Sea Save Foundation

One of the Sustainable Development Goals, #14 Life Under Water, mandates the conservation of our worldwide oceans while also supporting sustainable use of resources. “Our oceans do not recognize political boundaries.” If we are going to bring about true change, we must reach across borders and work collectively with the international community.” states Sea Save director, Georgienne Bradley. This is not always easy we must work with science, economics and an understanding of the many cultures and traditions held by member states. But we all want the same thing: a healthy, vibrant future for planet Earth and for future generations. Sea Save Foundation has been working with CITES and the United Nations for over a decade. We have attended every United Nations SDG #14 Ocean Conference meeting. These gatherings happen ever three years and Sea Save Foundation is an official attendee at this year’s meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. At these conferences, we work with United Nations’ member nations working to set ambitious goals to protect oceans around the world. Sea Save Foundation blends science, economics and a strong understanding of local culture when molding proposed solutions. Sea Save Foundation helps guide conversations and convince leaders to complete initiatives BEFORE current deadlines.

CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is a voluntary agreement between governments that regulates international trade in wild animals and plants to prevent over-exploitation and help ensure the continued survival of vulnerable species. Every three years, delegates from member countries meet at the Conference of the Parties (CoP CITES) to discuss proposed species and vote on a level of protection for each. At that time, species may be added to one of three appendices, which reflect that species’ level of endangerment, and determines what sanctions may be imposed on countries that consistently fail to prevent illegal trade of plants and animals in that category. Sea Save works at these high-level international meetings to advocate specifically for marine animals. We work with other nongovernmental organizations, scientists, and country delegates to study any proposals affecting marine life, and to explore the science and policy surrounding each species. Then we translate that complex scientific and economic data into simple, country-specific materials to inform delegates. We also meet directly with delegates to help them understand why targeted species are important to protect, how losing a species might impact their countries, and why protecting a species is beneficial to a country in the long term. Finally, Sea Save serves as a watchdog, reporting on the events of the conference, and documenting attempts at bribery or other illicit efforts to undermine protections. In that way, we help ensure that the process is transparent, fair, and productive. Sea Save’s advocacy at every CITES treaty meeting for more than a decade — at CoP16, CoP17, and CoP18 — has helped secure protection from illegal and unsustainable trade for many vulnerable marine species.

The Ocean Week in Review is published as a newsletter and is posted on the Ocean Week in Review blog every Friday. We optimize post time so that it can be read during the morning or afternoon commute. The Ocean Week in Review post is segmented, each portion containing an individual news story. Each summary is about four sentences long, contains an illustrating photograph, and a hyperlink where interested readers can dive in to discover more details. The Ocean Week in Review is then posted on all our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Snapchat) We also promote this body of work by sharing it with our strategic partners so they can disseminate it to their networks. The Ocean Week in Review is an essential weekly read which makes it possible for even the busiest person to stay abreast of all the breaking ocean news.