Bloomberg Philanthropies Commits $260 Million to Help Close the Ocean Protection Gap as the Push to Protect 30% of the Ocean Enters Its Most Critical Phase

With just four years left to achieve 30×30, new support will help create the first marine protected areas under the High Seas Treaty and strengthen fisheries transparency, coral reef protection, and community-led conservation

New work will support efforts to strengthen the role of small coastal and island nations in global ocean negotiations and advance new approaches to restoring degraded coral reefs

LONDON – Today, at the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly during London Climate Action Week, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a $260 million commitment to expand the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative, marking a new phase of global ocean conservation focused on implementation, transparency, and establishing protections across the high seas. The investment will help close the gap between ocean protection commitments and action as countries work toward the global goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.

While countries have now committed roughly 10% of the ocean to conservation and protection, many areas still lack effective management, enforcement, and long-term financing. With four years remaining to meet the 30×30 goal, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment will help governments strengthen management, accountability, international cooperation, and locally led conservation to ensure protections deliver lasting benefits for people and nature.

“Our new commitment marks the next phase of the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative,” said Patricia E. Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Over the years, we have made important progress in protecting our ocean, but we still have a long way to go. We look forward to working with partners to not only improve leadership and governance on the issue but also strengthen economies and safeguard the livelihoods of the billions of people who rely on the ocean every day.”

With the High Seas Treaty now in force – a milestone nearly two decades in the making – Bloomberg Philanthropies will help partners establish the first marine protected areas created under the treaty, opening the door to large-scale protections across nearly two-thirds of the ocean for the first time. The initiative will partner with governments, local communities, and scientists to identify ecologically critical regions, shape conservation plans, and strengthen the monitoring and enforcement systems needed to sustain them.

The next phase of ocean conservation depends on countries’ ambition to implement and manage protections at scale – especially in the high seas, which make up most of the ocean but have historically lacked a legal framework for large-scale protection. To address this, Bloomberg Philanthropies will support expanded technical, legal, and policy capacity for small coastal and island nations engaging in global ocean negotiations and implementing commitments under international ocean agreements. This support will help countries advance ocean protections and manage them effectively. The initiative will also expand the use of satellite monitoring, artificial intelligence, and public data platforms to improve transparency, accountability, and decision-making across the global ocean.

Building on its longstanding work to reduce threats to climate resilient coral reefs, the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative will now expand its focus to include restoring reefs in areas already prioritized for long-term protection. This work will explore new coral restoration approaches and pilot projects to restore reefs damaged by marine heatwaves, pollution, and severe storms. These efforts build on new findings from 50 Reefs+, which identified 165,922 square kilometers of coral reefs across 71 countries and 99 territories with the strongest potential to survive climate change and support long-term resilience.

The Bloomberg Ocean Initiative will also expand its reach into new countries, including the Marshall Islands, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, as well as other key areas critical to marine biodiversity, sustainable fisheries, and high-seas conservation. Together, these regions encompass some of the world’s most important coral reefs, tuna migration corridors, and deep-sea ecosystems, all of which are critical to biodiversity, food security, and ocean health.

Today’s investment brings Bloomberg Philanthropies’ total support for ocean conservation to $635 million to date. The next phase of the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative will focus on:

• Turning Commitments into Protection: Help governments create marine protected and conserved areas and advance fisheries reforms in national waters that deliver measurable benefits for biodiversity and coastal communities.
• Tracking and Exposing Ocean Activity: Scale satellite tracking, public data platforms, and AI to improve transparency, accountability, and management of fishing activity.
• Advancing High Seas Protection: Support efforts to establish the first marine protected areas under the High Seas Treaty while building the scientific, management, and monitoring systems needed to sustain them.
• Supporting Ocean Governance: Expand technical, legal, and policy capacity for small coastal and island nations to participate in global ocean negotiations, implement treaty commitments, and advance protections under the High Seas Treaty.
• Strengthening Science and Local Leadership: Fund exploration and science, support local leaders and fishing communities, and pilot efforts to regrow and restore damaged coral reef ecosystems.

To help deliver this next phase, Bloomberg Philanthropies will support a global network of partners working across science, policy, technology, conservation, and community leadership, including the Aga Khan Foundation, Blue Ventures, Campaign for Nature, Earth Insight, Global Fishing Watch, the Joint 30×30 Funding Initiative, Oceana, Oceans 5, the Ocean Climate Diplomacy Initiative, Only One, Philanthropy Asia Alliance, National Geographic Pristine Seas, Rare, SkyTruth, the 30×30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, among other organizations around the world.

