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O-05

Protect and regenerate 1OO% of the world’s oceans

The whole ocean protected or sustainably managed, with at least 30% in well-run protected areas.

4 organizations tracked  ·  0 vetted

The goal in brief

GoalThe whole ocean protected or sustainably managed, with at least 30% in well-run protected areas.

of the ocean inside protected areas1
9.8%
of the high seas under protection2
1.45%
of assessed fish stocks fished sustainably5
62.4%

Why it matters

Only about a tenth of the ocean is protected,1 and the high seas, which make up 61% of it, are almost entirely unprotected.2 Well-placed protected areas let sea life recover, boost fish catches, and secure the carbon stored in the ocean.3

How we’ll know it’s done

Finish line
Every part of the ocean protected or sustainably managed, starting with at least 30% effectively conserved by 2030, the global 30x30 target.4
What counts
Protected areas with real rules that are enforced on the water, not lines on a map.
How it’s checked
UNEP’s Protected Planet database of protected areas, plus satellite tracking of fishing inside them.
Our part
We’ll fund this once our vetting team vets an organization working on it.

What follows

  • Fish populations rebuild and spill over into nearby fishing grounds.O-03Replenish depleted fish populations
  • Coral reefs, seagrass meadows and kelp forests get room to recover.O-06Protect and regenerate key ocean ecosystems
  • Whales, sharks, turtles and other threatened species find safe haven.W-01Protect endangered and critical species
  • Carbon stored in marine life and seabed sediments stays put.E-08Establish global climate equilibrium
  • Steadier catches for coastal communities that rely on fish for food.H-01Eliminate global hunger and malnutrition

How it can be solved

The approaches to this goal, and how many of the organizations taking each one we’ve vetted.

  • Ocean monitoring

    Uncrewed boats that watch over marine areas and collect data.

    2 organizations

  • Patrols against illegal fishing

    Ships and crews that stop illegal fishing and poaching at sea.

    1 organization

  • Policy and market change

    Pushing companies and governments toward ocean-safe products and rules.

    1 organization

Who’s working on it

We only call a solution proven, measurable and scalable once our vetting team has vetted it. Everything else here, the team is tracking.

Vetted0 organizationsReviewed by our vetting team, and passed all three tests.

  • Proven

    It has worked, with results to show.

  • Measurable

    Its impact can be counted.

  • Scalable

    It can grow toward the size of the goal.

None on this goal yet. When our vetting team vets an organization working on it, it appears here with its vetting report.

Not vetted4 organizationsTracked by our vetting team. Not vetted yet, so we make no claims about them.

Listing an organization isn’t an endorsement. Not vetted means just that: our vetting team is tracking it, and we make no claims about it yet. Last reviewed October 2026.

Know a solution we’re missing?

Submit a solution that tackles a goal on Humanity’s Checklist.

  1. Tell us about it in a short form.
  2. Our Solutionary Team reviews every submission.
  3. If it looks like a fit, we’ll start vetting the project.
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Sources

  1. 1. UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, “Protected Planet: global statistics,” Protected Planet (statistics updated October 2026) (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2. UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, “Marine Protected Areas,” Protected Planet (2026) (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3. Sala et al., “Protecting the global ocean for biodiversity, food and climate,” Nature (2021) (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4. Convention on Biological Diversity, “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 3,” CBD (2022) (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5. FAO, “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2026: The status of fishery resources,” FAO (2026) (opens in a new tab)