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Azores Archipelago Protects Thirty Percent of Waters

Cover image © Andy Mann
PONTA DELGADA, AZORES, PORTUGAL — The Autonomous Region of the Azores is making waves in marine conservation by establishing the largest network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the North Atlantic. This historic initiative safeguards 30% of the marine environment surrounding the Azores Archipelago, covering an impressive 287,000 square kilometers.
Mission Blue recognized the waters of the Azores Archipelago as a Hope Spot in 2021, advocating for a coherent network of marine protected areas extending from the surface to the deep seafloor. The Azores Archipelago began their efforts with marine protection in the 1980s, evolving through joint collaboration among government, universities, and local communities. The Blue Azores program, launched in 2019 from a partnership between the Regional Government of the Azores, the Oceano Azul Foundation and the Waitt Institute, and the University of the Azores, has contributed to significant advances in marine conservation in the region.…

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Vilanova i la Geltrú Coastal Waters Named Hope Spot to Foster Fin Whale Conservation Efforts

Featured image: Fin whales, Edmaktub.org
(VILANOVA I AL GELTRÚ, SPAIN) –
The Vilanova i la Geltrú Coastal Waters Hope Spot encompasses a strip of coastal waters 12 to 15 miles wide (1944 km²) on the Catalan coast southwest of Barcelona. Recently, acoustic research findings have revealed that these waters may be an important feeding ground for fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Mediterranean.

International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue is pleased to recognize the Vilanova i la Geltrú Coastal Waters as a Hope Spot. Professor Michel André, Director of the Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB-UPC), Founder and President of The Sense of Silence Foundation, and Dr. Marisa Zaragozá, Director of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (BarcelonaTech) campus of Vilanova i la Geltrú (UPC), are recognized as the Hope Spot Champions. …

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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. …

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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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Mission Blue and One Ocean Foundation Call for Enhanced Protection for Marine Mammals off Italy’s Coast with Hope Spot Declared at Canyon of Caprera

Featured image: Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) © Luca Bittau
(SARDINIAN COAST, ITALY, MEDITERRANEAN SEA) –
Just about 15-30 nautical miles off the coast and under the waves of northeast Sardinia is the Canyon of Caprera, where the waters reach more than 1,000 meters deep and are teeming with marine life. The area is known as a brilliant habitat for marine mammals, including Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) and the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus). The Canyon of Caprera is currently recognized as an Area of Interest (AoI), however, One Ocean Foundation is committed to seeing an elevation in its protection status backed by a wealth of data from their research, including visual surveys, acoustic monitoring and environmental eDNA sampling that demonstrates the biologically important life within these waters.…

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Inspiration and Hope in Mozambique

In October 2023, Mission Blue was on the ground (and in the water!) at the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot. Established as a Hope Spot in 2022, the Inhambane Seascape lies along the southern coast of Mozambique. This region is rated as a Globally Outstanding marine conservation area by IUCN, and recognized as a potential world heritage site by UNESCO. It is also described as an important region in Africa for many large, iconic marine megafauna species, like the last viable population of dugongs in the Indian Ocean, humpback dolphins and oceanic manta rays. Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species, including green, leatherbacks, olive ridley, hawksbill, and loggerhead turtles, swim in these waters and nest along the shoreline. The productive waters provide critical habitat for migratory species, as evidenced by the hundreds of humpback whales sighted during our short time in the region. …

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Prince William Sound is Alaska’s First Hope Spot!

Prince William Sound lies in the heart of the southcentral Alaska coastline, encompassing 3,500 miles of intricate coastline. With a dramatic landscape of fjords, islands, and over 150 glaciers, Prince William Sound is home to a vibrant diversity of wildlife. Over 220 species of birds share the Sound with brown and black bears (Ursus arctos, U. americanus) and an array of marine mammals including orca (Orcinus orca), minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
 

 
Prince William Sound is a resilient ecosystem and holds significant historical, cultural and spiritual value. Past impacts include logging and mining activities, whaling and sea otter trades, the 1964 earthquake, and notably, the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, from which recreation and wilderness values as well as some seabird and marine mammal populations are still recovering.…

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St Helena Island Recognized as Mission Blue Hope Spot

In the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean between Angola and Brazil lies a remote volcanic island of a mighty 47 square miles (121.7 square kilometers). Discovered uninhabited in 1502 by the Portuguese, St Helena Island became a British Overseas Territory in 1659 and is now home to 4,439 residents (2021 Census). Due to its remote geographic location and small population, the island has not suffered the environmental degradation commonly seen in other blue places around the world. Recognizing this, the St Helena National Trust, and local and UK governments are working in tandem to maintain a vibrant and healthy future for both the island’s wildlife and human inhabitants.
 

 
 
International marine conservation non-profit Mission Blue has named St Helena Island a Hope Spot in honor of the island’s ongoing initiatives to manage and monitor its marine environment as well as to grow a sustainable economy.…

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Sink or Swim: Protecting and Restoring Key Mangrove Habitats for Juvenile Shark Species in the Golfo Dulce Hope Spot, Costa Rica

Golfo Dulce is one of only four tropical fjords in the world and is located on the Pacific coast of southern Costa Rica. Its warm, clear waters are home to an impressive array of marine life and play an important role in sustaining a number of critically important ecosystems.
 
 
Mission Blue designated the area a Hope Spot in 2019, in support of establishing official protection from the Costa Rican government to prevent the illegal fishing of scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) in the gulf. Research conducted by local conservation organization Misión Tiburón’, suggests that the area is an important nursery ground for the Eastern Tropical Pacific population of the Critically Endangered scalloped hammerhead shark.
 
Ilena Zanella, Hope Spot Champion and Co-founder, Misión Tiburón, says, “To protect migratory species, it is necessary to integrate conservation efforts into every phase of their life cycle.”  …

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My Thoughts on Deep Sea Mining by Dr. Sylvia Earle

Featured image: Bamboo coral, family Isididae on steep rock in the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone Hope Spot © Dan Jones, ECOMAR Project
If you would like to watch our June 2023 live webinar with Dr. Sylvia Earle on this topic, you can view it on the Mission Blue YouTube channel.
By: Dr. Sylvia Earle

Deep sea mining is much on my mind. Greed, not need, has inspired an amazingly seductive marketing campaign that has generated a dangerous smog in the minds of many who are willing to accept the pitch without considering the harsh economic, environmental and common sense realities involved.
Imagine!  The fate of half of the world is on the chopping block, with authority to decide actions vested in a council of 36 individuals representing the interests of 168 countries and – although most are oblivious to what’s going on – the interests of 8 billion people and all of life on Earth.…

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