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This first-of-its-kind tool assesses the critical relationship between human populations and the oceans that sustain them. ​

<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The Mesoamerican Reef region’s entire economy is built upon tourism, and tourism requires a healthy natural environment. In order to ensure a sustainable future for local people, conservation must be hard-wired into the activities of all sectors of the economy. By 2016, MARTI aims to integrate sustainable environmental practices at all scales throughout the region. <span> </span></p>

Dr. Greg Stone, CI's Chief Ocean Scientist, answers questions from the CI community regarding marine mammals and the state of the ocean.

In September 2010, CI's Sebastian Troeng was recognized as one of the &quot;Devex 40 under 40&quot; International Development Leaders in Washington D.C. Sebastian talks with CI's media team about his inspiration, his career highlights and his vision for the future.

New reports from the Science-to-Action partnership (a global network headed by CI) offer further proof that sustainable ocean management is crucial for human survival.

As Science Advisor for CI's Sea Turtle Flagship Program, Wallace uses his knowledge and passion for one of the world's most iconic ocean creatures – sea turtles – to highlight marine conservation issues.

Earlier this month on the island of Vanuatu, leaders from 15 island nations gathered for a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum. Although the Pacific Islands Forum counts some of the world's smallest countries as its members, the group has just made one of the boldest agreements for collaborative, integrated and adaptive ocean management yet: the launch of the Pacific Oceanscape.

The ancestral origins of the residents of coastal Brazil are diverse; some come from indigenous heritage, others have European ancestry, while still others are descended from African slaves. Yet many of them share an important similarity: their families have made a living fishing off the Abrolhos region for centuries.

Conservation International’s (CI) partners in Sabah, Malaysia, the Marine Research Foundation (MRF) and allies in the fishing industry – are here to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) in reducing fishery bycatch without impacting intended catch. The unintentional capture of non-target species like sea turtles, sharks and marine mammals is currently responsible for the unnecessary death of millions of animals every year.

Just five years ago, Rudy Dimara was a fisherman, using dynamite and other destructive methods to make a living off of the coral reefs in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago. Over time, Dimara began to notice that fish populations were steadily decreasing, and he approached Conservation International (CI) to ask for help restoring the reefs.

Greg Stone, vice president of Global Marine Programs at the New England Aquarium, helped initiate the drive to establish the Phoenix Islands Protected Area.

For people living in poverty across the globe, following food is simply not an option – poor economic conditions often leave people no other choice than depleting the natural resources near their homes. Such is the case in coastal Panama, where fishermen have rapidly depleted vital fish stocks in order to provide for their families.

“Global Patterns of Marine Turtle Bycatch,” is a recent paper which suggests that fisheries bycatch may pose the biggest threat to marine turtle species worldwide. This study underscores the need for immediate action – not only to curb the loss of these unique species, but also to maintain fishery and ocean health across the globe.

As the <i>MV Kalabia</i> travels from village to village in Indonesia’s Raja Ampat archipelago, the boat usually receives a warm reception from communities, though it isn’t delivering food, medical supplies or cell phones. Instead, it brings a more enduring gift: an education for local children that teaches the true value of natural systems for healthy human lives.

For a fisherman whose livelihood depends on the size of his daily catch, the establishment of a nearby &quot;no-take zone&quot; would seem to be a very unwelcome development, yet thanks to extensive consultations, children's books, a theatre group and increased fishing yields, the recent expansion of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Pacific Ocean's Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape has seen widespread local support.

In the Galápagos Islands, a new technology is protecting species, promoting the tourism economy and saving lives – all in a day’s work.

“Four hundred miles north of Fiji, 30-knot winds, 12-foot seas, meals served in bowls, waves and spray continuously wash over the starboard side of the vessel, a challenge to take a shower, walk or even sleep as you have to compensate for your body being thrown this way and that by the erratic motion of the sea…a few people are seasick and lying mostly in their bunks; others sit where they can, lie where they can, and eat when and what they can. We are passing through the inter-tropical convergence zone.”

In the waters off Indonesia’s West Papua province, you’ll find remarkably vibrant sea life, including corals of all kinds. Here, in an area called the Bird’s Head Seascape, you’ll also often find “Erdi,” CI’s Science and Monitoring Coordinator for the Raja Ampat program, Muhammad Erdi Lazuardi.

A prison might seem like the last place you’d want to live. However, the suffering of the inmates of Coiba Island, a former prison off the coast of Panama, was not shared by the multitude of wildlife species living nearby. Heightened security around the prison’s walls helped create a de facto nature reserve, providing a refuge for species which have declined elsewhere.

During a recent vulnerability assessment in the Galápagos Islands, scientists from CI and partner organizations revealed that climate change may reduce upwelling currents which bring cold, nutrient-rich waters to the ocean's surface – a development which would have devastating effects on wildlife populations and the local tourist economy.

For most people, seagrass meadows don’t evoke nearly as much passion as more colorful, dramatic marine habitats like coral reefs. But Dr. Giuseppe Di Carlo, CI’s Marine Climate Change Manager, sees seagrass beds in a different light.

It isn’t often that crowds of people gather to celebrate the intentional release of large, carnivorous animals into their backyards.

