In 2015, Blue Marine and a group of partner NGOs formed the Great Blue Ocean coalition to advocate for the protection of 4 million sq km of ocean in the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). The following year, the UK government launched the Blue Belt Programme, which has since supported the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in 10 territories. The Blue Belt now protects more than 4.9 million sq km of sea across the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans, and the Caribbean Sea.
Thanks to the Blue Belt, 42 per cent of total UK waters are fully protected. It has been central to the UK government’s ambition to lead global action on overfishing, species extinction and climate change. The Great Blue Ocean coalition played a key role in the government’s 2024-25 review, which saw funding increased from £8 million to £8.5 million per annum, and the expansion of the fully protected section of the MPA by 166,000 sq km to nearly half a million sq km.
The UKOTs are home to up to 90 per cent of known endemic UK biodiversity, and host unique and endangered species often found nowhere else on earth. Blue Marine works closely with Ascension Island and St Helena in the South Atlantic to help them create and maintain healthy marine ecosystems.
Created with a £2 million donation from a Blue Marine supporter, the Ascension Island Marine Protected Area Community Trust has supported more than 36 ocean-focused community projects. During a record-breaking green-turtle nesting season on Ascension in 2025, conservation interns supported by Blue Marine carried out 2,000 hours of monitoring.
On St Helena, a dive scholarships scheme supported by Blue Marine opens pathways for personal growth, education and employment. As of 2025, the programme has trained eight scholars. Elsewhere, Blue Belt work supports the protection of vast and ecologically important waters surrounding the British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands.
In combination with the Darwin Plus grants scheme for the UKOTs, the Blue Belt is the UK’s largest contribution to global conservation. As the programme celebrates its 10th anniversary, Blue Marine continues to be a dedicated supporter.
