Connecting conservation to everyday life in Wakatobi

In the afternoon of Wakatobi islands, children begin to gather around a small wooden house built on stilts above the sea. Some arrive barefoot, others still wet from swimming. They move easily between land and water, calling out to one another as they wait for the teacher to arrive and the informal class to begin. Read more here.

“First-of-its-kind event.” Whale shark swims “astounding” 1,200km from Madagascar to Seychelles

The discovery hints that whale sharks may regularly cross national boundaries in the western Indian Ocean, highlighting the need for international collaboration to help monitor and protect this endangered species. Read more here.

Effective marine protection can more than triple dive tourism revenue

Funding sustained, effective management of marine protected areas is one of ocean conservation’s most stubborn problems. Now, a new study from researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography links fish recovery from well-managed marine protected areas to increased revenue from scuba diving tourism. Read more here.

Locally-led seagrass conservation projects launched across Africa

Timed aptly with world seagrass day, fourteen new locally-led conservation projects in Africa have been announced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as part of the Great Blue Wall initiative. Read more here.

Proposed shark net near Club Med resort in South Africa sparks conservation clash

A proposal by municipal authorities in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province to install shark nets at a public beach has triggered a public debate about the need to install gear that’s highly lethal to sharks and other marine life, and raised questions about its legality. Read more here.