What is Blue Marine Foundation?
Check out their website here: https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/about/
You can take a look at the annual impact report here: https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Blue-Impact-Report-2024-Digital.pdf
Blue Marine Foundation is a charitable organization founded in 2010 that started to gain significant traction in 2020. It is based out of the U.K. and is headed by Clare Brook as CEO, the former CFO of Blue Marine Foundation.
Blue’s mission is to see “at least 30% of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70% managed in a responsible way.” They also have several other goals and metrics by which they measure their impact.
Blue managed £35M pounds of charitable investment in 2024, with 86% average expenditure directly on the charitable projects (not on the in-house team).
This article summarizes the four key pillars of work that Blue Marine Foundation does by listing the goals and results in each area. I recommend you read the actual impact report above to get a much more wholistic look at the work.
Securing Effective Protection of the Ocean
Goals:
- Contribute towards achieving at least 30 per cent of the ocean under effective protection by 2030
- Contribute to achieving full protection for at least 10 per cent of the ocean
- Ensure MPAs are effectively managed and enforced to deliver ecosystem protection and recovery
- Protect the high seas through the creation of MPAs
- Protect rare and vulnerable species and critical habitats
Results:
- Helped secure commitments to over 4M sq kilometers of ocean
- 3 million sq km of ocean over protected across 20 MPAs
- 11 of the aforementioned MPAs are highly protected, covering 2.5M sq kilometers
- 10 MPAs with new or improved management
- 6 new fully protected MPAs underway in Greece
- 6 new MPAs in the Maldives
- £2M to support ascension island’s 445,000 Sq Kilometer MPA
- 600 HA protected for the endangered flapper skate in Scotland
Tackling Overfishing, Over exploitation, and other damaging activities
Goals:
- Reduce the prevalence of the most destructive and excessive forms of fishing
- Ensure fishing does not exceed scientifically recommended levels
- Combat poor and ineffective marine policy and regulation
- Ensure that existing and new activities operating in the marine space do not negatively impact nature
Results:
- 13,000 sq km of ocean closed to harmful fishing techniques
- 21 reports shining a light on harmful and illegal fishing
- 10 formal complaints filed with government bodies
- 9 changes made to policies/practices around the world
Supporting low-impact fishing and equitable use of the sea
Goals:
- Support a just transition to low-impact fishing
- Ensure low-impact activities in all MPAs we work in
- Improve the equitable distribution of marine resources
Results:
- 47 new reports, papers and consultations to support sustainable fisheries management
- 11 improvements to practices through codes of conduct, improved policy and management measures
- 8 sustainable seafood initiatives launched promoting lower impact forms of fishing and connecting communities to their local fisheries
Restoring vital ecosystems
Goals:
- Deliver practical, evidence-based and replicable restoration projects to reverse ecosystem degradation
- Facilitate passive restoration by identifying and removing barriers to natural ecosystem recovery
- Influence marine policy to promote and encourage restoration efforts
Results:
- 6 oyster reefs created covering 18,000 sq km
- 160,000 native oysters deployed
- 520 sq km of ocean under seascape-level restoration
- 50 marine habitats and species under restoration or increased legislative protection, including:
- 830,000 sq km of seagrass beds
- 23 species of parrot fish in the Maldives
- 100 species that live with the aforementioned deployed oysters
Conservation and community
Mission:
At the core of our work is supporting community engagement with the oceans upon which we all rely. Through education we can build the foundation of ocean advocacy which, in turn, influences the management of our seas. We believe that marine education is necessary for effective and equitable approaches to ocean conservation.
Metrics:
- Over 4000 direct beneficiaries
- Over 2500 stakeholders reached within marine conservation
- 70,000 students reached, in 450 schools and 27 educational programs
- 20 new coalitions or working advisory groups joined or reformed
- 200 partners in:
- 32 academic
- 26 government
- 83 NGO
- 27 private
- 11 working groups
- 20 others