A slimy tangle of seaweed floats on ocean waves. A face-painted soccer fan blasts a horn to cheer on his team at an important match. A young woman leaves home in the morning for her first day at a new job.

Sustainability is not a new idea. When people first landed on New Caledonia’s shores 3,500 years ago, they began making efforts to conserve the island’s bounty for future generations.

Cone snails have long been prized for their shells; at an auction in 18th-century Amsterdam, a one-inch cone snail shell sold for more than a Vermeer painting. Although this may seem outrageous, there may soon come a day when the snails have an even greater value for an entirely different reason.

On World Environment Day, 2009, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to the fishing community of Ponta de Areia, Caravelas, in Brazil’s Bahia state. There, he celebrated the creation of the Cassurubá Extractive Reserve.

In December, thousands of government leaders, policy-makers, scientists, and civil society representatives will gather in Copenhagen under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Conservation International (CI) is working on many fronts to protect our oceans, and one partnership in particular aims to conserve most of the world’s known coral species.

Over a busy week in April, scientists and other experts from around the world united to assess the impacts of climate change on the islands’ ecosystems – land and sea, plants, animals and people – and to propose management steps.

Diego Suarez (Antsiranana) is a sprawling port in northeastern Madagascar, set on a promontory jutting into one of the finest natural harbors in the Indian Ocean, perhaps the world.

Who is Mr. Leatherback? In his own words: “An adventurous world traveler. The James Bond of the animal kingdom. The largest reptile on Earth.”

The benefits of restricted fishing areas to the health of fish populations is a lesson Rodrigo de Moura, a Conservation International (CI) marine protected areas specialist, discovered for himself as a boy, spear-fishing off the Brazilian shore of Sao Paulo state, near the port city of Santos.

In late 2008, Sterling Zumbrunn, CI's Director of Photography, traveled to southeastern Brazil to explore and photograph the Abrolhos Bank and surrounding areas.

In 2006, researchers led by CI's Mark Erdmann dove into the coastal waters of Indonesia's Papua province and found a wonder world of marine life. Today, the region that Erdmann described as a &quot;species factory&quot; is a new marine protected area (MPA).

One of biodiversity's hidden jewels is a small island in the South Pacific, and its fate depends heavily on people who do not live on the island.

Within the last several months, Ecuador has had a breakthrough in protecting marine reserves that will go a long way towards improving biodiversity conservation in the country and providing benefits for human well-being.

Thanks to the efforts of Jatna Supriatna, the Regional Vice President of CI-Indonesia, Indonesia has created four new national parks and marine protected areas.

Years ago, Costa Rica's Tárcoles village was much like other fishing communities in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape, but in 2007 the national government agreed to create a community managed marine reserve.

Working their way along the rocky coasts and isolated mangrove estuaries of El Salvador, many people eke out a hard living by pilfering sea turtle nests and selling the eggs. CI is working with partners and local communities to address this issue.

On August 15, Conservation International's Ginny Farmer will step into the Olympic pool in Beijing to swim her least favorite event representing a country where she does not live.

A recent exploration of the Abrolhos Bank shows that the reef there is almost twice as large as previously thought, providing a unique opportunity for marine conservation.

Kiribati just created the world's largest marine protected area. The new Phoenix Island Protected Area covers 158,453 square miles of ocean, encompassing a coral archipelago, two submerged reef systems, deep sea habitat, and underwater mountains.

Plastics now make up 60 to 80 percent of all marine debris<span><span> – </span></span>a percentage increasing at an alarming rate<span><span> – </span></span>with dire consequences for marine wildlife, including sea turtles. Whether you live far inland or near the coasts, your actions have an impact on marine pollution.

Local officials crowded with CI staff, marine partners, and curious onlookers as they released the tiny olive ridley and green sea turtles into the ocean. The launch shared the news with the U.N. climate change talks in Bali, Indonesia.

Former Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change received the Nobel Peace Prize today, as experts from Conservation International (CI) joined world leaders in Bali, Indonesia, to talk climate change.

The 2007 IUCN Red List designates two corals, Floreana coral (Tubastraea floreana) and Wellington’s solitary coral (Rhizopsammia wellingtoni), as Critically Endangered and a third, Polycyathus isabela, as Vulnerable.

It sure doesn’t look like a scientific research boat. The Soavina III is a massive hulking and rusting ship, affectionately dubbed &quot;the Ol' Rust Bucket&quot; by the CI team who called it home for two weeks.

Isolated from the mainland for more than 4 million years, this collection of small islands and islets off the northwestern coast of South America is a world unto itself.

With its thick lips, bulging forehead, and electrifying rainbow of colors, this striking fish (Cheilinus undulatus) is beloved by divers the world over.

Recently designated by Mexico's president Felipe Calderon, more than 400,000 hectares of newly protected waters are now integrated into the Gulf of California's 4.4 million acres of protected marine habitat.

A vast 900,000 hectares of water are newly protected in the Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat.

It happens regularly in the Galapagos Islands. Every two to seven years, the El Nio phenomenon warms the tropical Pacific Ocean and alters the weather. Regional fish populations collapse. Marine iguanas starve. Sharks swim away.