Seven Blue Parks Join the Global Ocean Refuge System at the 2018 Our Ocean Conference in Bali, Indonesia
At the 2018 Our Ocean Conference, where representatives from about one hundred nations around the world and hundreds of marine conservationists are gathered, Marine Conservation Institute announced that seven new blue parks have been selected to receive its Global Ocean Refuge System Award. The newest members of the Global Ocean Refuge System (GLORES, pronounced “glories”) all meet the highest science-based standards for biodiversity protection and best practices for management and enforcement. These strong marine protected areas and no-take reserves will make an outstanding contribution to saving marine life for future generations.
Marine Conservation Institute awards Global Ocean Refuge status to marine protected areas (MPAs) for actively safeguarding the world’s most valuable and biodiverse ocean habitats, sustaining marine biodiversity and increasing populations of marine life. Marine Conservation Institute’s objective for the award is to bring special recognition to nations, decision makers and site managers who effectively protect their marine ecosystems and to incentivize better ocean protection worldwide. Our hope is that this network grows and inspires nations around the world to strongly protect 30% of the ocean’s most important places by 2030.
“In 2018, we are adding seven new blue parks to the Global Ocean Refuge System, covering an additional 3,243.6 square kilometers (1252.4 square miles) of ocean. Each one has a strong management team, a clear plan to conserve biodiversity, and effective monitoring and enforcement efforts in place. Each Global Ocean Refuge supports healthy oceans, sequesters carbon, contributes to its local economy and brings us closer to the global goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030,” says Sarah Hameed, Director of the Global Ocean Refuge System and Senior Scientist at Marine Conservation Institute. Hameed continued, “We are extremely proud of our Global Ocean Refuges and their management teams for the work they do.”
2018 Winners of the Global Ocean Refuge System Award
| MPA | Country | Total Area (km²) | Award Level |
| Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park | The Bahamas | 455.8 | Platinum |
| Cape Rodney–Okakari Point Marine Reserve | New Zealand | 5.47 | Gold |
| Cerbère-Banyuls Natural Marine Reserve | France | 6.5 | Silver |
| Chumbe Island Coral Reef Sanctuary | Tanzania | 0.7 | Gold |
| Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park | Australia | 221 | Platinum |
| Misool Private Marine Reserve | Indonesia | 1220 | Platinum |
| Ilhas Selvagens | Portugal | 1,334.30 | Gold |
| Total area added | 3,243.6 |
These seven awards bring the total number of Global Ocean Refuge Award winners to ten. The award celebrates excellence in marine conservation just as the Oscars™ do for movies or Olympic medals do for sports.
“To understand the importance of these new blue parks in the Global Ocean Refuge System, it is critical to understand that many of today’s MPAs do not protect ocean ecosystems very well; they have loose or no rules and weak or nonexistent management,” said Lance Morgan, President of Marine Conservation Institute. Morgan continued, “Sometimes called ‘paper parks’, they appear in lists of MPAs and are officially counted as MPAs but lack substance. Joining the Global Ocean Refuge System requires achieving a science-based standard that we know protects the oceans for generations to come. By recognizing, valuing, and visiting these blue parks, we encourage more countries to meet this critical standard going forward.”
About the Global Ocean Refuge System Awards
Marine Conservation Institute launched the Global Ocean Refuge System to safeguard marine wildlife, secure critical habitats, and protect ocean health for future generations. In 2017, the first three Platinum-level Global Ocean Refuges were awarded: Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Malpelo Fauna, and Flora Sanctuary, and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. Another seven Global Ocean Refuge Awards were announced at the 2018 Our Ocean Conference, as per this press release.
Marine Conservation Institute is a team of highly-experienced marine scientists and environmental policy advocates dedicated to saving ocean life for us and future generations. The organization’s goal is to help create an urgently-needed worldwide system of strongly protected areas—the Global Ocean Refuge System (GLORES)—as a strategic way to ensure the future diversity and abundance of marine life. To enhance marine protection efforts around the globe, Marine Conservation Institute also built the world’s most comprehensive online marine protected area database, the Atlas of Marine Protection.