Marine Protected Areas

This move strengthens Tanzania’s contribution to the global “30x30” target—protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030—and demonstrates the country’s commitment to science-based and community-driven conservation. The new MPAs include:

• 70 km² of climate-resilient coral reefs, critical for biodiversity;

• 26 km² of seagrass beds supporting fisheries and carbon storage;

• 34 km² of mangrove forest, vital for shoreline protection;

• Habitat for threatened sharks and rays.

According to Kirah Forman-Castillo, the national coordinator of MarAlliance’s Belize programme, fishers have reported seeing more sharks than ever in the waters of Belize, including in areas where they were previously rare.

The study, spanning 66 marine reserves across 37 countries worldwide, sheds light on the stark contrast in shark abundance between fully protected zones and areas open to industrial fishing. Reef-dwelling species such as Caribbean reef, grey reef, whitetip reef, and nurse sharks exhibited nearly double the population density within fully protected marine reserves compared to fishing-permitted zones.

The findings from UC Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute provide compelling evidence of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) value to the scuba diving industry and local economies. As global leaders aim to protect 30% of land and water by 2030, understanding the diverse benefits of MPAs is crucial for informed decision-making and sustainable coastal management.

The project, which is currently only in the research and development stage, will consist of a series of interconnected islands that will host humans in luxury eco-lodges, surrounded by millions of mangrove trees.

'The 'floating living lab', dubbed Dubai Reefs also aims to create an artificial reef ecosystem below the islands, spanning approximately 200 square kilometres, that will provide a home for one billion corals, as well as turtles, fish and other marine life along the Dubai coastline. 

At the start of the event, US White House climate envoy and former secretary of state John Kerry said that the meeting was “so incredibly important because it is a conference that is focused on action, not on talk. It’s about real commitments and real solutions.”

Huge sums

Nearly $6 billion in US commitments spread across 77 projects to protect the high seas in 2023 was announced by Kerry, including technical cooperation to foster “green shipping corridors.”

“An agreement is being finalized with France, Spain and Cyprus for a large protected area in the extra-territorial waters of the Mediterranean, which is a great contribution to the 30×30 goal,” said Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the Italian environment and energy security minister at the Valore Natura conference in January 2023.