John Amos, CEO of SkyTruth, said: “Transparency is the foundation of ocean governance, and Bloomberg Philanthropies has been instrumental in helping SkyTruth bring greater visibility to activity at sea. This new investment will allow us to go further by refining machine learning models, improving detections, and closing the observation gaps to ensure that what happens at sea no longer stays hidden. Transparency drives accountability and protection.”

Michelle Bachelet, former President of the Republic of Chile, said: “Chile was once a cautionary tale of overfishing; today our jack mackerel is recovered and certified sustainable, and more than 40% of our ocean is protected. The lesson is that protection and prosperity can live in the very same fish. That work is not finished, and the case for these waters has only grown stronger — which is why Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment in the science, governance, and community leadership behind it matters so much.”

Manish Bapna, President and CEO, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), said: For most of human history, the high seas have been beyond the reach of conservation law. The framework that took two decades to negotiate is now law, the science of where protection is needed most is stronger than ever, and the governance tools to act on it are finally taking shape. But treaties do not protect oceans. Implementation does. NRDC is committed to doing the hard legal and policy work of turning this historic agreement into enforceable, lasting protections, and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment and that of the Bloomberg Ocean Fund makes it possible to move at the speed and scale the ocean needs.

Johan Bergenas, Senior Vice President of Ocean Conservation, World Wildlife Fund, said: “Protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 is one of the defining conservation commitments of our time, but commitment alone won’t save a single reef or sustain a single fishing community. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment comes at exactly the moment it’s needed, as the hard work of turning pledges into managed, enforced, and financed protections begins in earnest. Success will depend on protecting and investing in the places that matter most for both people and nature – where healthy oceans support livelihoods, food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity. Together, we have a real chance to make 30×30 mean something for the billions of people and countless species that depend on a healthy ocean.”

Alexandra Cousteau, Oceana Senior Advisor, said: “The science exists. The tools exist. What restores the ocean is the will to align around a shared vision and act on it. Bloomberg Philanthropies is providing exactly that, and when resources, ambition, and partnership come together like this, everyone benefits. Communities thrive. Economies grow. Nature recovers. The ocean wins, and so do we.”

Ray Dalio, Co-founder of OceanX, said: “The ocean is the life support system of our planet, and we are only beginning to understand what we stand to lose. Through OceanX, I have seen firsthand how science, technology, and political will can change what’s possible for ocean protection. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment, and its focus on the high seas, reflects exactly the kind of ambition this moment demands. The frontier of ocean conservation is the high seas, and this commitment helps open it.”

Ted Danson, Oceana founder and board member, said: “I have spent decades fighting for the ocean because I know that when people understand what is at stake, they demand action. The ocean’s problems can feel overwhelming, but history shows that determined people, armed with good science and the resources to act, can achieve extraordinary things. This commitment helps keep that momentum going at a moment when we need it most.”

Peter de Menocal, President & Director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said: “We have spent nearly a century understanding how the ocean works. That science tells us with increasing urgency that the window to protect what remains is closing faster than policy is responding. We know far more today than ever before about what needs protecting and why, even as we continue to refine the region-specific knowledge needed to manage ecosystems effectively. The challenge is no longer primarily one of understanding; it is one of implementation. What is missing is the capacity to act — effective governance, sustainable financing, and the political will to set boundaries and uphold them. This investment helps close that gap at a moment when the science has never been clearer, and the urgency has never been greater.”

Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua, Prime Minister, Tonga, said: “For small island nations, the ocean has long connected our peoples, and caring for it is part of the legacy we have inherited. The High Seas Treaty reflects values our island nations have long upheld, and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ commitment will help ensure that countries such as the Kingdom of Tonga play their rightful role in shaping the future of our shared ocean and translating ambition into action.”

Adam Falk, President and CEO of Wildlife Conservation Society, said: “Our work has always centered on protecting key ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Coral reefs are among the ocean’s most critical ecosystems, home to countless fish populations and the coastal communities that rely on them. This renewed commitment from Bloomberg Philanthropies gives us the novel ability to target the world’s most resilient reefs, and to protect them for generations to come.”

Jane Fonda, Actor and Activist, said: “I have been an activist long enough to know that the moments when real change becomes possible are rare, and brief. The High Seas Treaty is in force, the science is unambiguous, and now Bloomberg Philanthropies is putting $260 million behind the work of making 30×30 protection real. This is one of those moments. Governments need to rise to meet it, and this commitment makes it harder for them to look away.”

