photo © Planet Ocean / Yann Arthus Bertrand
This initiative aims at acting at different levels to promote the role Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) could have to fight climate change. It has three objectives: help provide better understanding of the relationships between climate change and marine protected areas; raise awareness at all levels (from the national to the local stakeholders); prepare MPAs managers to deal with climate change.
The main partners of the initiative will work at its different levels. The French MPA Agency and the Ocean and Climate Platform will create and develop a global network of observers and stakeholders for the ocean and climate, drawing on all regional networks of marine protected areas (MEDPAN, CMPAN, RAMPAO, etc.). The IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme and the World Commission on Protected Areas will act at the science level to define protocols for climate observation and action. The third level of action will be communication as Cousteau Divers will work to promote the initiative for public outreach.