Our Work
The IUCN Global Marine and Polar Programme's work is organised below under nine broad themes. As some of our work cuts across these themes, some project work may feature under more than one theme.
Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation
- Coral reef monitoring
- Research
- Climate Change and Coral Reefs Marine Working Group (CCCR)
- Ocean fertilisation and other geo-engineering issues
- Convening of the Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel;
- Addressing trade in threatened marine species
- Enhancing shark and ray conservation
- Supporting the IUCN Speices Survival Commission (SSC)
- Implementing ecologically sustainable, equitable and efficient energy systems in the marine environment
- Shipping
- Offshore oil and gas
- Aquaculture and mariculture
- Biodiversity offsets
- Greening Blue Energy: Identifying and managing the biodiversity risks and opportunities of offshore renewable energy
- Fisheries governance
- Certification
- Sustainable Aquaculture
- Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing
- Corruption in fisheries
Managing Marine Invasive Species
- Projects and fieldwork on the detection and management of marine alien invasive species
- Policy work to increase international regulations to manage marine species introductions through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the Convention on Biological Diversity
- Work with the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) & Regional Coordinators, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, WWF and NOAA/National Marine Sanctuaries
- Development of MPA tools (e.g. MPA managers toolkits and training)
- Protect Planet Ocean website
- Development of MPA networks
- Legal framework for areas beyond national jurisdiction;
- Sustainable use of the high and deep seas;
- Work through policy channels and institutions to strengthen conservation priorities (UNCLOS, IMO, ISA, UNFSA, CITES, RFMOs, Regional Seas, etc.)
- Marine spatial planning;
- Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) governance
- Southern Ocean and Antarctica
- Marine pollution and ocean dumping
(For fisheries governance issues, please see Fisheries & Aquaculture section)
- Enhancing Ecosystem-based Management (EbM) and regional cooperation in the Arctic marine environment
- Identifying ecologically significant or vulnerable areas in the Arctic marine environment
- Enhancing the establishment of networks of MPA in the Southern Ocean
- Strengthening the ecosystem approach within the Antarctic Treaty System
- Advancing appropriate management responses to climate change within the Antarctic Treaty System
- Global Coasts Initiative
- Coastal ecosystem restoration for livelihoods improvement
- Sustainable resource use and management
- Increasing and promoting resilience and adaptive capacity in coastal communities
