Palau’s congress voted to establish the Palau National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS) which covers 80% of Palau’s national waters all extractive activities such as fishing and mining are now prohibited It is the largest percentage of a country’s exclusive water with a fully protected designation – an area twice the size of Mexico making it the sixth-largest fully protected ocean area in the world “Marine protected areas are cornerstones of conservation and economic development,” said Fiorenza Micheli, co-director of the Stanford Centre for Ocean Solutions “Palau is driving investment in large-scale protection to benefit people and the ocean Palau’s President Tommy Remengesau Jr. asked experts from Stanford’s Centre for Ocean Solutions and the Palau International Coral Reef Centre to put together a working group to study how best to implement the new sanctuary while also achieving food security and economic development goals The waters surrounding Palau boasts vibrant and healthy marine ecosystems which are home to more than 1,300 species of fish and 700 species of coral tunas and the critically endangered hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles Palau is made up of more than 500 islands and at 475,077 square kilometres the fully protected area is one of the biggest in the world Locally managed fisheries are still allowed to operate within the remaining 20% of Palau’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in order provide Palauans with food security Palau has also become the first country to ban ‘reef toxic’ sun screens in order to save it’s coral reefs officials in Palau developed a five-year monitoring and surveillance plan to fight illegal activities in the country’s waters and protect the nation’s rich natural resources Now that the sanctuary has been fully realised long-term implementation and monitoring of the protected area is of key importance “Palau hopes to see its marine sanctuary inspire similar initiatives by countries around the world,” said President Remengesau “We believe a small island nation can have a big impact on the ocean with ripple effects out into our larger world.” Approximately 7% of the world’s ocean is protected today, according to the United Nations although it is generally agreed among experts that 30% must be safeguarded by 2030 in order to protect ecosystems preserve the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on the ocean and increase resilience to a global heating Photograph by Kurt Cotoaga For more from our Ocean Newsroom, click here or on one of the images below: Receive the latest from Oceanographic and get 10% off your first order Join our community and enjoy 10% off your first purchase While the world’s oceans contain some 200,000 identified living species the actual numbers could reach the millions ­­– all exposed to the dangers of climate change the United Nations is meeting to negotiate a treaty that would protect three-quarters of the earth’s surface by 2030 On Monday, the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument kicked off its third of four rounds of UN meetings toward achieving a global treaty for the oceans under the UN Convention for the Law of the Sea “I’m confident that our common interest in providing future generations with a healthy resilient and productive ocean will continue to guide delegations in their negotiations,” said Miguel de Serpa Soares in his remarks opening the session at UN Headquarter in New York which aims to reach an agreement by the first half of 2020 the 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has revealed that with ecosystems and biodiversity showing rapid decline Due to projected impacts of increasing land- and sea-use change exploitation of organisms and climate change negative trends are expected to continue through 2050 and beyond It further notes that 66 per cent of the ocean is experiencing increasing cumulative human impacts including sea surface temperature anomalies ocean acidification and ultraviolet radiation.  hope prevails for sustaining and conserving marine species and ecosystem using a coordinated mix of interventions play an important role in turning the tide against this rapid decline,” stressed Mr Pointing out that ocean processes and climate change processes are “inexorably linked” he maintained that a healthy and resilient ocean has a “critical role” to play in adaptation and mitigation efforts.  the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will consider its Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate to further deepen scientific understanding of these interlinkages and inform policy discussions.  resilient and productive ocean will continue to guide delegations in their negotiations,” concluded the UN legal chief From huge blue whales to tiny microorganisms and algae a strong Global Ocean Treaty would preserve the diversity of the seabed for generations to come The discussions are centering around conserving and sustainably using marine biological diversity areas beyond national jurisdictions which take into consideration sharing benefits and management tools that include marine protected areas capacity-building and marine technology transference Greenpeace is set hold a set of mobilizations in New York in which Spanish film star Javier Bardem will share his voice on the importance of saving the world’s oceans Visiting Fiji for the first time as Secretary-General António Guterres outlined two “fundamental challenges” facing leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum on Tuesday namely climate change and the world’s rising ocean which threatens to submerge low-lying nations Back in May, six innovative public figures joined the battle to push the world towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Each of the new official SDG Advocates committed themselves to pursue the 17 goals on behalf of “peace As we inch closer to the SDG Summit in September rescuers find a moment of hope as they return more than 30 turtles to the sea For the officials and volunteers aiding rescue efforts after the tsunami that killed at least 430 people in Indonesia, it has been a grim week. After deadly waves hit the coasts of Java and Sumatra in the Sunda Strait, they know they are more likely to find bodies than survivors. Amidst the horror, volunteers are clinging to any victories, however small, to keep them going. One bright moment in an otherwise horrific week has been the rescue of more than 30 turtles that the tsunami washed up on the west coast of Banten. Read moreThe