Realising the ambition of the EU Biodiversity Strategy in the ocean

The ocean is key to tackling the climate and biodiversity emergencies Life on Earth depends on the ocean: no matter where you are, you depend on the ocean and its unique and rich biodiversity for the production of oxygen, food, energy, and the enormous amount of heat and carbon it absorbs. Yet, as United Nations … Read more

Common Fisheries Policy: Mission not yet accomplished

Summary Seven years after the last reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) entered into force, the EU, which has exclusive competence in this area, is yet to succeed in fulfilling its objectives. Implementation and enforcement challenges remain, often due to Member States’ inaction,  insufficient oversight by the European Commission  and industry resistance to change. … Read more

Unmanaged = Unprotected: Europe’s marine paper parks

Visit our online viewer to explore threats in European MPAs in more detail Executive Summary In the face of intense human pressure on European seas, a network of well-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) is critical for marine biodiversity protection. In 2018, the EU (including, at the time, the United Kingdom) declared having met international targets … Read more

Blue Manifesto

  A rescue plan that works In January 2020, more than 102 organisations[1], led by five NGOs (BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe and WWF), launched the “Blue Manifesto“, a rescue plan that lays out concrete actions by set dates to save our ocean and coastlines by 2030.  At least 30% of the … Read more