Blue Science

Marine conservation is best achieved when underpinned by robust and up-to-date scientific evidence.  

The focus of our work in the SII Unit is to communicate marine research findings to policymakers and the general public, ensuring crucial information reaches those who can enact positive change; to provide reactive support to the Blue Marine team; to quantify the impact of our projects; and to identify ocean technology and innovation that can bolster our conservation efforts. 

In 2023, we supported the projects team to draw out key findings from surveys beneath the waves in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, providing evidence-backed recommendations to the Ministry of the Environment to reform fisheries and management of marine protected areas (MPAs). The team also supported research on the Dutch Caribbean Island of St. Maarten by analysing acoustic telemetry used to track the movement of sharks,enabling local project partners to explore MPA management to safeguard threatened species.  

In the UK we have been building a valuation report for ecosystem services in Scotland and have assessed biodiversity data to paint a picture of marine life for the Wild Oysters team.  

Monitoring and evaluating our work and communicating lessons learnt allows us to continually improve our conservation effectiveness and impact. Blue Marine has developed a rigorous monitoring and evaluation process for us and our project partners. It allows us to track impact, assess progress and record data. This in turn helps us to evaluate our approach and conservation interventions. By adopting a flexible approach within a broader framework, we allow for the unique nature of our projects and their challenges to shine through, while ensuring that our efforts and impacts remain laser-focused on our strategic pillars. Our impact team have also been working closely with partners in Namibia to develop a streamlined monitoring and evaluation system for their bold project, the Namibia Islands MPA. 

Joining forces with the Economics and Climate units, we are tackling two major threats to achieving the international goal of protecting 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 (30×30):  financing MPAs for long term protection and building biodiversity resilience against climate change This was touched on during the 2023 Blue Earth Summit meeting in Bristol, where we drove home the need for research and robust science to underpin financing mechanisms for effective ocean protection.  

We have also launched an Innovation Programme, in which the Blue SII team will be facilitating the deployment of pioneering ocean technologies within our projects, gather further insights from the marine innovation field, and propel Blue Marine towards realising the ambitious target of 30×30.