Pristine Seas - National Geographic Society (original) (raw)

Protecting the Ocean's Vital Places

Since 2008, Pristine Seas has helped establish 29 of the largest marine protected areas in the world, covering a total area of 6.9 million square kilometers — more than twice the size of India.

Pristine Seas is a co-producer of the stunning documentary, Ocean with David Attenborough.
Learn more.

Inspiring some of the largest marine reserves in the world.

Without the ocean, life would be impossible. It provides food, livelihoods for billions of people, and regulates the climate. But the ocean is under threat from overfishing, global warming and pollution.

Yet today, only 8% of the ocean is somehow protected – and less than 3% is fully protected from fishing and other damaging activities.

Pristine Seas works with local communities, Indigenous Peoples, government and partners to protect our ocean, but also areas that have been somehow degraded by human activities, so they can bounce back. Marine life thrives in these marine protected areas and provides multiple benefits to people, from food and coastal protection to jobs and economic revenue.

Expeditions completed around the world

6.9 million square kilometers protected

Scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals

Where we work

Since 2008, Pristine Seas has carried out 45 expeditions to over 30 places, 29 of which have since been protected, covering a total area of more than 6.9 million square kilometers.

Map by Sam Guilford, NGS Staff

The Global Expedition

In 2023, National Geographic Pristine Seas launched a bold new conservation effort: The Global Expedition. The Pristine Seas team of scientists, policy experts, and filmmakers, will spend the next five years exploring the tropical Pacific aboard the M/V Argo, a 130-foot customized research vessel and media center, with the goal of supporting communities and governments in their efforts to protect the ocean. The Argo is Pristine Seas’ modern-day equivalent of Jacques Cousteau’s famous ship Calypso, but with an ocean conservation purpose.

Field Notes

Explore updates from the field from the Pristine Seas team.

Updated on October 31, 2024

Solomons Islands: Pristine Seas Studies the Coral Triangle, the Epicenter of Marine Diversity

Pristine Seas conducts an expedition in the Solomon Islands and explores methods to protect parts of the Coral Triangle–the epicenter of marine diversity in the Pacific Ocean.

Updated on July 26, 2024

Papua New Guinea: Pristine Seas Explores One of the Most Biodiverse Oceans on Earth

Pristine Seas conducts expedition in Papua New Guinea — one of the most unique marine environments on the planet — to support ocean conservation.

Updated on February 2, 2024

Year Two of Pristine Seas: The Global Expedition Launches in Palau

Pristine Seas returns to Palau to conduct marine surveys, bringing with them Nat Geo Education team members for a special student outreach.

A closer look

Our team of scientists, filmmakers and policy experts have traveled across the ocean — from the poles to the tropics — to inspire the creation of marine protected areas. Take a closer look at some success stories from around the world.

Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha is a remote group of islands in the South Atlantic with an irreplaceable population of seabirds and a unique marine ecosystem. In 2020, the U.K. government and the people of Tristan da Cunha made a visionary declaration to create the Atlantic’s largest marine reserve.

Juan Fernández Archipelago

Six hundred kilometers off the coast of Chile lies the Juan Fernández Archipelago. We worked with the local community to support their proposal to create the largest marine park of the South American continent, protecting its waters from industrial fishing and benefiting tourism and local fishing.

Revillagigedo Islands

In partnership with Mares Mexicanos, we conducted an expedition to the Revillagigedo archipelago, “the Galapágos of Mexico,” home to extraordinary life, including sharks, manta rays and whales. A year later, the government of Mexico created and expanded the island’s existing MPA.

Niue

Niue, a raised coral atoll, is an island country in the South Pacific, home to an incredible shark refuge of grey reef sharks, a globally threatened species. In 2017, the government of Niue announced the creation of a large-scale marine protected area of 127,000 square kilometers.

Scientific research

Pristine Seas team members have collectively published more than 200 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals ranging from Nature, Science Advances, PLOS One and more.

Latest stories

Our impact is often featured in the news. Here are some of the most recent stories about the work the Pristine Seas team is doing around the world.

National Geographic Pristine Seas will study and film the vibrant waters of Fiji and Rotuma in support of ocean protection efforts

Visible from space, the mega coral is three times larger than the previous record-breaker, is believed to be about 300 years old, storing a record of ocean conditions from past centuries.

National Geographic Pristine Seas unveils its state-of-the-art submersible, the Argonauta — a tool empowering scientists and filmmakers to gather data from and film the least explored, least understood part of our planet.

Leveraging world-class expertise

Pristine Seas is made up of a unique team of scientists, conservationists, filmmakers, and communication and policy experts working together to help protect the world’s ocean.

Founder

National Geographic Explorer in Residence and Executive Director, Pristine Seas

Enric Sala

Enric Sala is a former university professor who saw himself writing the obituary of ocean life, and quit academia in 2008 to become a full-time conservationist as National Geographic Explorer in Residence. He founded and leads National Geographic Pristine Seas, a project that combines exploration, research, media, economics and policy – working with local communities, Indigenous Peoples and governments to protect vital places in the ocean. To date, Pristine Seas has helped to create 29 of the largest marine reserves on the planet, covering an area of over 6.9 million square kilometers. Enric has received numerous awards, including 2008 World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader, 2013 Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award, 2018 Heinz Award in Public Policy, National Geographic Hubbard Medal, Albert I Grand Medal, and Officer of the Order of San Carlos of Colombia. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

With support from

FOUNDING SPONSOR

Blancpain

FUNDING PARTNERS

Beagle Charitable Foundation, Allison Bennington, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Campbell Foundation, Disney Conservation Fund, Don Quixote Foundation, The Heinz Family Foundation, Levy Foundation, LGT Venture Philanthropy, Lindblad Expeditions–National Geographic Fund, Look and See Foundation, Ann Luskey, Oracle, Philip Stephenson Foundation, Postcode Lottery Group, Rituals, Serventi Family Foundation, Tanka Foundation, Ted and Michele Waitt–TTMMC Fund, UBS Optimus Foundation, Walmart Foundation, an anonymous donor, and other individual donors.

PAST FUNDERS

Allison Bennington, Brook Foundation, Jean and Steve Case, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, DAVIDOFF Cool Water, Roger and Rosemary Enrico, Helmsley Charitable Trust, Google, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Vicki and Roger Sant, and other individual donors.

Photo credits (from top of page): Manu San Félix, Ossie Michelin, SerrNovik/Getty/iStockphoto, Manu San Félix, Enric Sala, Ossie Michelin, Enric Sala (2)