hope spots Archives - Mission Blue

Blog Archives

Inspiration and Hope in Mozambique

In October 2023, Mission Blue was on the ground (and in the water!) at the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot. Established as a Hope Spot in 2022, the Inhambane Seascape lies along the southern coast of Mozambique. This region is rated as a Globally Outstanding marine conservation area by IUCN, and recognized as a potential world heritage site by UNESCO. It is also described as an important region in Africa for many large, iconic marine megafauna species, like the last viable population of dugongs in the Indian Ocean, humpback dolphins and oceanic manta rays. Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species, including green, leatherbacks, olive ridley, hawksbill, and loggerhead turtles, swim in these waters and nest along the shoreline. The productive waters provide critical habitat for migratory species, as evidenced by the hundreds of humpback whales sighted during our short time in the region. …

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, hope spots, Marine Protection, mission blue |

Leave a comment

Prince William Sound is Alaska’s First Hope Spot!

Prince William Sound lies in the heart of the southcentral Alaska coastline, encompassing 3,500 miles of intricate coastline. With a dramatic landscape of fjords, islands, and over 150 glaciers, Prince William Sound is home to a vibrant diversity of wildlife. Over 220 species of birds share the Sound with brown and black bears (Ursus arctos, U. americanus) and an array of marine mammals including orca (Orcinus orca), minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
 

 
Prince William Sound is a resilient ecosystem and holds significant historical, cultural and spiritual value. Past impacts include logging and mining activities, whaling and sea otter trades, the 1964 earthquake, and notably, the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, from which recreation and wilderness values as well as some seabird and marine mammal populations are still recovering.…

Posted in Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, hope spots, mission blue, Multimedia, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, Uncategorized |

Leave a comment

St Helena Island Recognized as Mission Blue Hope Spot

In the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean between Angola and Brazil lies a remote volcanic island of a mighty 47 square miles (121.7 square kilometers). Discovered uninhabited in 1502 by the Portuguese, St Helena Island became a British Overseas Territory in 1659 and is now home to 4,439 residents (2021 Census). Due to its remote geographic location and small population, the island has not suffered the environmental degradation commonly seen in other blue places around the world. Recognizing this, the St Helena National Trust, and local and UK governments are working in tandem to maintain a vibrant and healthy future for both the island’s wildlife and human inhabitants.
 

 
 
International marine conservation non-profit Mission Blue has named St Helena Island a Hope Spot in honor of the island’s ongoing initiatives to manage and monitor its marine environment as well as to grow a sustainable economy.…

Posted in .Homepage, Featured, hope spots, mission blue, Multimedia, Partner Stories |

4 Comments

Sink or Swim: Protecting and Restoring Key Mangrove Habitats for Juvenile Shark Species in the Golfo Dulce Hope Spot, Costa Rica

Golfo Dulce is one of only four tropical fjords in the world and is located on the Pacific coast of southern Costa Rica. Its warm, clear waters are home to an impressive array of marine life and play an important role in sustaining a number of critically important ecosystems.
 
 
Mission Blue designated the area a Hope Spot in 2019, in support of establishing official protection from the Costa Rican government to prevent the illegal fishing of scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) in the gulf. Research conducted by local conservation organization Misión Tiburón’, suggests that the area is an important nursery ground for the Eastern Tropical Pacific population of the Critically Endangered scalloped hammerhead shark.
 
Ilena Zanella, Hope Spot Champion and Co-founder, Misión Tiburón, says, “To protect migratory species, it is necessary to integrate conservation efforts into every phase of their life cycle.”  …

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, hope spots, mission blue, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, sylvia earle, Uncategorized |

Leave a comment

Marine Life Recovery in the Revillagigedo Archipelago Hope Spot Points to Success of No-Take Marine Protected Areas

Featured image: Roca Partida Islet (c) Alberto Lebrija

Established in November 2017, the Revillagigedo National Park is Mexico’s and North America’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) at 148,087 square kilometers (57,177 square miles) and is safeguarded from industrial fishing and other extractive activities (The Pew Charitable Trusts). At the time, members of the local fishing industry raised concerns about the negative impact a no-take policy could have on their catch. However, scientists have noted growing biodiversity in Revillagigedo’s waters – news that is good for everybody, both fish and fishermen.
 