Rebecca Hubbard, Director of High Seas Alliance, said: “With the historic High Seas Treaty now in force, it’s time to turn commitment into action. Bloomberg Philanthropies is helping us capitalize on this moment – working with communities and governments to identify priority conservation areas and building the regulatory systems to protect them. These first-of-their-kind Marine Protected Areas on the high seas will be a model for how the world protects what belongs to all of us.”

Brett Jenks, CEO of Rare, said: “For years, Rare has worked alongside fishing communities around the world — not as outside experts, but as partners who help communities claim the rights, resources, and recognition to manage their own fisheries. When communities lead, conservation lasts. Bloomberg Philanthropies has understood this from the beginning. This investment puts local leadership where it belongs: at the center of the global ocean agenda.”

Jeremiah Kittredge, Co-founder and CEO of Only One, said: “Protecting the ocean takes a huge range of people and organizations, and we’re thrilled Bloomberg Philanthropies is continuing to convene partners around such ambitious and necessary goals. Bloomberg understands that reaching 30×30 is as much a mobilization challenge as a science or policy one, and that’s what Only One was built to do: campaigning and strategic communications, working with others to bring these issues to the public and policymakers and spur faster, wider action. This investment helps build the ocean movement we need.”

Michael Kocher, President of Aga Khan Foundation, said: “In coastal communities across East Africa, South Asia, and beyond, the health of the ocean is not an environmental abstraction. It is the difference between food security and hunger, between a stable livelihood and none at all. Our work has always held that protecting natural systems is inseparably linked to improving human lives. This investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies reflects our shared understanding and commitment, and it matters significantly  that a funder of this scale is making the case that ocean protection and community resilience belong in the same conversation.”

Maya Lin, Artist and Designer, said: “The ocean is easy to take for granted because so much of it exists beyond our view. Yet it connects every coastline, every community, and every living system on Earth. Water is both pathway and boundary, abundant in some places and increasingly scarce in others. Investments like this make visible the work of protecting and restoring the ocean at a scale that matches both its beauty and its importance.”

Tony Long, Chief Executive Officer of Global Fishing Watch, said: “Fisheries sustain coastal communities around the world, and protecting them has always been at the heart of our work. Through a partnership with Global Fishing Watch, Bloomberg Philanthropies helped create the world’s first open-access map of the global industrial fishing fleet, using satellite imagery and AI to monitor activity across more than 291 million square kilometers of ocean, improving transparency and supporting authorities to hold bad actors accountable. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ commitment means we can go further – continuing to track and expose harmful and illegal fishing while building the next generation of tools to improve transparency and accountability across the high seas to preserve these critical resources.”

Tyson Miller, Executive Director of Earth Insight, said: “Our work is centered on creating the tools leaders need to form lasting conservation policy. Hand in hand with this investment by Bloomberg Philanthropies, we can ensure that coastal communities, policy-makers, and global stakeholders have the latest science and messaging at their disposal to protect these key ecosystems.”

Jennifer Morris, CEO, The Nature Conservancy, said: “Our ocean is one interconnected system — and it faces mounting threats. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ bold commitment will help ensure it remains healthy and productive, driving sustainable fisheries management, ecosystem restoration, and marine protections our ocean urgently needs, from coastal waters to the high seas.”

Brian O’Donnell, Director of Campaign for Nature, said: “Campaign for Nature has always treated 30×30 as a governance challenge as much as a conservation one. Getting the target into the Kunming-Montreal Framework took years of political work across hundreds of governments. What happens now, country by country, is harder and less visible: designated areas that are effectively managed, funded, and enforced. That accountability work doesn’t attract headlines or major funders easily. This investment helps change that, and it comes at the point in the campaign where it matters most.”

Henry M. Paulson Jr., Chairman of the Paulson Institute, said: “We owe future generations a livable world — and right now, we are not on track to deliver it. Fisheries, coastal infrastructure, and marine ecosystems underpin trillions of dollars of global economic activity, and they are all at risk. But it’s not too late to change course. We have the knowledge and the ability to act; what has been missing is the sustained investment and governance capacity to translate that into tangible protection around the world. Bloomberg Philanthropies is providing both, protecting the ocean as a responsibility to those who come after us.”

Susan Rockefeller, Oceana Board Emeritus Director, said: “The ocean has always been my greatest teacher and my deepest responsibility. Storytelling and science together have the power to shift how people see what is at stake, and right now, what is at stake could not be greater. Conservationists, communities, and governments have the knowledge to act. What this moment demands is the resources and the will to match it. We are deeply grateful to Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic vision to help save the oceans and feed the world!”

