-- Blue Nature Alliance partners to protect 18 million square kilometers of
     ocean globally over five years

A new ocean conservation initiative is underway to catalyze the protection and 
conservation of 18 million square kilometers of the ocean (7 million square 
miles) over the next five years-an area twice the size of the continental 
United States and larger than the continent of South America.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1490953/Blue_Nature_Alliance_Logo.jpg  

The effort, called the Blue Nature Alliance ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3133991-1&h=3828712751&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bluenaturealliance.org%2F&a=Blue+Nature+Alliance 
), is a collaboration led by Conservation International, The Pew Charitable 
Trusts, the Global Environment Facility, Minderoo Foundation, and the Rob and 
Melani Walton Foundation. The Alliance aims to expand and enhance ocean 
protections with a focus on working alongside Indigenous peoples and local 
communities, scientists and academia, and other partners.

The Blue Nature Alliance is working with governments and other partners on 
large-scale efforts in Fiji's Lau Seascape, Antarctica's Southern Ocean, and 
Tristan da Cunha to collectively secure protections over 4.8 million square 
kilometers (1.9 million square miles) of the ocean. The Alliance will soon 
engage in efforts in Canada, Palau, Seychelles, and the Western Indian Ocean. 
This will aim to strengthen and enhance the protection of nearly 2 million 
square kilometers (734,000 square miles) of the ocean. A pipeline of 18 
additional Blue Nature Alliance engagements has been identified across North 
and South America, Europe, and the Asian Pacific region. The Blue Nature 
Alliance will announce the next round of locations in summer 2021.

"A Healthy ocean is key to our existence. It provides nutrition and employment 
for a majority of people around the world and half of the oxygen each of us 
breathes. Yet significantly less of our ocean is protected when compared to 
land," said 'Aulani Wilhelm, senior vice president of Oceans for Conservation 
International. "We must collaborate globally, in partnership with local 
governments and Indigenous peoples, to make the conservation of our ocean a 
priority. The time is now to take big practical action to move this work 
forward."

The world's ocean is under stress, it is facing threats from climate change, 
damaging fishing practices, and pollution. Science shows that protecting and 
conserving large areas of the ocean is necessary to support the air we breathe, 
regulate the climate, and maintain essential levels of biodiversity.

"From the coastlines to the high seas, we need to tackle conservation 
holistically and in partnership. Our collective efforts will help secure a 
healthy ocean that is more resilient to climate change and yields benefits to 
both nature and people," said Tom Dillon, senior vice president for environment 
at The Pew Charitable Trusts. "To boost biodiversity, fisheries, and economies, 
the Blue Nature Alliance will work with partners globally to apply science and 
lessons learned, and build on best practices to conserve our ocean at scale. We 
need this type of ambition to address the challenges facing our ocean today."

The Blue Nature Alliance's efforts support the push to protect at least 30 
percent of the ocean by 2030, a global conservation goal expected to be 
formally adopted at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference later this year. 
To date, less than 10 percent of the global ocean is protected. The 30 percent 
goal is widely agreed upon as the threshold needed to maintain a resilient and 
functioning ocean that supports the health of people and nature.

"Conserving 30 percent of the world's land and sea in the coming decade will 
require all of us to work together, with science as our North Star," said 
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment 
Facility. "It is heartening to see collaborative work underway in the South 
Atlantic, South Pacific, and Antarctica's Southern Ocean, and with work about 
to begin in even more locations around Palau, Seychelles, Canada, and the 
Western Indian Ocean. Through the Blue Nature Alliance, we will be contributing 
significantly to the 30 percent global ocean conservation goal and ensuring we 
have momentum to build on as we strive for our 2030 ambitions."

To achieve its ambitious goal, the Blue Nature Alliance is creating a global 
network of partners dedicated to building on lessons learned from 
well-functioning marine protected areas and innovating new approaches to 
conserving large ocean areas, many of which have heavily incorporated the 
traditional knowledge and needs of local communities and governments into their 
long-term management plans - a practice that helps ensure resilience, both in 
funding and implementation.

"Engaging with local communities is essential to the long-term success of ocean 
conservation efforts," said Dr. Tony Worby, CEO of Flourishing Oceans at 
Australia's Minderoo Foundation. "Local communities rely on the ocean directly 
for livelihoods, cultural activities and recreation, so it is critical that 
they are involved in decision making that supports long-term sustainability. A 
measure of success for the Blue Nature Alliance will be to build community 
support for ocean conservation measures that are enduring."

"Melani and I care deeply about the future of our planet and the communities 
that depend on nature for their health, livelihoods and culture," said Rob 
Walton, co-founder of the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation. "That's why we are 
pleased to be part of the Blue Nature Alliance - which brings together 
philanthropists, businesses, governments and NGOs to substantially increase and 
improve ocean conservation. Now is a critical time. The ocean is under immense 
pressure, and we all have a responsibility to help safeguard it."

In addition to its five founding partners, the Blue Nature Alliance's growing 
network includes world-renowned conservation experts, scientists, and financial 
strategists including Big Ocean, the Global Island Partnership, the Gordon and 
Betty Moore Foundation, the Murphy Family Foundation, Nekton, Oceana, Ocean 
Unite, the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, and SkyLight Surveillance and Enforcement 
Technology.

SOURCE: Blue Nature Alliance 

For full press release, materials in English/French/Spanish, B-ROLL, and 
photos, visit: bluenaturealliance.org/news. CONTACT: 
annette@bluenaturealliance.org