Marine conservation

Birds flying at the beach on a sunny day

California gets final approval for nation’s third-largest marine sanctuary

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A new 4,543-square-mile area off a gorgeous and ecologically rich stretch of the California coast has achieved federal protection. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was officially designated Friday along 116 miles of the coast in the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it is the country’s third-largest marine sanctuary. It is also first designed with the involvement of Indigenous groups and the first in 30 years in California.

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Good news for marine protection, photo of ocean with sun shining

Australia to protect 52% of its oceans, more than any other country

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The country’s environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has declared Australia will soon protect more ocean than any other country after the government finalizes a more than 300,000 square kilometer expansion of a sub-Antarctic marine park. Speaking ahead of what was billed as a global nature-positive summit in Sydney, Plibersek confirmed the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve about 4,000 km south-west of Perth would quadruple in size.

Australia to protect 52% of its oceans, more than any other country Read more

Landfill. A lot of plastic garbage. Environmental problems.

Bangladesh implements strong measures to eliminate single-use plastic

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Data shows Bangladesh generates around 87,000 tons of single-use plastics annually, of which 96% are directly discarded as garbage. Lack of awareness has led to the collection of plastic waste all over the cities, especially near rivers or lakes, where they mix with water and soil, affecting ecosystems and food chains. The new country’s new government has now decided to implement an existing, but unenforced 2001 law by banning all single-use plastics.

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Produce aisle at grocery store

California bans all plastic shopping bags at grocery stores

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California had already banned thin plastic shopping bags at supermarkets and other stores, but shoppers could purchase bags made with a thicker plastic that purportedly made them reusable and recyclable. The new measure, approved by state legislators last month, bans all plastic shopping bags starting in 2026. Consumers who don’t bring their own bags will now simply be asked if they want a paper bag.

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The beach with vegetation in foreground

In a first, the Brazilian city of Linhares grants legal rights to waves

| By | Future Milestones, Good News Links

The city of Linhares, Brazil, has granted legal rights to the waves at the mouth of the Doce River, the first instance in which a government has conferred rights upon part of the ocean. The city is aiming to better protect its coastal waters in the wake of the 2015 collapse of the Fundão dam. The dam held back more than 10 billion gallons of waste at an iron mine upstream, and when it failed, a wave of sludge poured into the Doce River.

In a first, the Brazilian city of Linhares grants legal rights to waves Read more

Tuna

Maldives drops plan to reopen longline tuna fishing following protests

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Longline fishing for tuna will remain closed in the Maldives, the island country’s president announced on Aug. 29. The decision came after local fishers, conservation NGOs and scientists protested against plans by the administration of President Mohamed Muizzu to reopen longline fisheries for yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna. Longline fishing has been banned in the Maldives since 2019.

Maldives drops plan to reopen longline tuna fishing following protests Read more

Coral

$35 million debt-for-nature deal aims to protect Indonesia’s coral reefs

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A $35 million debt-for-nature swap between Indonesia and the U.S. aims to conserve coral reefs in eastern Indonesia over the next nine years, with the funding offset by canceled sovereign debt payable to the U.S. Indonesian conservation groups and their international partners will implement ground programs to protect reefs in key areas, strengthen marine protected areas and support community livelihoods under the deal.

$35 million debt-for-nature deal aims to protect Indonesia’s coral reefs Read more

Aerial view of modern water cleaning facility at urban wastewater treatment plant. Purification process of removing undesirable chemicals, suspended solids and gases from contaminated liquid

Tofino, B.C., to stop discharging untreated sewage into the ocean

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The District of Tofino has opened its first wastewater treatment plant, with officials calling it a “major milestone” for the community of around 2,500 people. The facility, which took around two years to build, will enable the district to end its decades-long practice of sending raw sewage into the ocean.

Tofino, B.C., to stop discharging untreated sewage into the ocean Read more

Seastar

Lab-grown starfish released into wild for the first time ever, saving species from extinction

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Due to sea star wasting disease, lower oxygen levels in seawater, and rising temperatures, starfish populations are at risk around the globe. Across the last decade, the sunflower star population plummeted by over 90%. Fortunately, in 2019, marine biologist Jason Hodin stepped up to save the sea stars from extinction. At the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs, Hodin has carefully grown and raised several generations of sunflower starfish in a controlled environment, breeding them from a select sample of starfish he rescued from the harbor five years prior.

Lab-grown starfish released into wild for the first time ever, saving species from extinction Read more

Ocean water

Island states win historic climate case in world oceans court

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Nine small island states have won a historic climate change case at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which ruled that all signatories to a United Nations treaty on marine activities must do more to protect the world’s oceans from climate change. The tribunal found that signatories to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea’s responsibilities to prevent marine pollution extend to greenhouse gas emissions, which harm oceans by altering the earth’s atmosphere.

Island states win historic climate case in world oceans court Read more

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