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PADI has joined forces with ocean conservation non-profit SeaLegacy to drum up support for a new collaboration to ensure 30 per cent of the world’s oceans are protected by 2030, part of the global ’30×30′ initiative. Currently, less than 5 per cent of the ocean is covered by protected, no-take reserves.
‘PADI is fueling a movement of one billion torchbearers to create ocean change, and we are thrilled to partner with like-minded organisations to scale this critical mission,’ said Drew Richardson, CEO of PADI Worldwide. ‘Working with SeaLegacy not only allows us to rapidly grow the global torchbearer community, but also empower us all with meaningful ways to take real, positive action to protect our blue planet – and all life that calls it home.’
Starting from April 2022, PADI and SeaLegacy are launching a joint 30×30 campaign directed at their combined global audience – millions of ocean enthusiasts, divers, snorkelers and conservationists looking for ways to help protect what they love most. In a joint statement, the two partners said that they are ‘calling for conservation of at least 30 per cent of sea areas globally through effective, equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas.’ The two organisations will be ‘pushing for an agreement to be reached’ at the UN Biodiversity COP15 which will be held in Kunming, China, later this year.
‘The ocean offers so many of the critical climate solutions we need, and MPAs are a major piece of that,’ said Cristina Mittermeier, president of SeaLegacy. ‘MPAs not only protect local species and ecosystems, but sequester carbon, increase coastal resilience, and revitalize local economies. We know that change is possible in this decade, and this kind of action will help us make major strides toward healing our ocean and saving our planet.’
To sign the petition, visit only.one/ocean30. To learn more about the SeaLegacy and PADI partnership, and ways to get involved, visit padi.com/conservation.
