Working together since 2011, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Dona Bertarelli formalized their partnership with Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy in 2017 with the shared goal of supporting the creation of the first generation of ecologically significant, large, and effective marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world.

The partnership also seeks to establish connections between MPAs to conserve areas and corridors that marine life relies on for breeding and migration, and to help communities strengthen connections to the ecosystems they depend on.

Between them, Pew and Dona Bertarelli have helped to obtain designations or commitments to safeguard more than 13 million square kilometers (5 million square miles) of ocean to date by working with communities, local leaders, philanthropic partners, Indigenous groups, government officials, and scientists.

Today, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy plays a key role in developing and supporting a regional and science-based approach to marine conservation in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Southern Ocean and sub-Antarctic islands, and the western Pacific Ocean. Through collaboration with local communities, the project aims to find innovative ways to help conserve key migratory species and marine ecosystems, which will benefit people connected to the sea for years to come.

To learn more about the ongoing efforts of Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, please visit www.pew-bertarelli-ocean-legacy.org.

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Yellowtail surgeonfish (Prionurus laticlavius) school and starfish in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.

The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor

Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor
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The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor

The eastern tropical Pacific Ocean encompasses the sovereign waters of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama.

Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor
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Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Mediterranean Sea
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Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea covers less than 1% of the global ocean, yet it hosts one of the planet’s greatest reservoirs of marine and coastal biodiversity.

Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Mediterranean Sea
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Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean and sub-Antarctic Islands

Protecting Antarcticas Southern Ocean
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The Southern Ocean and sub-Antarctic Islands

Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is one of the world’s last great wilderness areas, surrounding the coldest, driest, windiest, and least altered continent.

Protecting Antarcticas Southern Ocean
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Connecting Marine Protected Areas Can Improve Ocean Health

Connecting Marine Protected Areas Can Improve Ocean Health

Connecting Marine Protected Areas Can Improve Ocean Health
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Connecting Marine Protected Areas Can Improve Ocean Health

The ocean plays an essential role in sustaining life on our planet. Covering nearly three-fourths of the globe, it is home to nearly a quarter of the world’s known species and many more yet to be discovered.

Connecting Marine Protected Areas Can Improve Ocean Health

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