majority were at Tanjung Lesung resort As volunteers were attending to the bodies they noticed the turtles After the human casualties had been attended to organised a seven-person turtle rescue group Since then more than 20 turtles have been carried to the ocean and released by the team They included loggerhead sea turtles plus rare hawksbill and green sea turtles Another 13 turtles were rescued by a second team from the locally based Serang Nature Conservation Agency told the Guardian that some turtles had been found almost one kilometre from the shore With green sea turtles weighing up to 180kg “They were heavy – four of us were needed to carry one turtle,” he said There were further obstacles to saving the animals many of which were threatened or endangered species “They loaded them on a motorbike but I stopped them and warned them that the turtles were protected by law.” said that although green sea turtles were considered rare globally they were seen off the Banten coast fairly regularly Silusto said that releasing the turtles into the ocean had been a moment of hope after witnessing such tragedy “It’s an unbelievable feeling to see them returned to the ocean Source: Daily Mail Tributes have poured in for Il Divo star Carlos Marin who has died in hospital in Manchester following a battle with coronavirus The group last performed in Cyprus in July 2019 The singer was vaccinated against Covid in Mexico earlier this year after the Spanish singer passed away at the weekend following a Covid infection The 53-year-old fell ill while touring the UK on December 7 with his agent telling Spanish news program Corazon last night that he then tested positive for the virus despite being immunized He was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary last week before being placed in an induced coma and hooked up to breathing machines after his oxygen supply was 'compromised' It is not clear exactly when that happened and Sebastien Izambard confirming the news on Twitter Sunday saying: 'There will never be another voice or spirit like Carlos' who put Il Divo together in 2003 after a worldwide talent search also led tributes - writing on Instagram: 'I am finding this so difficult to put into words how I feel right now He loved performing and always had so much appreciation towards the fans who supported the group from day 1 It is not clear when exactly Carlos was last vaccinated More than half of the 205million shots given out by Mexico have been AstraZeneca or Pfizer but significant minorities have been given Russian and Chinese shots In May 2022, the General Assembly adopted A/RES/76/265 proclaiming 1 March as World Seagrass Day The resolution highlights the urgent need to raise awareness at all levels and to promote and facilitate actions for the conservation of seagrasses in order to contribute to their health and development bearing in mind that enhancing ecosystem services and functions is important for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that are found in shallow waters in many parts of the world highly productive and biologically rich habitats these seagrass meadows provide food and shelter to thousands of species of fish and sustain some of the world’s largest fisheries cycling and storing nutrients and pollutants they can store up to 18% of the world’s oceanic carbon making them a powerful nature-based solutions to tackle climate change impacts they contribute to the resilience of the most vulnerable ecosystems and species they act as the first line of defense along coasts by reducing wave energy protecting people from the increasing risk of floods and storms Despite its important contribution to sustainable development and climate change mitigation and adaptation this core component of marine biodiversity is in danger and only about a quarter of all meadows fall within marine protected areas Seagrasses have been declining globally since the 1930s, with the most recent census estimating that 7% of this key marine habitat is being lost worldwide per year. It was recently noted that 21% of seagrass species are categorized as Near Threatened, Vulnerable and Endangered Species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species  The combined pressures of coastal development dredging and unregulated fishing and boating activities are key drivers of the degradation of seagrasses and their associated ecosystems Despite a general global trend of seagrass loss some areas have shown abating declines or substantial recovery of seagrasses These recoveries can often be attributed to human interventions reducing the effect of human-caused stressors Seagrasses are critical for life underwater but also provide wide-ranging benefits to people on land Raising awareness about their importance for community well-being whether through food security from fish production improved quality of water filtered by seagrasses or carbon sequestration and storage will drive efforts around the world to conserve better manage and restore these ecosystems the protection and restoration of seagrass meadows will help countries achieve multiple economic aligning with and supported by policies implemented at the national The First Asian Regional Dialogue on Seagrass and Dugong Conservation  (20 - 21 February 2025) brought together key experts and conservation practitioners to discuss innovative approaches and develop actionable strategies for the protection and restoration of seagrass ecosystems and associated dugong populations Rising temperatures increase the risk of irreversible loss of marine and coastal ecosystems. Today, widespread changes have been observed, including damage to coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses that support ocean life, and migration of species to higher latitudes and altitudes where the water could be cooler. Here are a few reasons we need to safeguard the ocean as our best ally for climate solutions Seagrasses are one of the most widespread coastal habitats on the planet making them one of the most valuable coastal and marine ecosystems on Earth Out of the Blue: The Value of Seagrasses to the Environment and to People (UNEP) provides recommendations to help restore them There has never been a more urgent need to revive damaged ecosystems than now. Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet - and its people. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) aims to prevent halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean combat climate change and prevent a mass extinction It will only succeed if everyone plays a part