Mission Blue’s Hope Spots ocean conservation network now covers over 35 million square kilometers of ocean through locally led marine conservation, connecting champions, scientists, and communities worldwide.
In 2009, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle used her TED Prize wish to call for a global network of marine protected areas she named Hope Spots, places of special significance critical to ocean health. That wish became Mission Blue, and what started with the Gulf of California as the first designated Hope Spot grew into the world’s largest community-led marine conservation network spanning 170 sites across 115 countries and the High Seas.
The scale of the Hope Spots ocean conservation network reflects the urgency Earle recognized decades ago, as evidenced by more than 7,000 hours spent underwater over a career spanning more than 50 years. The ocean produces more than half the world’s oxygen, absorbs carbon dioxide, regulates climate, and supports billions of livelihoods. Yet marine ecosystems face accelerating threats from overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and warming waters.
Hope Spots are nominated by local scientists, conservationists, and community leaders who identify ecologically significant ocean areas and commit to championing their protection. The Hope Spot Council, a body of global marine experts, evaluates nominations, ensuring each site has scientific justification and committed local leadership before designation. This bottom-up approach distinguishes the Hope Spots ocean conservation network from top-down protection models imposed without community investment.
More than 200 Hope Spot Champions lead conservation efforts across the network, supported by over 200 organizational partners. Champions range from marine biologists monitoring coral health in the Philippines to community leaders restoring mangroves in Costa Rica to educators inspiring ocean advocacy in South Africa.
The Hope Spots ocean conservation network is driven by more than 200 Champions worldwide, from marine biologists monitoring Philippine coral reefs to community leaders restoring Costa Rican mangroves and educators building ocean advocacy in South Africa. Photo by Courtney Platt, courtesy of Mission Blue.
In 2026, the Hope Spots ocean conservation network launched two new sites in Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, in Chile, and Tonga in the South Pacific. The Chesapeake Bay Hope Spot recognizes North America’s largest estuary for its extraordinary biodiversity and ongoing restoration. Fernando de Noronha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site off Brazil’s northeastern coast, is known for its crystal-clear waters and globally significant marine life. Cordell Bank, along California’s coast, is home to one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the eastern Pacific.
The network operates through 18 regional divisions aligned with IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas. This structure strengthens collaboration within geographic areas while connecting local efforts to global conservation frameworks. Regional coordination helps champions share knowledge, identify threats spanning multiple Hope Spots, and build collective advocacy for marine protection policies.
Science drives the Hope Spots ocean conservation network through partnerships with Esri, universities, and research institutions. GIS technology, environmental DNA analysis, and field expeditions map biodiversity, track ocean health, and inform protection strategies. This scientific foundation underpins Hope Spot designations, policy advocacy, and management planning, while providing champions with data to support their conservation arguments.
Mission Blue amplifies conservation impact through storytelling, reaching millions worldwide. The Mission Blue documentary, debuting on Netflix in 2014, chronicled Earle’s career and the threats facing the oceans while inspiring action through solutions such as marine protected areas. Digital campaigns, social platforms, and public events featuring Earle and Hope Spot Champions maintain public engagement with ocean conservation issues.
The Hope Spots ocean conservation network has catalyzed measurable protection outcomes. The Pangatalan Island Hope Spot in the Philippines expanded from one marine protected area to a network of eight across Shark Fin Bay. Panama tripled the size of its Cordillera de Coiba marine protected area after the Hope Spot designation, becoming one of the first nations to achieve 30% ocean protection. Multiple Hope Spots have achieved formal governmental protection following designation and advocacy.
Champion Fund grants in 2025 supported community-led conservation through reef monitoring, mangrove restoration, ocean education, and marine research. Projects trained citizen scientists, planted more than 24,000 mangroves, and inspired the next generation of ocean advocates across the Philippines, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Spain. These investments demonstrate that relatively modest funding directed to committed local leaders generates outsized conservation returns.
The Hope Spots ocean conservation network operates within the broader global push to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. While significant progress has been made, including the historic High Seas Treaty entered into force on January 17, 2026, the journey toward adequate ocean protection remains far from complete. Mission Blue positions Hope Spots as both conservation tools and advocacy platforms, building political will for expanded marine protection.
Earle, now 90, continues leading Mission Blue with characteristic urgency and optimism. She returned to the TED stage in June 2026 with a message of hope for the ocean, demonstrating that decades of advocacy have not diminished her conviction that protecting the ocean remains humanity’s most important task. Her leadership inspires a multigenerational movement where experienced marine scientists mentor emerging champions who will carry ocean conservation forward.
At 90, Dr. Sylvia Earle returned to the TED stage in June 2026 with undiminished conviction, inspiring a multigenerational movement where experienced marine scientists mentor the next generation of Hope Spot Champions to carry ocean conservation forward. Photo by Felix Kunze, courtesy of Mission Blue.
The Hope Spots ocean conservation network proves that protecting the ocean requires more than government action or scientific research alone. It requires local people who know their waters, understand their ecosystems, and commit to defending them. By connecting 170 sites across 115 countries through a shared purpose and practical support, Mission Blue demonstrates that hope for the ocean isn’t abstract; it’s anchored in specific places, led by specific people, and measured in specific outcomes that multiply across the planet.
