We are so excited to tell you about a major victory that our supporters helped achieve. Yesterday at the UN Ocean Conference, the Colombian government announced it will create four new official marine reserves, including one expanding the fully protected Malpelo Sanctuary of Fauna and Flora. Colombia will now surpass the goal of protecting 30% of its waters eight years before the 2030 deadline! The initiative to protect 30% of the global ocean by the year 2030, referred to as 30x30, is a target that scientists have indicated is necessary in order to prevent irreversible loss of marine life. A huge thank you to everyone who made their voice heard on the petition to protect the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor. And, of course, this win would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Colombia’s environmental, fishing, and maritime authorities, along with scientists, the private fishing sector, nonprofits, and the people of Colombia. With this remarkable action, Colombia will strengthen local fisheries, sustainable livelihoods, and the protection of marine biodiversity in its native waters and throughout the Eastern Tropical Pacific marine corridor. If you’d like to move another campaign to create sanctuaries close to victory, consider adding your name to the brand-new petition to expand the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument 🌎 ⛵️
Secure marine protections and honor Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander culture.
The Pacific Remote Islands (PRI) contain some of the last wild and healthy ecosystems in the world’s ocean. PRI is home to resilient coral reefs, threatened and endangered wildlife, endemic species found nowhere else on Earth, and the waterways of ancient and modern Indigenous voyagers.
PRI is a complex and interconnected ecosystem that highlights the interdependence of pelagic, nearshore, and terrestrial species, including sharks, rays, whales, turtles, sea birds, and fish. In order to ensure the continued health of the land and nearshore areas that are already a part of PRI, we must secure the protections for this area and demonstrate this support across various communities.
Only One has joined forces with the community-driven Pacific Remote Islands Coalition (PRI Coalition) to call on U.S. President Joseph Biden to expand and protect some of the last wild and healthy ecosystems in the world’s ocean. The expansion would also bring the U.S. to successfully protect 30% of their ocean before 2030.
