For decades, we thought our oceans were indestructible. Today, climate change, over-exploitation, human development, and illegal fishing seriously threaten the long-term health of our oceans.
Our Model
The Global Challenge
A Promising Solution
- Well-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) and fisheries can protect coral reefs, rejuvenate marine wildlife and ecosystems, provide jobs, and feed billions of people worldwide.
- Despite their promise, MPAs and sustainable fishery efforts often struggle to achieve success due to a common problem – the lack of effective enforcement.
- Nearly 60% of all MPAs lack critical resources, training, and enforcement capacity, meaning they are little more than lines on a map, or ‘paper parks.’
- In addition, $23 billion is lost annually to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
Making the Promise of Marine Protection Real
WildAid Marine focuses on strengthening the enforcement of priority marine areas. Our unique approach drives measurable improvements in marine enforcement and conservation and empowers our partners to independently manage their resources over the long term.
We guide our partners through our six-step process, the BLUEPRINT for Marine Protection, to achieve meaningful and sustainable conservation outcomes.
Discovery:
Identify prospective project sites and in-country partner organizations, based on our criteria for success.
Partnership:
Establish a long-term partnership agreement and begin joint fundraising for the project.
Enforcement Design:
Conduct a full assessment of the current enforcement system and develop a complete, multi-year Marine Protection System (MPS) Plan.
Implementation:
Put the MPS Plan into action: purchase equipment, conduct trainings and annual re-assessments, engage with the community, monitor and track progress, and modify the Plan as needed.
Mentorship:
Provide guided mentorship to improve the efficiency of the MPS and empower partners to manage it independently.
Regional Leadership:
Confirm partners can now act as Regional Leaders with self-sufficient and complete Marine Protection Systems.
A Plan for Protection
The centerpiece of our approach is the Marine Protection System (MPS) – a replicable, globally scalable, and cost-efficient model used to design highly effective marine enforcement solutions for local government, nonprofit, and community partners. We work with our partners to design an MPS that addresses the five key elements that discourage illegal activity and ensure meaningful protection for marine areas.
Surveillance and Enforcement
Community Engagement
We integrate fishers, tourism operators, and local people in the protection of their marine resources. We help rangers educate their communities on the value of their marine environment.
Policies and Consequences
We work with lawyers, judges, and governments to strengthen laws and ensure meaningful consequences for poaching and other illegal activities.
Training and Mentorship
Staff must understand the system, their responsibilities, and how to operate tools. We provide training, mentorship, and professional development to build local capacity.
Consistent Funding
We develop long-term budgets that streamline operating costs and create new revenue streams to ensure the protection system has consistent, long-term funding.