Ocean Conservation Strategy

OCEAN CONSERVATION

STRATEGY 2022-2027

Front Cover:

Images that show green landscape and blue Ocean have been proven to positively effect our mood.

Panoramic view from Burgh Island on the South Devon coast, UK

Our work – which began in 1998 – is centred around people and positive action through pro-Ocean behaviour and habitat restoration.

The Ocean Conservation Trust is a global charity that exists to protect and restore the Ocean.

For a long time, humanity thought the Ocean was infinite and that we would never reach the limit of taking things out or throwing things in. Today we know better. We see the extinction of species, declining seagrasses, communities disconnected from industrialised coastlines, polluted beaches, the ever-growing scourge of single-use plastic and the insidious effects of Ocean acidification.

At the Ocean Conservation Trust, we believe there is hope for the future –but we have to act NOW. Our Ocean

Conservation Strategy sets our direction of travel for the next five years. We landed on five years because we haven’t got ten years. We need to see change at every level of society now. The strategy focuses on our strengths; people, optimism, engagement and on-the-ground action.

Through our Ocean Habitats Programme, we will continue to design, deliver, and monitor active, in situ, Ocean restoration projects, reversing habitat damage and supporting habitats to recover. We will work with communities that have a direct impact on the habitats that we restore, empowering them to be part of the solution and protecting the restored habitat for future generations.

At our base at the National Marine Aquarium, our Ocean Experiences Programme will use education and experiences to influence perceptions of, and relationships with the Ocean, with the ultimate goal of positive, pro-Ocean behaviour. We cannot protect the Ocean alone. Wherever we live, we are all inextricably connected

to the Ocean. People everywhere must recognise that protecting the Ocean can be part of their everyday lives and feel empowered to make positive changes.

Through our Ocean Advocacy Programme, we will work tirelessly to advocate for the Ocean, creating inclusive campaigns and digital programmes, so that everyone can find their Ocean connection. We believe this strategy strikes the right balance between society and ecology to clearly show that Ocean conservation is all about people.

We look forward to working with our friends, supporters and partners from across the globe to deliver it. The Ocean may be big, but it needs all of our help now, more than ever.

3 Ocean Conservation Strategy 2022-2027

The Ocean is massive! An astounding 1.37 billion cubic kilometres of seawater covers 70% of the globe. Keeping this vast space healthy is essential for the survival of virtually every living thing on our planet.”

Roger Maslin, CEO

A healthy planet needs a healthy Ocean, but unsustainable human activity continues to significantly harm the world’s Ocean. This strategy is our response.

We have developed it through the passion and expertise of our team, trustees and advocates, by looking at the issues facing the world’s Ocean and the action we can take to achieve our vision of a healthy Ocean.

The strategy sets our direction for the next five years and summarises what we intend to do under five key focus areas. Each focus area includes goals that are practical and measurable so we will be able to report on our impact.

This strategy supports local, national and international contexts and initiatives including Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, Global Sustainable Development Goals, The World Zoo & Aquarium Conservation Education Strategy, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

4 Ocean Conservation Strategy 2022-2027

What is Ocean Conservation?

We consider Ocean conservation to be any act that positively influences Ocean health, with the ultimate goal of establishing and maintaining a healthy Ocean.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OCEAN CONSERVATION

HABITAT PROTECTION AND RESTORATION

OUR VISION

A Healthy Ocean

What is a healthy Ocean?

The Ocean covers two-thirds of our planet and is the world’s largest ecosystem. Ocean waters are home to nearly a million known species and support the global population’s economic, social and environmental needs. A healthy Ocean is one that is thriving.

A thriving Ocean is beautifully biodiverse, with each creature and plant fulfilling a unique place in the ecosystem, ensuring resilience and strength. A thriving Ocean is able to store carbon and maintain the water and nitrogen cycles and other essential natural processes that shape our planet.

Livelihoods and economies are built on a thriving Ocean, providing us

with products and services that are integral to our daily lives. A thriving Ocean is one that provides a daily catch for local people and that can contribute to feeding a growing global population. Many countries rely on a thriving Ocean to provide opportunities for recreation and tourism.

The Ocean is inextricably interconnected with the cultural and emotional wellbeing of humans. A thriving Ocean gives us a sense of place and an opportunity to be invigorated or rested, both physically and mentally.

Our vision is a healthy Ocean, that continues to sustain all life.

Our Ocean Conservation Strategy brings people and the environment together to work on solutions to the issues that the Ocean faces.

Ocean Conservation Strategy 2022-2027

OUR STRATEGY

2022-2027

We want people everywhere to recognise that protecting the Ocean can be part of their everyday lives and to be empowered to make changes to reverse the decline in Ocean health.

Evolve our organisation sustainably

We will do all we can to minimise our environmental impact while we pursue our vision of a healthy Ocean for all.

A THRIVING OCEAN

Protect and restore habitats and species

Our Ocean restoration projects will reverse habitat damage and support habitats to recover, while empowering local communities to protect them for future generations.

