WRI Ocean

Fisherwomen in Inhambane Bay, Mozambique rely on the bay's seagrass meadows, but nearly half of those meadows are now gone, lost to intensifying cyclones and fishing pressure. 🌪️🐟 Around 492 million people depend on small-scale fishing, and nearly half are women. Yet their practices are largely invisible in national fisheries data, and their voices largely absent from the councils making decisions about the coastlines. At the same time, women have a central role in conservation and climate adaptation. With their deep knowledge of these habitats, they are among the best positioned to mobilise for protection and restoration. Yet women are largely absent from the data systems and decision-making processes meant to support these goals, leaving their vulnerabilities and stewardship invisible. In our new vignette, WRI Researcher Rachel Thoms documents how seagrass decline is reshaping lives in Inhambane Bay, and why ocean governance needs to see coastal women clearly before it can serve them well. 🌎 Dive Deeper 👇

Cynthia Barzuna is the Director of Ocean Action 2030 and Deputy Director of #WRIOcean. 🌊 From Costa Rica's Caribbean to its Pacific coast, Cynthia has spent her career turning ocean ambition into policy. As Deputy Minister for Water and Ocean Affairs, she helped drive Costa Rica's marine protected area coverage from 2.7% to 30%. Through Ocean Action 2030, she's working toward 100% sustainable management of waters under national jurisdiction. Dive deeper in this Women Actions For The Ocean piece 👇

Ocean-based solutions hold enormous potential cut emissions and tackle climate change, but political will is vital to unlocking their potential. WRI's Tom Pickerell PhD FMBA and Micheline Khan will be speaking at the "Raising Political ambition for Ocean-Climate Action" webinar, hosted by UNDP/GEF PROCARIBE+ Project. It will look at ocean-climate leadership and opportunities in the wider Caribbean and beyond. 📅 Tuesday 28 April 🕒 9am (Colombia time, UTC-5) Register here 👇 https://lnkd.in/e97-qsY8

Join three of the WRI Ocean team to learn more about the potential for jobs in the sustainable ocean economy... 👇

Tomorrow I’ll be giving opening remarks at 'Rising Political Ambition for Ocean–Climate Action', the fourth webinar in the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism’s series ahead of Our Ocean Conference. The session will highlight work under the Blue NDC Challenge and related initiatives supporting stronger integration of ocean action in climate commitments. https://lnkd.in/eCGfzTRe

Since 2014, more than 2,900 commitments worth over US$169 billion have been recorded through the Our Ocean Conference process. The 11th Our Ocean Conference is introducing a strengthened architecture for tracking whether those commitments are delivered. Governments, private sector organizations, civil society, and research institutions are invited to submit new commitments or update progress on existing ones ahead of OOC11 in Mombasa this June. The deadline to submit or update commitments is 1 May 2026. OOC11 commitments span six Areas of Action: Marine Protected Areas, Sustainable Blue Economy, Ocean-Climate Nexus, Sustainable Fisheries, Marine Pollution, and Maritime Security. Submit or update your commitment here: https://lnkd.in/ei_ZG-ts 🌊 #OurOceanKenya #OOC11

Just published! This piece explores how better integrating local knowledge and data into ocean planning can drive more equitable and effective outcomes, but really it tells the story of some fantastic people on Mozambique's coasts. Grateful to Rachel Thoms and our amazing partners (including António de Sacramento Cabral, Horácio José de Madivadua and Jonas Jacinto Chambo) for their collaboration. Give it a read and help us spread the word! WRI Ocean #OceanPlanning #OceanEquity #BlueEconomy #CoastalCommunities #Mozambique #ParticipatoryResearch

Fisherwomen in Inhambane Bay, Mozambique rely on the bay's seagrass meadows, but nearly half of those meadows are now gone, lost to intensifying cyclones and fishing pressure. 🌪️🐟 Around 492 million people depend on small-scale fishing, and nearly half are women. Yet their practices are largely invisible in national fisheries data, and their voices largely absent from the councils making decisions about the coastlines. At the same time, women have a central role in conservation and climate adaptation. With their deep knowledge of these habitats, they are among the best positioned to mobilise for protection and restoration. Yet women are largely absent from the data systems and decision-making processes meant to support these goals, leaving their vulnerabilities and stewardship invisible. In our new vignette, WRI Researcher Rachel Thoms documents how seagrass decline is reshaping lives in Inhambane Bay, and why ocean governance needs to see coastal women clearly before it can serve them well. 🌎 Dive Deeper 👇