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disposal — films, expeditions, the web, new
submarines — [to create] a campaign to
ignite public support for a global network
of marine protected areas — ‘hope spots’
— large enough to save and restore the
ocean, the blue heart of the planet.”
“Hope spots” refer to areas in the ocean
that if protected or restored give cause
for hope. They may be as pristine as Raja
Ampat or as radically changed as the
Chesapeake Bay. Some are already marine
protected areas (MPAs), and others stand
to gain much from being so. It’s easy to see
the benefits bestowed by such protection:
Fish are bigger, older and more productive,
and species diversity is typically much
higher — up to 70 percent higher in some
areas.
Since its inception, Mission Blue
has grown into a coalition of partners
including National Geographic, the
Nature Conservancy, America’s Cup,
Ocean Conservancy and Earle’s own
foundation, the Sylvia Earle Alliance (SEA).
It’s also supported by an impressive list of
celebrities and conservation leaders.
Currently there are hundreds of
MPAs throughout the world, but only a
fraction of 1 percent of our ocean is fully
protected. Some governments are better
than others at recognizing the importance
of protecting their coastal waters. In the
United States, for example, California has
been leading the way with the designation
of a statewide network of MPAs that
will protect 15 percent of the California
coast by 2013. These MPAs vary, from
no-take zones that provide the greatest
level of protection to areas that allow
limited activities including recreational
fishing. Rather than focusing on a single
species, California’s MPAs protect
entire ecosystems, including kelp-forest
communities, open-ocean habitats and
others. Eventually the network will expand
to include the entire California coast, from
Mexico to Oregon.
There are many international success
stories, too, especially where you find
widespread support from stakeholders.
Since its designation in 1995, Mexico’s
Cabo Pulmo has seen a 463 percent
Sylvia Earle
and Shannon
Joy descend
into the depths
of Panama’s
Hannibal Bank
in the DeepSee
submersible.
Opposite, from
top: Black
margates, Hol
Chan MPA,
Ambergris
Caye, Belize;
an endangered
Southern sea
otter, Elkhorn
Slough MPA,
California;
Caribbean reef
sharks, Jardines
de la Reina MPA
Cuba; American
alligator, Jardines
de la Reina MPA