Marine Conservation

To save the global oceans and the biodiversity contained therein by strengthening marine conservation grantmaking and providing a vehicle for information sharing, dialogue, strategy development and collaboration among funders.

Goals

• Promote collaboration and cooperation within the marine conservation community
• Increase collaboration among foundations devoted to addressing the challenge of global marine conservation
• Increase the level of investment in the field, especially foundation funding
• Reach out to other foundation networks as well as new funders
  
• Identify key entry points and leverage opportunities to advance strategies to address marine conservation
  

Objectives

• Ensure funder coordination and collaboration on long-term strategies to implement the recommendations of the Pew Oceans Commission and the National Oceans Commission;
• Investigate strategies to improve the effectiveness of public advocacy for the oceans
• Educate funders on a wide range of international marine conservation issues, looking for strategic linkages to US domestic issues
• Monitor developments on a wide range of marine conservation issues, including (but not limited to) fisheries management reform, establishment of a worldwide network of marine protected areas, reducing the global environmental impacts of mariculture, and promoting a worldwide consumer seafood movement
  
• Provide an annual update through a survey on the issues and organizations being supported by Marine Working Group members
  

Programs

• Annual winter meeting (February/March) to educate funders on a variety of marine conservation issues and to investigate opportunities for collaboration; and
• Series of monthly conference calls on marine conservation issues, with an initial emphasis on issues which arose in the funder-only roundtable at the 2005 winter meeting in Monterey, California
• Other meetings of the Working Group (or sub-groups) to address strategic collaboration opportunities in a timely manner