Koh Libong, Thailand
Date:
9 June 2025, 14:15 - 15:30 PM
Website:
More about the Third UN Ocean Conference

UNOC MPA OIC SAR

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Seas At Risk and the UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge

JOIN US for a powerful 75-minute session exploring two critical dimensions of achieving the global 30x30 target: cutting-edge innovation and robust, inclusive enforcement of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The event will begin by showcasing how UNDP Ocean Innovators (OIC alumni), often pioneering solutions from the Global South, are developing and implementing groundbreaking innovations. This includes sustainable fisheries approaches, tackling challenges like illegal fishing, marine bycatch, and plastic pollution, and demonstrating how these directly impact and improve MPA management. These efforts also foster sustainable livelihoods and equitable access to marine resources.

Following this, an interactive discussion will delve into the vital importance of effective MPA enforcement, community engagement, and governance. Drawing lessons from diverse geographies, including what the Global North can learn from the on-the-ground implementation and community-led approaches of the Global South, we will address how to move beyond "paper parks" to truly protected areas that benefit both marine biodiversity and coastal communities, including fishers. This session will highlight the synergy between innovative approaches, industry collaboration, and strong legal-governance frameworks, demonstrating how together they accelerate progress towards a healthy, thriving ocean for all and outlining concrete actions that can be improved based on shared experiences.

 

PROGRAMME

Master of Ceremony:

Callie Annette Veelenturf
Marine conservation biologist and Founder and Executive Director of The Leatherback Project, National Geography Explorer

 

14:15 – 14:25     Welcome and introduction

14:25 – 14:55     PANEL 1:  Innovating for impact: Sustainable fishing and reef revival roles

Moderator:

Dr. Noelia Abascal-Zorrilla
Application Engineering Service, European Space Agency

  • Lighting the Way: Reducing Bycatch to Safeguard MPA Biodiversity
    Showcasing LED technology's role in protecting endangered species within and around marine protected areas.
    Jeff Leblanc, Founder & President, Mare Nostrum Foundation and UNDP ocean innovator
  • Eyes in the Sky: Satellite Monitoring for IUUF-Free Protected Waters
    Demonstrating how space-based surveillance enhances enforcement and management effectiveness for 30x30 areas.
  • Raffaella Guida Deputy Director, Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey
  • Universal Fishery IDs: Expanding transparency, data flow, and equity for fisheries globally
    SFP’s commitment to work with the fishing industry and other stakeholders to ensure MPA designation is effective, fair, and robust.
    Braddock Spear Global Policy Director, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership
  • Reef Revival Initiative: Marine Conservation Pakistan
    UNDP Youth4Climate perspective on marine protection
    Shabib Asghar
    NDP Youth4Climate Ambassador and Director of Marine Conservation, Project Reef Revival Initiative, Pakistan

14:50 – 14:55   Q&A and feedback from the floor, quiz

14:55 – 15:20     PANEL 2: Enforcing for impact

Moderator:

Callie Annette Veelenturf
Marine conservation biologist and Founder and Executive Director of The Leatherback Project

  • Scaling Success: Activating Solutions for MPA Management
    Sharing lessons on practical implementation and knowledge exchange to strengthen protected area networks.
    IUCN (Bangladesh/Thailand) Online/recorded intervention
  • Community at the Core: Building Effective MPAs from the Ground Up
    Highlighting inclusive governance models and local stewardship in achieving area-based conservation targets.
    University of Rhode Island - Coastal Resources Center (Madagascar) Online/recorded intervention
  • From Policy to Clean Seas: Protecting MPAs from Plastic Pollution
    How community-backed legal frameworks and ghost gear removal contribute to healthy protected areas.
    Eduardo Leitón Environmental Lawyer and Founder and General Director of Fundacion OneSea
  • Algarve's Blueprint: Bottom-Up MPA Designation for Lasting Impact
    Lessons from Portugal's Algarve, where an unprecedented three-year, 70-entity "bottom-up" process, grounded in science and stakeholder input, led to a new MPA designation. This model demonstrates how inclusive collaboration drives effective, sustainable ocean protection.
    Henrique Folhas Coordinator, Marine Protected Areas​, Sciaena, Portugal
  • From Silence Below to Voices Above: A Wake-Up Call from the Seabed
    Discover how leveraging impactful public campaigns, citizen advocacy to halt bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas, and strong relationships with authorities yielded significant results for government marine conservation efforts.
    Emilie Kallenbach The Danish society for Nature Conservation
  • Sweden's Deep Dive: Collaborative Success in Protecting MPAs
    A look into how long-term, technical collaboration with diverse governments leads to significant marine conservation results, including current efforts to ban bottom trawling in Swedish MPAs.
    Ida Carlén Senior Policy Advisor for Oceans at the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
  • Defending MPAs – Science, Advocacy, and Legal Action
    Oceana’s experience in Spain in providing scientific backing for MPA networks and their recent legal action against the government to enforce environmental regulations and ban bottom trawling within MPAs.
    Michael Sealey Marine biologist and Senior policy advisor, Oceana

15:20 – 15:25    Q&A and feedback from the floor, quiz

15:25 – 15:30    Closing remarks