 
International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue recognizes Mario Gomez, founder of Beta Diversidad (a Mexican NGO), as the new Champion of the Revillagigedo Archipelago Hope Spot. Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder of Mission Blue, says, “I had the pleasure of seeing Mario in action as he led the work of organized civil society that ended with the creation of Revillagigedo National Park in November 2017.”…

Posted in .Homepage, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Featured, hope spots, mission blue, Multimedia, Partner Stories, Photo of the Day, sylvia earle, Uncategorized |

Leave a comment

MPAtlas Launches on World Oceans Day

World Ocean Day marks the official launch of MPAtlas. An online digital map that assembles key information on marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world, it is a project of the Marine Conservation Institute, in partnership with the Waitt Foundation. We protect our future by protecting the ocean. By safeguarding vital marine habitats/areas/places, we refuel the engine of our blue planet, enriching our culture, society and economy. The stories of vibrant ocean places are cataloged on MPAtlas.

In a world where fisheries and marine biodiversity are declining, marine protected areas are an essential tool to alter the oceans’ downward trajectory. Scientists have repeatedly shown that MPAs rapidly improve the biomass and diversity of ocean life in both tropical and temperate ecosystems.  …

Posted in hope spots, marine conservation institute, MPA, MPAtlas, waitt foundation, world oceans day |

Leave a comment

Mission Blue Launches Expedition to Bahamian Reefs Hope Spot

Consisting of over 3,000 islands, islets and cays, and covering an area of over 14,000 square kilometers, the nation of the Bahamas contains several priceless marine habitats, and thus has been designated by Dr. Earle as one of Mission Blue’s global Hope Spots. In cooperation with The Nature Conservancy, the expedition will be concentrated in the Exuma Cays, a Marine Protected Area that has been managed as a no-take marine fishery reserve since 1986, allowing populations of commercially important species such as queen conch, Nassau grouper and spiny lobster to thrive. Sea turtles and sharks swim throughout coral reefs teeming with marine life.

(c) Mark Godfrey/TNC

Joining us onboard will be Eleanor Phillips, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Northern Caribbean program.…

Posted in Bahamian Reefs Hope Spot, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Eleanor Phillips, exumas land and sea park, hope spots, The Bahama, The Nature Conservancy |

Leave a comment

Treehugger Names Dr. Earle’s ‘Hope Spots’ ~ Best Ocean Conservation Initiative for 2012

(c) Kip Evans Photography

Treehugger.com has again chosen to honor Dr. Sylvia Earle, this time with a “Best of Green Award” for her ‘Hope Spots’ initiative.  In 2010, ‘Her Deepness’ received Treehugger’s “Person of the Year” award not only for her lifetime of accomplishments, but specifically for her achievements during 2010, from her work during the Deepwater Horizon Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to her Mission Blue Voyage to the Galapagos, inspiring individuals globally to take action on behalf of the ocean.

Dr. Earle’s Hope Spots are a targeted approach to ocean conservation – a scientifically sound way of bringing attention to crucial areas of our ocean planet. Faced with relentless pressure from overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution, the ocean is increasingly threatened on many fronts.…

Posted in Awards, Dr. Sylvia Earle, hope spots, Treehugger |

Leave a comment

Mission Blue Expedition to Coiba, Panama Launched

Coiba National Park, located off the southwest coast of Panama, is made up of Coiba Island, 38 smaller islands and the surrounding marine areas within the Gulf of Chiriqui. Protected from the cold winds and effects of El Niño, Coiba hosts exceptional diversity on the land and under the ocean. Considered a precious jewel of the Pacific, Coiba is a critical part of the Eastern Pacific Seascape, a broad ocean area within the waters of Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador.

Photo: Hector Guzman, STRI

Coiba Island is the biggest island in Central America and is also the largest uninhabited island in all of Latin America. It was declared a World Heritage site in 2005 and it provides a key ecological link to the Tropical Eastern Pacific for the transit and survival of pelagic fish and marine mammals.…

Posted in Coiba National Park, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Hector Guzman, hope spots, Kip Evans, mission blue, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute |

2 Comments

We've Updated Our Privacy Policy

Read our new privacy policy here.