Atlantic Ocean
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The remote South Atlantic island of St Helena is home to a third of all the endemic species in British territories including 11 species of fish found nowhere else in the world.
St Helena’s waters were designated an IUCN Category VI marine protected area in 2016, allowing only sustainable use. Blue Marine is working alongside the community to ensure that the area – all 444,916 square kilometres of it – is indeed protected and that the local islanders benefit from their exceptional natural resource.
Endangered Whale sharks migrate to St Helena every year, and are even seen swimming amid the shallow moorings in Jamestown harbour. Arriving in equal numbers of males and females, anecdotal reports of whale sharks mating in the MPA – have resulted in St Helena’s waters receiving great interest from the global science community, as this has never been seen anywhere else in the world. Blue Marine is working hard to gather this mating evidence and to understand the breeding habits of these gentle giants to ensure they – and their aggregation grounds – receive the protection they require.
444,916 km2 Marine Protected Area
100% of island youth engaged in marine conservation
All local marine tour operators engaged in promoting sustainable tourism
Located on the southeast coast of Scotland, Berwickshire’s waters are unique. Cold and warm currents converge, enabling a diversity of marine life rarely found elsewhere in the UK, from whales and dolphins to wolffish and kelp forests.
Unfortunately, the majority of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Berwickshire is open to bottom towed trawling and dredging with reports of unlawful fishing from trawlers being common. This is not unique to this coastline. Since 2015, there have been over 140 recorded incursions within Scottish MPAs, very few of these have resulted in prosecutions. Remarkably, only 5% of Scotland’s inshore waters are protected from damaging bottom towed fishing gear.
Blue Marine is calling on the Scottish Government to protect its rich biodiversity for the benefit of all users. On the ground, Blue Marine is working with the community of Berwickshire to create a template for protected and sustainably managed marine protected areas in Scotland.
Goal 1: Sustainable low-impact fisheries are championed within the MPA, with fishermen involved in decision-making through a regional approach, providing increases in catch and returns at market.
Goal 2: Create a community-led marine protected area where activities are managed within sustainable limits and stakeholders are engaged in decision making, providing long-term benefits to local livelihoods and economy.
Goal 3: Research and management recommendations are submitted to Government to support protection throughout the whole MPA
One of the largest populations of breeding grey seals in Northern Europe
Over 45,000 nesting seabirds
One of the top dive sites in the UK, with its own snorkel trail!
The future of the Maldives and its people are entirely reliant on the protection of their marine and coastal environment.
Yet, overfishing, tourism, pollution and coastal development are degrading the country’s reefs, seagrass and mangroves and these habitats are losing their capacity to support the people who depend on them.
In collaboration with Six Senses Laamu, Blue Marine Foundation launched the #ProtectMaldivesSeagrass campaign to call on resorts to stop removing the seagrasses around their islands to make clear lagoons for their guests.
The campaign achieved excellent results. Blue Marine continues to enable citizens to get involved with monitoring seagrass and provides professional training to the community.
¼ of all Maldives resorts committed to protecting seagrass.
830,000m² of seagrass protected.
200 students taken snorkelling for the first time.