Ebrima Saidy, CEO of Blue Ventures, said: “Blue Ventures was built on a simple conviction: lasting conservation only happens when the people who depend on the ocean are the ones leading it. In the communities where we work, we’ve seen marine ecosystems recover and livelihoods stabilize — not because of outside intervention, but because local leaders had the authority and resources to make decisions. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ renewed commitment keeps that model at the center of 30×30, where it belongs.”

Enric Sala, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and Executive Director, Pristine Seas, said: “Leaders need to establish marine reserves at a pace the world has never attempted. Ocean waters are the lungs of our planet, but right now we are failing them. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ commitment does more than provide funding—it brings momentum, credibility, and a signal to governments around the world that donors are serious about finishing what they started. Now governments need to match the ambition.”

Shaun Seow, CEO of Philanthropy Asia Alliance, said: “Less than one percent of global philanthropic funding reaches ocean health, and an even smaller share reaches Asia — despite the fact that some of the world’s most biodiverse and most threatened marine ecosystems are right here. Philanthropy Asia Alliance’s role is to mobilise catalytic capital by bringing together funders and partners to co-create, co-fund, and scale solutions across Asia. We are in an active mobilization, and the conditions for Asian philanthropy to move from interest to coordinated investment are finally coming together.”

Jim Simon, CEO of Oceana, said: “Bloomberg Philanthropies has been an indispensable partner in achieving the High Seas Treaty. This new investment comes at the right time because it will help us put the Treaty into action, which is urgently needed by the ocean and the billions who depend on it.”

Kathlyn Tan, Director of Rumah Foundation on behalf of the 30×30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund, said: “Southeast Asia holds some of the world’s most remarkable marine ecosystems, and some of its most vulnerable coastal communities. Those two facts are inseparable. Protecting the region’s seas is not a conservation project separate from development priorities; it is a humanitarian one. The 30×30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund was built on the understanding that local actors, civil society, and communities closest to the water need to lead this work, with committed funders in support. We welcome Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investment in the region and are eager to foster growing collaboration between global and regional philanthropies championing ocean health.”

Sam Waterston, Oceana Board Member, said: “Growing up in New England, I saw firsthand how fisheries collapse can devastate coastal communities. That experience drove me directly to Oceana and keeps me on its board today. Protecting the ocean means changing the policies that threaten it — work that requires committed partners and sustained action. With the High Seas Treaty in force, 30×30 within reach, and the tools to deliver it finally coming together, this is the moment to hold the line and push further.”

Sigourney Weaver, Actor and Activist, said: “The daughter of a Navy man, I grew up with the ocean. What I see today is not what I remember, and that loss is real. But I have never believed it is too late to act, and the High Seas Treaty proved that the world can come together when the stakes are clear. Bloomberg Philanthropies is helping turn that agreement into something the ocean can actually feel. That is the kind of commitment this moment demands.”

Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., President of Palau, said: “For generations, Palau has guarded its waters with the understanding that the ocean is our life force, our culture, and our responsibility. But the tides do not stop at our reef edges, and protecting the global commons requires partnerships as vast as the sea itself. By standing together with visionary partners like Bloomberg Philanthropies, whose critical support empowered small island nations and catalyzed the momentum needed to secure this historic agreement, Palau was proud to lead the charge as the first to ratify the BBNJ High Seas Treaty. Together, we are extending our spirit of stewardship beyond our borders—safeguarding the shared heritage of humankind so that the living wealth of the high seas can be passed safely into the hands of the next generation.”

This new investment builds on more than a decade of work through the Bloomberg Ocean Initiative, which has helped drive global progress in ocean protection, including strengthening protection in 11.3 million square miles of ocean, strengthening protections for more than 70 coral reefs, and advancing 280 policies to reduce overfishing and other threats to marine ecosystems.

Recent wins include helping secure the world’s largest marine protected area in French Polynesia; supporting new protections for mangrove ecosystems along Brazil’s Amazon coast; advancing reforms to strengthen protections for the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; and helping secure Ghana’s first-ever marine protected area.

The initiative has also helped strengthen global ocean governance, transparency, and enforcement efforts, including supporting the launch of the Mombasa Declaration to advance international collaboration against illegal fishing and helping advance new protections against bottom trawling in portions of the UK’s marine protected areas.

Through a partnership with Global Fishing Watch, Bloomberg Philanthropies helped create the world’s first open-access map of the global industrial fishing fleet, using satellite imagery and AI to monitor activity across more than 291 million square kilometers of ocean, improving transparency and helping hold bad actors accountable. Bloomberg Philanthropies also helped convene governments and partners to advance the historic ratification of the High Seas Treaty, laying the foundation for the next generation of ocean protections across the high seas.

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About Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2025, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $4.3 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, and X.

Media Contact: Marshall Cohen, mcohen@bloomberg.org