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Mission Blue Dives into the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress

(ABU DHABI, UAE) – Last week, Mission Blue team members including Dr. Sylvia Earle and Chief Scientist Dr. Tessa Hempson attended the IUCN World Conservation Congress (IUCN WCC). The IUCN WCC occurs only every four years, and represents a significant opportunity for nature conservationists, decision-makers, and leaders to come together to develop and set benchmarks for global priorities in conservation.
Our goals at Mission Blue are to continue the work from the UN Ocean Conference in Nice. This includes affirming the One Ocean Partnership, supporting aligning motions through co-sponsorship and voting (see below), and continuing to build a network that is ready to turn high level ambition into impact for ocean protection. 
About the One Ocean Partnership, Dr. Tessa Hempson says, “The One Ocean Partnership isn’t about creating something new — it’s about bringing us together.…

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UNESCO World Heritage Site Fernando de Noronha Archipelago Joins Mission Blue Hope Spot Network

[FERNANDO DE NORONHA, BRAZIL] – The Fernando de Noronha Archipelago rises from the Atlantic waters off the northeastern coast of Brazil as a chain of 21 volcanic islands. World-renowned for its crystal-clear waters, abundant marine life, and breathtaking landscapes, the inhabited main island of Fernando de Noronha has become one of Brazil’s most sought-after tourism destinations.
International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue is proud to announce the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago as our newest Hope Spot. Fabio Borges, President of Instituto Vida no Oceano and Projeto Tubarões e Raias de Noronha, and Rafaely Ventura, Project Coordinator at Projeto Tamar, are recognized as the Hope Spot Champions.

“Fernando de Noronha is one of the most extraordinary environments in that tropical Atlantic. Its translucent waters and abundant marine life make it a true sanctuary of biodiversity.…

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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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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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Announcing Champions for Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Hope Spots

Header Image: Giant Pacific octopus stretching out on Cordell Bank with schooling rockfish in the background. Image: Rob Lee.
[SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA] – Off the coast of Northern California lie two federally recognized National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS), the Greater Farallones NMS and the Cordell Bank NMS. These distinct but interconnected sanctuaries are known for their exceptional biodiversity, and the critical role they play in sustaining the health of the California Current. 
Today, Mission Blue is proud to announce the new Champions for the existing Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Hope Spot and new Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Hope Spot.

 
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, celebrates the addition of the sanctuaries to the Hope Spot network, sharing, “The Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries embrace over 4,500 square miles of ocean just outside the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco, California.”…

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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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The Mission Blue Kelp Initiative: A Hope Spot Partnership for Kelp Protection

Cover Image: Researcher Gonzalo Bravo working on photo-quadrats in Argentina’s kelp forest. Image: Mariano Rodriguez.
The Mission Blue Kelp Initiative is a partnership with The Plum Foundation to support the conservation and protection of kelp forests in Hope Spots around the world. Given the ecological significance of kelp forests, this partnership prioritizes the protection of healthy kelp ecosystems where possible, the recovery of degraded areas by mitigating stressors, and when necessary, active restoration methods. 
We believe protection to be the most effective strategy, but in the face of warming ocean temperatures due to global climate change, other approaches are also required. The Hope Spot network includes over 30 Hope Spots with kelp forests in their waters, and in 2025, we are supporting active conservation, research, and restoration efforts with researchers in four key areas around the globe.…

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Hope Beneath the Waves: A Week with the Global Kelp Community in Victoria, Canada

Cover Image: Victoria Conference Center with artist Josie Iselin’s seaweed banners. Image: Oriana Poindexter.
Author: Oriana Poindexter
Over 700 delegates from around the world gathered in the beautiful city of Victoria on Vancouver Island last week for the 25th International Seaweed Symposium. This week-long event convened global experts in all the arenas of algae, with sessions and special workshops focused on conservation, restoration, cultivation, policy, and global strategy for seaweed and kelp.
I was honored to attend the conference in my capacity as Mission Blue’s Kelp Initiative Program Manager and found myself among a slew of fellow kelp enthusiasts! I’ve been diving in kelp forests and studying the ecology of these magnificent systems for over a decade at this point, from my vantage point in the giant kelp forests of San Diego, California, and am always amazed at how much more there is to learn. …

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Polynesian Navigator Nainoa Thompson and Oceanographer Sylvia Earle Call for Urgent Ocean Action at Paris SOS Ocean Summit

Cover image: Courtesy of Presidence de la Republique France.
(PARIS, FRANCE) – Last week, renowned Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and Polynesian Voyaging Society CEO Nainoa Thompson joined global leaders in Paris for SOS Ocean, a high-level gathering held March 30-31 at the Musée National de la Marine. Under the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron and in collaboration with the Oceano Azul Foundation, the event convened policymakers, scientists, and advocates to confront urgent ocean challenges as France and Costa Rica prepare to host the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) in Nice in two months (June 9-13, 2025).
The SOS Ocean convening aimed to shape the Nice Ocean Action Plan, a five-year agenda which will be negotiated during UNOC and is designed to prioritize ocean protection and restoration and support implementation of sustainable development goal SDG14: Life Below Water.…

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Florida Keys and Ten Thousand Islands Joins Hope Spot Network, Highlighting the Ecological Importance of Safeguarding the Gulf Coast

Featured image: Stephen Frink
(FLORIDA KEYS, USA) –
The Florida Keys and Ten Thousand Islands contain the iconic natural wonders of the Florida Coral Reef, mangrove, and seagrass habitats, as well as being home to Aquarius Reef Base, the world’s only underwater laboratory. This Hope Spot connects the waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) with the waters of the National Parks of Everglades, Ten Thousand Islands and Biscayne Bay, forming a bridge between the established Florida Gulf Coast and Coastal Southeast Florida Hope Spots. Combined, this trio of Hope Spots signifies the need to highlight and  protect much of Florida’s coast for the future. 
International marine conservation non-profit Mission Blue has named the Florida Keys and Ten Thousand Islands, which includes Biscayne Bay, a Hope Spot in recognition of the area’s tremendous ecological and economic importance.…

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