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Ocean Unite

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The ocean now has its own dedicated park rangers

Wietse van der Werf – A social enterprise based in Europe is rocking the boat with a new approach that could greatly increase the level of real-time ocean protection. Starting it hasn’t been without its challenges, but the effort is now gathering momentum in some of the most unlikely quarters.

It has been an exciting few years in ocean conservation. Multiple new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been announced and there is growing awareness of the effects of plastic pollution and climate change. For those of us working in the ocean space over the last two decades, it is great to witness an ocean revolution.

There is, however, a problem. NGOs and scientists have been so effective at pressing for better protection that the 11,827 strong network of so-called MPAs that have been duly created are now primarily conserved on paper. Research published in Nature concludes that only nine per cent of MPAs have adequate staffing levels and resources to be managed properly. At the moment, the legacy of the environmental movement is at risk of only working on paper.

 

Training staff and operating ships at sea is hugely capital-intensive and few governments are willing – or able – to implement comprehensive management plans with dedicated ships. Add to this the need for knowledge on how to finance, build and operate ships professionally and few NGOs would have the capacity to play a role. The inspiration for developing a workable solution came from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which was launched by US president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. He mobilised three million unemployed young men to set up 800 national parks in only nine years, which proved a powerful example of simultaneously tackling unemployment whilst also restoring biodiversity.

In 2018, our first Sea Ranger ship set sail across the North Sea. The success of the CCC was our inspiration to manage MPAs, with high rates of youth unemployment in coastal areas around the world becoming a driver for change. We organised a bootcamp which offered five weeks of basic maritime training in which young people gained entry-level maritime qualifications. Following the bootcamp and training, some were selected as Sea Rangers and offered direct employment. Coached by military veterans, the structure and discipline resulted in a professional maritime ranger service – the first of its kind in the world.

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Renee brings nearly a decade of internal operations experience to the Ocean Unite team. Prior to joining the team, Renee worked for eight years at The Pew Charitable Trusts where she began as an administrative assistant supporting their Shark, Tuna, and Whale conservation campaigns as well as the Senior Director of International Ocean Conservation. Particularly adept at identifying operational issues and developing methods to solve them, Renee moved into an operations role working across Pew’s international Ocean conservation projects, then all their environment conservation projects, and later the breadth of Pew’s programmatic work. She has degrees from California State University, San Bernardino, and Temple University in Philadelphia, and recently relocated from Washington, DC, to the California coast. As hard as this team works to protect our magnificent Ocean, Renee is the only person on the team who lives at the beach and relishes in enjoying the beauty of the Ocean every day.

Brittney is Ocean Unite’s digital and social media manager and is a consultant for Communications Inc. Comms Inc. is an agency which works with the not-for-profit sector, with a particular specialism in the ocean and wider environment. They are well known within the international ocean community and enjoy the trust of, and a working relationship with, most of the large international environmental NGOs and coalitions. Recognised for their ability to deliver fast, cost-effective and productive communications and campaigning, they are particularly valued for their strategic contribution based on a sound understanding of the issues, the political landscape within which the issues exist and a creative approach to bringing about change. (www.communicationsinc.co.uk)

One of the principals of Communications Inc., Sophie has nearly 20 years of experience in strategic communications. Comms Inc., is an agency which works with the not for profit sector, with a particular specialism in the ocean and wider environment. They are well known within the international ocean community and enjoy the trust of, and a working relationship with, most of the large international environmental NGOs and coalitions. Recognised for their ability to deliver fast, cost-effective and productive communications and campaigning, they are particularly valued for their strategic contribution based on a sound understanding of the issues, the political landscape within which the issues exist and a creative approach to bringing about change (www.communicationsinc.co.uk).

Nathalie has almost two decades of experience working in environmental advocacy. She worked for over 15 years for Greenpeace International, focusing mainly on biodiversity issues. For many years she worked as Senior Oceans Political Advisor focusing on international ocean governance and marine conservation. More recently she was the deputy director of the Political and Business Unit. She has wide experience of attending and leading delegations at international environmental meetings, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, and ocean-related negotiations at the UN General Assembly. When asked why she feels strongly about protecting the ocean, she says that not only is it home to the weirdest and most wonderful creatures on the planet, tomorrow’s life-saving drugs could be found at the bottom of the sea, not to mention the discovery of an anti-wrinkle cream that actually works!

Karen has over 25 years of experience working for international non-governmental organisations on environmental issues around the world with a particular focus on protecting marine biodiversity and building resilience to climate change. In 2015, Sack established Ocean Unite, co-founded by Sir Richard Branson and former Costa Rican President José María Figueres, to engage leadership voices and the business community to accelerate ocean health and resilience. Ocean Unite is committed to helping secure the strong protection of 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030. It has also developed a groundbreaking partnership with the insurance sector to address ocean risk.

She was senior director for international oceans at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where she developed their international oceans program including their ending illegal fishing strategy and initiated and was the managing partner of the Global Ocean Commission. Before that she was head of Greenpeace International’s political and business unit and head of their international oceans programme. In 2004, she was the first person from a non-governmental organization to speak at a regular session of the United Nations General Assembly, where she represented the concerns of over 60 environmental organizations from around the world over the plight of our oceans. Karen is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network. She has master’s degrees in international environmental law and in international political economy.