Corals are animals or colonies of them that form complex seafloor structures — the foundation for some of the richest ecosystems in the world. Corals are slow-growing (only a few millimetres per year) and constitute a habitat of high ecological value for a wide variety of species. They create three-dimensional calcareous structures that offer protection, … Read more
The Chilean coast stretches over 4,000 kilometers along the Pacific Ocean with extreme climates at either end. In the north is the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth, and to the south are the fjords of Patagonia. Beyond the breathtaking scenery reflected in the placid surface of a Chilean fjord lives a … Read more
Sea Turtles have been swimming the world’s oceans for more than 100 million years, persisting through natural predators, climatic events and even the mass dinosaur extinction. However, their existence on Earth is now in jeopardy from human threats that are proving to be too much for turtle populations to handle.
Nearly 650 km from Chile’s jagged coastline lies one of the world’s hidden destinations: the Juan Fernández Islands. This archipelago, composed of three volcanic islands among a series of seamounts, has been compared to the Galápagos Islands for its rugged beauty and incredible biodiversity, including dozens of endemic species found nowhere else in the world. … Read more
There are over 80 species of cetaceans in the world. The total number is still unknown because new species of dolphins, beaked whales and whales continue to be discovered. In addition, the available information on their state of worldwide conservation covers less than half of the species. Protecting cetaceans is an important part of protecting … Read more
The Arctic is one of the most beautiful and forbidding places on Earth, where temperatures regularly plunge well below zero and the time between sunset and sunrise is sometimes measured in months rather than hours. Yet despite these difficult conditions, a Arctic peoples and animals have adapted to thrive at the top of the world. … Read more
Sharks have been swimming the world’s oceans for more than 400 million years. While they have survived mass extinction events, sharks have not evolved to withstand overexploitation by humans. These top predators are in serious trouble due to heavy fishing pressure, shark finning and bycatch. Of the 307 shark species assessed by the International Union for Conservation … Read more
The Aleutian Islands are a long archipelago of volcanic islands stretching from mainland Alaska 1200 miles across the Bering Sea towards the continent of Asia. Rugged, beautiful and tied to the sea, the Aleutians are part of an ocean environment like nowhere else on earth. The Bering Sea is connected to the rest of … Read more
For decades, EU fisheries subsidies have fuelled the growth of the EU fleet to a level estimated to be two to three times higher than what the ocean can sustainably provide and then artificially maintained the overcapacity of the fleet, driving the overfishing of our seas. Yet the vast majority of Europe’s fishing fleets is … Read more
The area of the Bay of Biscay and Galician Atlantic is characterised by a combination of waters from subpolar and subtropical gyres. This, along with other more complex factors, means the area is important in terms of upwelling and downwelling. In addition, because this marine area encompasses almost 300,000 km2 within its territorial waters and … Read more
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We have already protected nearly 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.
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