Connect people to the Ocean Advocate for Ocean health

Our advocacy efforts will focus on giving the Ocean a voice and encouraging pro-Ocean behaviour among individuals, industries and governments.

Educate on links between the Ocean and climate

We will provide education and experiences that build understanding and awareness of the links between the Ocean and climate health.

C nnect people to the Ocean

Connect people to the Ocean

Programmes and Initiatives

• National Marine Aquarium

• Plymouth Sound National Marine Park

• STEMfest

• Ocean Squad

• Snorkel Academy

• Ocean for All

• Blue Prescribing

That is why we will aim to change behaviour by making the Ocean meaningful to as many people as possible. The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth is our centre of Ocean excellence. People visit to feel this connection by getting up close and personal with the Ocean and its amazing biodiversity.

OUR FIVE-YEAR GOALS

• Provide accessible digital experiences that start or develop connections with the Ocean.

• Encourage the Blue Mind ethos, facilitating connections to the Ocean to support wellbeing and mindfulness and work with health practitioners towards blue-prescribing.

• Use the National Marine Aquarium to inspire people from a diverse range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to love and connect with the Ocean.

Wherever we live, we are all inextricably interconnected with the Ocean. When people feel an emotional connection with nature, they are more likely to protect and support its future.

Pr tect and restore habitats and species

Protect and restore habitats and species

Programmes and Initiatives

• Blue Meadows

• LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES Project

• Advanced Mooring Systems

OUR FIVE-YEAR GOALS

• Deliver the UK’s largest seagrass restoration programme through the Blue Meadows approach.

• Design innovative, state-of-the-art equipment to protect species and their habitats.

• Create opportunities for communities to learn and get involved, making them part of our work and empowering them to help protect their local habitats for future generations.

We are committed to designing, delivering and monitoring in-situ Ocean restoration projects to ensure valuable habitats can grow and thrive. Our focus is on seagrasses, one of the most valuable and biodiverse habitats on the planet.

Vital Ocean habitats are declining fast. In the UK alone, we have lost nearly half of our seagrass beds since the 1930s, but that’s all about to change…

Adv cate for Ocean health

Locally, nationally and internationally

Advocate for Ocean health

Most issues facing the Ocean are driven by human behaviour. We will influence at political, industrial, community and individual levels to achieve lasting change in Ocean health.

We will work at every level to advocate for the Ocean and to help the world work towards our vision of a healthy Ocean.

Programmes and Initiatives

• #thinkOcean

• Ocean Conservation Curriculum

• Ocean Conservation Trust Grants

• Ocean Motion

• National Marine Aquarium

• Beach Cleans – Preventing Plastic Pollution

• Decarbonisation Programme

OUR FIVE-YEAR GOALS

• Change how people buy and eat fish by improving awareness and reconnecting people with seafood.

• Create a fun, informative and respected Ocean curriculum that is nationally recognised, working with the Government to include Ocean topics in the national curriculum.

• Promote the National Marine Aquarium as a global best practice example, particularly regarding the provision of high-quality animal care and experiences that connect people to the Ocean.

• Be an influential voice encouraging people to #thinkOcean.

• Make the Ocean accessible to a larger and more diverse audience.

• Support grassroots initiatives around the world through the Ocean Conservation Trust Grants Programme.

• Work with Government to further implement the Ocean Motion and declare an urgent need for Ocean recovery.

Educate n links between the Ocean and climate

Educate on links between the Ocean and climate 04

The Ocean and our changing climate are closely interlinked – the Ocean absorbs carbon while carbon emissions are causing Ocean warming, acidification and oxygen loss.

Our campaigns and engagement programmes aim to emphasise the links between the Ocean and climate health.

Programmes and Initiatives

• Connect the Dots

• Think Ocean Challenge

• Blue Meadows

• National Marine Aquarium

OUR FIVE-YEAR GOALS

• Help combat climate change by using our expertise to inform Ocean nature-based solutions.

• Deliver an inspirational and informative roadshow to the public and schools that connects the dots between the Ocean and climate.

• Embed Ocean and climate knowledge into our aquarium exhibits to build understanding.

• Make the Ocean part of the Climate Emergency conversation to give the Ocean a voice in the future of our planet.

Ev lve our organisation sustainably

Evolve our organisation sustainably 05

We must lead by example. We’ll evolve our organisation sustainably, ensuring it is an aspirational place to work and minimise our environmental impact while working towards our vision of a healthy Ocean for all.

We are currently measuring our emissions against scopes one and two, and aspiring to achieve net zero status across all our operations in line with science based targets.

OUR FIVE-YEAR GOALS

• Actively participate in global breeding programmes to help preserve species that are facing challenges in the wild.

• Operate an ethical and sustainable model that contributes to the economic health of Plymouth and the South West.

• Continue to renew and refurbish our Aquarium to enable important Ocean conservation research and great visitor experiences.

• Engage a large and diverse audience by producing creative, impactful and accessible digital content.

