Mission Blue and IUCN Join Forces with the One Ocean Partnership.
Mission Blue and the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced a collaboration to advance the One Ocean Partnership, which aims to support locally led ocean conservation in coastal communities worldwide.
Mission Blue and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced a new collaboration to advance the One Ocean Partnership. The partnership is a global effort to speed up locally led ocean conservation by connecting coastal communities with science, expertise, partnerships and finance. Dr. Sylvia Earle, founder and CEO of Mission Blue, and Razan Al Mubarak, IUCN's president, made the announcement during Climate Week NYC 2026.
The collaboration combines IUCN's network, scientific expertise, partnerships and regenerative seascape approach, which was pioneered under its Great Blue Wall initiative, with Mission Blue's global network of Hope Spots. Hope Spots are ocean areas of critical ecological importance that local leaders champion. Earle said that "Hope Spots show what becomes possible when science, local knowledge and courageous leadership come together."
The two organizations listed several commitments. They plan to link Hope Spots with regenerative seascapes, advance blue economy models that restore marine ecosystems while creating sustainable livelihoods, and support coastal and island leaders in regional and global ocean discussions. They also plan to strengthen south-south and triangular cooperation, connect local leaders with expertise and finance, and share successful conservation examples with other regions.
According to the announcement, Hope Spot Champions and other local ocean leaders will be connected with IUCN's regional networks, which is meant to help communities identify shared priorities and share solutions. The organizations describe the regenerative blue economy as one in which economic activity helps restore the ocean rather than deplete it.
The One Ocean Partnership builds on the Great Blue Wall, which began in the Western Indian Ocean. By 2030, the partnership aims to catalyze at least USD 2 billion in regenerative blue economy investment. It also aims to support conservation of at least 2 million square kilometers of coastal and marine area, protection and restoration of at least 2 million hectares of critical blue ecosystems, and creation of at least 2 million blue jobs. These are stated goals, not results.
The announcement ties the work to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for at least 30% of coastal and marine areas to be effectively conserved and managed by 2030, and to Sustainable Development Goal 14.
At a Glance
- Dr. Sylvia Earle and IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak announced the collaboration during Climate Week NYC 2026.
- The One Ocean Partnership aims to catalyze at least USD 2 billion in regenerative blue economy investment by 2030.
- Its 2030 goals include 2 million square kilometers of conserved area and 2 million blue jobs.
- The Kunming-Montreal framework calls for at least 30% of coastal and marine areas to be effectively conserved by 2030.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.