CONSERVATION NEWS

Across the globe, marine protected areas help struggling fish populations and ecosystems recover and flourish. But what impact do they have on the people living nearby? A new study finds big benefits for both biodiversity and coastal communities.

Roughly two-thirds of the world’s oceans lie beyond national boundaries in an area known as the “high seas” — yet only about 1 percent of that largely unexplored expanse has been protected. Now, nearly 200 countries have agreed on the first-ever United Nations treaty to protect the high seas.

As 2022 draws to a close, Conservation News is revisiting some of our most significant stories of the year. As experts warned that the time to turn the tide on marine protections is dwindling, conservationists and governments came together to advocate for oceans.

Targeted for their gill plates and trapped accidentally in fishing nets, reef manta rays are in trouble; their populations around the world are plummeting. But in one protected area off the coast of Indonesia, the rays are not only bucking worldwide trends – they’re thriving.

Protecting nature starts with science. Here’s a roundup of recent scientific research published by Conservation International experts.