Protecting the Blue

Marine protected areas (MPAs) cover roughly eight percent of the global ocean, though only about three percent are fully protected from extractive activities. The international target is thirty percent protection by 2030 — the "30x30" goal adopted by over a hundred countries.

Where MPAs are well-enforced, the results are dramatic. Fish populations recover, biodiversity rises, and spillover benefits fishing communities just outside the protected zone. The hard part is enforcement — ocean space is vast, monitoring is expensive, and illegal fishing remains profitable.