bay network.
• 2022 — Pangatalan Island (Philippines) — Silanga MPA (30 ha) established as part of the Shark Fin Bay network.
• 2020 — Pangatalan Island (Philippines) — Sandoval MPA (50 ha) and Depla MPA (50 ha) established.
• 2016 — Pangatalan Island (Philippines) — Pangatalan MPA (50 ha) established, launching the community-led network of marine protected areas in Shark Fin Bay.

Exmouth Gulf (Australia)

• 2021 — Exmouth Gulf and Ningaloo Reef — Government commits to a future marine park.
• 2025 — Exmouth Gulf — Exmouth Gulf Marine Park declared.

Azores Archipelago (Portugal)

• 2022 — Azores Archipelago — Expansion announced.
• 2024 — Azores Archipelago — 30% protection achieved.

Great Fringing Reef of the Red Sea (Egypt)

• 2022 — Great Fringing Reef of the Red Sea — Government commitment announced.
• 2025 — Great Fringing Reef of the Red Sea — Full legal protection secured.

Pangatalan Island (Philippines)

• 2016–2026 — Pangatalan Island — Community-led protection grows from a single MPA to a network of eight marine protected areas across Shark Fin Bay.

• 2025 — Maputaland (Mozambique) — Maputo National Park announced as Mozambique’s first UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
• 2025 — Penguin Hope Spot Network (South Africa) — The Pretoria High Court finalized a settlement expanding fishing closures around key African penguin breeding colonies, helping protect the critically endangered African penguin. (Mission Blue campaign)
• 2025 — Port George Town (Cayman Islands) — Community opposition helped defeat a proposed port development following a public vote.
• 2024 — Plettenberg Bay (South Africa) — Advocacy efforts contributed to a halt in seismic testing proceedings.
• 2022 — New Zealand Coastal Waters — U.S. court ruling banned imports from fisheries linked to threats against the critically endangered Māui dolphin.
• 2021 — Tenerife–La Gomera (Spain) — Port development halted (Story)
• 2021 — Kangaroo Island (Australia) — Proposed timber export port rejected.
• 2020 — The Great Southern Reef (Australia) — Oil company Equinor abandoned plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight following a major conservation campaign. (Story)
• 2020 — New Zealand Coastal Waters — Government increased protections for Māui and Hector’s dolphins.
• 2019 — Tribugá Gulf (Colombia) — Proposed deep-water port development halted.
• 2019 — Coastal South East Florida (United States) — New shore-based shark fishing regulations approved and aquarium collection prohibited at Blue Heron Bridge.
• 2019 — Golfo Dulce (Costa Rica) — Expanded protection and monitoring efforts strengthened the Scalloped Hammerhead Shark Sanctuary.
• 2018 — Gulf of the Farallones (United States) — Closure of California’s red abalone fishery following widespread kelp forest collapse.
• 2014 — Sargasso Sea — Mission Blue’s Galápagos Expedition helped catalyze historic international protection efforts for the Sargasso Sea.