Protecting Our Ocean

Why is the ocean so important?

No matter where we live, the ocean is essential to our lives. It supplies 50% of the oxygen we breathe and is the home to fish and other species that provide food and income for more than three billion people. Its coral reefs, oyster beds and kelp forests shelter marine life and protect our shores by breaking up wave energy and storm surges.

On the edges of the ocean, coastal wetlands—such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows—protect our shores, too. They also draw in carbon as they grow and transfer it into their leaves, stems and the rich soils held by their roots. This “blue carbon” can remain in the soil for thousands of years. In fact, coastal wetlands store five times more carbon per hectare than rainforests, helping to limit further climate change.

But the world is changing fast. We’re seeing rapidly growing demand for food, energy and water for the more than 7 billion people on our planet—and that means more pressure on the ocean and its resources. Meanwhile, our changing climate is leading to hotter seas, more intense storms and more frequent flooding.

With half the world’s population living on or near coastlines, these changes are affecting our food, livelihoods and safety. We need to act now to restore the ocean’s health while also meeting the growing demand for seafood and jobs. And we need to safeguard coastal villages and cities while reducing the risks from climate change. The stakes have never been higher.

Our Ocean Conservation Strategies

1. We Protect and Restore Ocean Habitats

We help protect, restore and improve the management of ocean habitats by:

• Helping coastal countries create sustainable funding to protect their ocean areas (such as by refinancing billions of dollars in debt to secure conservation funds)
• Establishing new protected areas, rebuilding lost reefs and reseeding mangroves, seagrasses and kelp forests
• Sharing the latest science through online and in-person learning platforms, such as the Reef Resilience Network and Global Mangrove Watch, that reach nearly 1 million people and help them to better manage and restore critical marine ecosystems.

2. We Address the Impacts of Climate Change on the Ocean

We tackle climate risks and build coastal resilience by:

• Helping coastal communities plan for and adapt to our changing climate through nature-based solutions, such as restoring reefs, mangroves, salt marshes and other habitats that guard against storms and flooding
• Teaming up with Stanford University and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to identify and protect “Super Reefs” that can survive hotter temperatures, and use them to seed new generations of resilient corals
• Financing coastal conservation through cutting-edge projects, such as blue carbon resilience credits and insurance policies for reefs and mangroves that pay out when natural disasters strike

3. We Support Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture

We work with partners to promote responsible fishing and farming, including:

• Applying the latest science to make fish and shrimp farming more sustainable and supporting seaweed and shellfish farms that benefit farmers and restore ocean health
• Using our FishPath engagement process and tool to help fisheries managers in at least 15 countries set their coastal fisheries on the path to sustainability
• Partnering with the Marshall Islands and Walmart to transform the global canned tuna supply chain, including by using technology (such as on-board video cameras and sensors) to prevent illegal fishing and limit bycatch of turtles, sharks and dolphins