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Panama Adopts the Saboga National Wildlife Refuge, Protecting Critical Sea Turtle Habitat and Upholding the Rights of Nature

Cover image © Callie Broaddus
[PANAMA CITY, PANAMA] On September 12, 2024, the Minister of the Environment of Panama, Juan Carlos Navarro, signed a Ministerial Decree No. DM-0631-2024, (Gaceta No. 30122-A, 19 September 2024) designating the Saboga National Wildlife Refuge, an almost 86 square kilometer area including 10 islands and islets of the Pearl Islands Archipelago.
The Pearl Islands Archipelago is a collection of over 240 islands and islets and 3,188 beaches, located in the Gulf of Panama, approximately 48 kilometers off the Pacific Coast of Panama. This Archipelago has an impressive marine species richness and diversity that has yet to be fully discovered, studied, and recognized for its importance within the Latin American region and around the globe. It provides, at least currently or historically, a breeding ground for four sea turtle species: hawksbill, green, leatherback, and olive ridley sea turtles.…

Posted in hope spots, mission blue, Panama, Partner Stories, turtles |

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Mission Blue’s Hope Spot Champions Propel Marine Protected Areas Day into a Worldwide Ocean Conservation Movement

Cover image © Two Oceans Aquarium

MPA Day, held annually on the 1st August, was created in 2021 to help celebrate the importance of MPAs for both people and nature. It was designed as a day to share stories and information about the importance of conserving the ocean. The campaign was initially organized by the Two Oceans Aquarium, co-Champions (along with Cape RADD) of the False Bay Hope Spot in South Africa, with ambitions to take the awareness campaign global. 
This year Mission Blue helped to make this wish a reality by taking the campaign truly global for the first time. With 15 Hope Spots spanning from the chilly shores of Northeast Iceland to the tropical waters of Nusa Penida in Indonesia getting involved.…

Posted in hope spots, mission blue, Partner Stories |

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An underwater canyon that traps krill: the secret of the whales in the Humboldt Archipelago

Featured image © Francis Pérez
Ocean Story contributed by Susannah Buchan, Humboldt Archipelago Hope Spot Champion
They say in Caleta Chañaral de Aceituno, located on the southern limit of the Atacama Region, that in the last five years the presence of whales has increased around Chañaral Island. Fin, blue and humpback whales are the species that are most frequently sighted in the surroundings of this town, which is part of the Humboldt Archipelago Multiple Use Protected Coastal Marine Area, the first bi-regional initiative promoted in Chile, and which will debut as a protected area in 2023.
These immense animals – the blue whale and the fin whale are the two largest species on the planet – and consume several tons of krill a day during the spring, summer and autumn seasons in the Humboldt Archipelago, a unique natural laboratory for scientists who study large cetaceans.…

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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.…

Posted in hope spots, mission blue, Partner Stories, Uncategorized |

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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.…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, sylvia earle, Uncategorized |

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False Bay Hope Spot Welcomes New Co-Champions, Two Oceans Aquarium

Image: © Craig Foster / Sea Change Project
FALSE BAY, SOUTH AFRICA –
Mission Blue welcomes Two Oceans Aquarium as the new Co-Champion of the False Bay Hope Spot in False Bay, South Africa. The Aquarium brings more than 20 years of experience and strong relationships with the local community, with their popular Marine Protected Areas Day (MPA Day), beach cleanups, Dalebrook Rocky Shore exploration days and more. 
Helen Lockhart, Conservation and Sustainability Manager, says, “The Two Oceans Aquarium and its Foundation are excited to be a Co-Champion for the False Bay Hope Spot.” She continues, “Mission Blue’s Hope Spots are perfectly aligned with the mission of the Aquarium and the Foundation – to inspire people to act for the ocean, so that all may share in an abundant and healthy ocean for life.”…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, sylvia earle, Uncategorized |

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Mozambique and South Africa Unite: Maputaland Hope Spot Showcases Powerful Binational Collaboration for Ocean Protection

Straddling the border between Mozambique’s tropical coast and the subtropical east coast of South Africa are waters vibrant with biodiversity and buzzing with collaboration. Below the surface are more than 1,300 species of fish, including the “living fossil” coelacanth, four different sea turtle species, 50 species of sharks and rays, a large diversity of whales and dolphins, and much more. Up on land, Grant Brokensha, owner of The Bigger Picture Films and South African and Marcos Pereira, Co-Founder and director of Fundação Likhulu and Mozambican are two passionate individuals who have reached across their country’s borders to work together to safeguard their shared blue backyard. 
 
 
International marine conservation non-profit Mission Blue has named Maputaland a Hope Spot with Brokensha and Pereira as its Champions in celebration of their deep commitment to their communities and dedication to fostering a healthy future for both the wildlife and human inhabitants.…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, mission blue, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, sylvia earle, Uncategorized |

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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.…

Posted in Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, hope spots, mission blue, Multimedia, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, Uncategorized |

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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.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, hope spots, mission blue, Multimedia, Partner Stories |

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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.”  …

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, hope spots, mission blue, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, sylvia earle, Uncategorized |

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