• Our sustainability working group will support sustainability across our operations and help us contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Seek to develop and nurture all our staff to succeed

OUR PARTNERSHIPS

We work in collaboration with a wide range of partners and stakeholders.

Corporate

Corporate partners that believe in our ethos, provide essential funding and resources for our conservation initiatives.

Conservation organisations

We partner with like-minded organisations to work towards shared goals for a healthy Ocean.

Community

We work with a wide range of community groups to use their power to make real changes to protect habitats and support everyone to access their Ocean.

Government

Our team work with local and national government to deliver our restoration projects and influence policy that impacts the Ocean and society.

Research

By collaborating with other scientific institutes we ensure that our onthe-ground research and evaluation has the best impact and reach.

Education

Our learning programmes are designed in collaboration with teachers to ensure that the Ocean can be taught within curriculum subjects.

UN Decade

Our programmes align with the global sustainable development goals, as well as delivering official actions for the societal outcomes for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

• Collaborate. We will always work with local communities, empowering them to be part of the solution, whatever the issue.

• Take a broad habitat focus, supporting the protection and restoration of key flora and integral abiotic factors, before focusing on individual fauna species.

• Ensure direct and indirect habitat pressures are considered and mitigated where possible.

• Use a systems approach, to ensure that ecosystems and socioeconomic systems are connected.

• Carefully monitor habitat protection and restoration schemes from both biodiversity and social perspectives. We will not just communicate the results, but use them to improve what we do too.

• Champion Ocean biodiversity, and our inextricable interconnection with the Ocean.

• Always encourage a physical and emotional connection with the Ocean.

• Use natural resources sustainably.

• Develop and nurture all our staff.

When we design our conservation initiatives we pledge to:

OUR FOCUS Ocean Habitats:

We will deliver our strategy against three programmes:

Ocean Experiences:

Blue Meadows is our seagrass protection, regeneration and restoration programme. We work alongside local communities to locate and then protect seagrass meadows. We are currently working in Plymouth, Falmouth, the Solent and Torbay with ambition to protect at least 10% of UK seagrass (700 hectares). We are trialling different planting and growing techniques in our large scale seagrass nursery.

Ocean Advocacy:

The OCT owns and operates the Nation’s Aquarium, which sits on the shores of Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, receiving 280,000 visitors a year. Our team use the NMA as a base for our world class schools programme, as well as outreach into communities, taking people snorkelling, running our ‘Ocean Squad’ club for young people and taking the Ocean into hospitals and care homes via VR headsets. Raising the voice of the Ocean at all levels of society, helping people to understand how we are all connected to the Ocean and what they can do to help.

OUR FOCUS, GOALS AND PROGRAMMES MATRIX

01 Connect people to the Ocean

Provide accessible digital experiences that start or develop connections with the Ocean.

Encourage the Blue Mind ethos, facilitating connections to the Ocean to support wellbeing and mindfulness and work with health practitioners towards blue-prescribing.

Use the National Marine Aquarium to inspire people from a diverse range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to love and connect with the Ocean.

02 Protect and restore species and habitats

Deliver the UK’s largest seagrass restoration programme through the Blue Meadows approach.

Design innovative, state-of-the-art equipment to protect species and their habitats.

Create opportunities for communities to learn and get involved, making them part of our work and empowering them to help protect their local habitats for future generations.

03 Advocate for Ocean health

Change how people buy and eat fish by improving awareness and reconnecting people with seafood.

Create a fun, informative and respected Ocean curriculum that is nationally recognised, working with the Government to include Ocean topics in the national curriculum.

Promote the National Marine Aquarium as a global best practice example, particularly regarding the provision of high-quality animal care and experiences that connect people to the Ocean.

Be an influential voice encouraging people to #thinkOcean.

Make the Ocean accessible to a larger and more diverse audience.

Support grassroots initiatives around the world through the Ocean Conservation Trust Grants Programme.

Work with Government to further implement the Ocean Motion and declare an urgent need for Ocean recovery.

HABITATSEXPERIENCESADVOCACY

HABITATSEXPERIENCESADVOCACY

OUR FOCUS, GOALS AND PROGRAMMES MATRIX

04 Educate on links between the Ocean and climate

Help combat climate change by using our expertise to inform Ocean nature-based solutions.

Embed Ocean and climate knowledge into our aquarium exhibits to build understanding.

Make the Ocean part of the Climate Emergency conversation to give the Ocean a voice in the future of our planet.

Deliver an inspirational, informative roadshow to the public and schools that connects the dots between Ocean and climate.

05 Evolve our organisation sustainably

Actively participate in global breeding programmes to help preserve species that are facing challenges in the wild.

Operate an ethical and sustainable model that contributes to the economic health of Plymouth and the South West.

Continue to renew and refurbish our Aquarium to enable important Ocean conservation research and great visitor experiences.

Engage a large and diverse audience by producing creative, impactful and accessible digital content.

Support sustainability across our operations and help us contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ocean Conservation Strategy 2022-2027