#oceana

Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach - 1980

Foreground: Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Left: Grumman A-6 Intruder

Center: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

The ocean generates over half of the oxygen on Earth, contains an incredible amount of diverse life,, and regulates our climate. That's why we need to protect our oceans and make sure we get to 30x30.

1. What is 30x30? 30x30 is a global target to protect at least 30% of the world’s land, freshwater, coastal areas, and ocean by 2030. It's one of the most ambitious conservation commitments ever made, and an incredible opportunity to safeguard our oceans, biodiversity, and help create a more sustainable world.

2. We're still far from that goal. About 10% of the ocean is currently designated as protected or conserved. But designated as "protected" doesn't always mean actually, fully protected. A place can still be labeled "protected" while allowing activities like bottom trawling, mining, drilling, or other destructive industries. Currently, only about 3% of the ocean is assessed as fully or highly protected.

3. Real protection has to actually protect. Strong marine protection means clear rules, long-term funding, enforcement, and monitoring. It also means improving the protections and regulations on existing areas, not just creating new "protected" areas. Marine protection also has to be human rights based. Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be included, respected, and supported. They have lived in these areas and managed them for lifetimes and it's incredibly important to listen to what they have to say.

4. Governments already made the promise. Now they have to deliver. More than 190 countries adopted the global 30x30 target. But promises don't protect oceans. Governments need to create new marine protected areas, improve the management of existing ones, keep destructive industries out of protected areas, fund conservation, and support Indigenous-led stewardship. They also need to protect the high seas — the waters beyond national borders — where international cooperation is ESSENTIAL.

How you can help:

Sign the petition: Add your name to the call for world leaders to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.

Donate if you can: - Support Marine Conservation Institute’s mission to protect wild ocean places. - Give to help Oceana protect and restore the world’s oceans. - Help Greenpeace protect the planet.

Contact your representatives: Contact your representatives and ask them to support strong ocean protection, conservation funding, the Endangered Species Act (USA), public lands and waters, Indigenous-led stewardship, and international ocean protections. U.S. readers can find their elected officials here.

Share: If you can't sign the petition, donate, or contact anyone right now, you can still help. Copy this, repost it, or send it to someone who might take action. Spreading the word is part of the work.