Blue Marine Foundation

Protecting extraordinary marine life and the ocean on which we all depend

Helping to secure globally important and community-led marine protection in The Caribbean, The Mediterranean Sea and the South Atlantic.

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The challenge

The ocean is being depleted of life at a rate that significantly threatens coastal communities, habitats and species biodiversity, and the ocean's ability to regulate the climate. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, Life Under Water, is the least funded of all the SDGs. The ocean needs about $175 billion per year for conservation and restoration work, and with current ocean investment estimated at $25 billion, there is a $150 billion gap to cover every year. To put this into context, global fishing subsidies alone receive $35 billion each year, 40% more than the amount invested into protecting the ocean.

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The solution

Given the chance, the ocean has the unparalleled ability to regenerate and restore itself. Scientists agree, to enable this fighting chance, we need to effectively protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 and the UN committed to this in 2022. It cannot be just any 30%, but areas with high biodiversity and places that host critical habitats, such as coral reefs and blue carbon ecosystems, like seagrasses and mangroves. The Bentley Environmental Foundation are supporting projects across four target countries that have been identified as areas of high biodiversity with their protection therefore being critically important. These include:

Dominican Republic

In the Dominican Republic we are collaborating with the Blue Nature Alliance and Mission Blue to support the government to effectively protect 30% of its waters.

Uruguay

In Uruguay, we are helping the government to expand its MPAs to meet its national commitments, covering 10% of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the short term and 30% by 2030. This initiative addresses critical habitats and biodiversity hotspots, with a focus on endangered species and unique marine ecosystems, such as a variety of shark species and the largest colony of sea lions in the Western Hemisphere.

Greece

In Greece, we are focussing on creating no-take zones and establishing a new legislative framework for MPAs, directly contributing to the preservation of marine biodiversity and supporting the local community.

Italy

In Italy, our strategy focusses on education, engagement with fishers and scientists, and the creation of exciting learning resources to support the designation of the first ever MPA in the Aeolian Archipelago, an area of high biodiversity with significant community reliance on marine resources.

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The impact

Across the four projects we ultimately seek to secure effective marine protection that supports coastal communities.

Our partnership (2024/25) aims to:

Dominican Republic

- Ensure the designation of at least 30% of their Exclusive Economic Zone as marine protected areas.

- Ensure a management plan is agreed by all parties to ensure that protection is effective.

Uruguay

- Secure the designation of 10% of Uruguay's EEZ and unlocking opportunities for the nation to secure 30% protection by 2030.

- Deploy new environmental technologies to improve monitoring in designated MPAs, such as buoy systems for data integration, hydrophones and marine acoustics for biodiversity monitoring, and piloting ship detection using AI.

- Raise awareness and educate on deep water coral conservation.

- Create sustainable livelihood opportunities aligning with environmental conservation efforts.

- Strengthen community engagement in marine management decisions, promoting long-term community stewardship and fostering long-term behaviour changes.

Greece

- Create the designation of the first government backed community-led no-take zones in Greece, including the closure of three areas along the north side of the island, where all fishing will be banned all year round.

- Strengthen sustainable fishing practices and empower fisher's coalition leading to community-driven conservation and management.

Italy

- Advance progress towards the designation of the Salina MPA, ensuring long-term marine conservation.

- Deliver engaging marine education for approximately 500 community members, enhancing connection to marine conservation.

- Empower local champions to further drive marine conservation efforts.

- Promote sustainable fishing and biodiversity conservation to boost a sustainable, eco-friendly tourism industry.

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