What is the UN Ocean Decade?
The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, known as the UN Ocean Decade, runs from 2021 to 2030. Its ambition is to mobilise science, knowledge, innovation and collaboration to achieve “the science we need for the ocean we want”. It brings together researchers, policymakers, communities, ocean users and other stakeholders to co-design solutions for a healthier, more resilient and better understood ocean.
How BLUE CONNECT contributes
BLUE CONNECT contributes directly to this ambition by transforming ocean science into practical, inclusive and replicable solutions for marine protection and restoration. The project addresses the urgent need to protect and restore marine habitats and ecosystems, while supporting ambitious EU and global protection and restoration targets by 2030.
Working with MPA managers, authorities, industries and local communities across 12 Demonstration Sites and beyond, BLUE CONNECT is co-developing a systematic approach to marine conservation planning and management. At the center of this work is an open-access Blueprint designed to support science-based conservation objectives, effective MPA co-management, targeted conservation actions, monitoring of conservation effectiveness, ecological connectivity, ecosystem restoration, and the designation or expansion of protected areas.
This makes BLUE CONNECT especially relevant to Ocean Decade Challenge 2: Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity. Through local stakeholder working groups, workshops, events and citizen science initiatives, the project helps move from global ambition to concrete on-site action. It also strengthens co-ownership of protected and restored marine ecosystems by giving communities, managers and marine users a meaningful role in shaping the future of MPA networks.
By being formally linked to the SUPREME Programme, BLUE CONNECT also becomes part of a wider international effort to strengthen collaboration, knowledge exchange and global ocean science networks. This connection will help increase the visibility, uptake and replicability of the project’s tools and approaches beyond its Demonstration Sites.
Macaronesia: Recognition of local action
The project’s contribution to the Ocean Decade is further strengthened by the separate endorsement of the Decade Action “Macaronesia Blue Corridors for MPA Connectivity”. This initiative focuses on one of BLUE CONNECT’s Demonstration Sites and highlights the strategic importance of Macaronesia as a transboundary living laboratory for collaborative ocean governance.
Covering the four Atlantic archipelagos of the Macaronesian region — the Azores and Madeira in Portugal, the Canary Islands in Spain, and Cabo Verde — the initiative aims to improve the understanding and management of ecological connectivity across the region. Its work focuses on three core objectives: strengthening ecological connectivity, supporting more effective and resilient MPA management, and advancing participatory co-management approaches.
Through tailored management plans, regional cooperation mechanisms and science-based modelling tools, Macaronesia Blue Corridors will support biodiversity conservation and adaptive governance responses to shared ocean challenges such as climate change, habitat degradation and overexploitation of marine resources.
Just as importantly, the initiative brings together public authorities, scientific institutions, NGOs, marine users and local communities to support more connected, effectively managed and socially inclusive MPAs. In doing so, it contributes not only to healthier marine ecosystems, but also to the long-term resilience of ocean-dependent communities across the Macaronesian region.
Why the endorsements are important
Together, these two Ocean Decade endorsements show how BLUE CONNECT is helping bridge the gap between science, policy and practice. By combining scientific evidence, participatory governance, citizen science and practical conservation tools, the project supports the Ocean Decade’s mission to deliver usable knowledge and solutions for a healthier ocean.
For BLUE CONNECT, this recognition is not just a label, but an opportunity to connect local action with global momentum and to show how inclusive, science-based marine conservation can contribute to the ocean we want by 2030.
