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A new web site was launched yesterday that I highly recommend you take a look at: Mission Blue. This new site is part of Dr. Sylvia Earle's foundation and provides a sharp focus on many of her recent expeditionary activities, including an ongoing expedition and ocean conference at the Galapagos Islands.
Ocean conservation can be a very broad and overwhelming issue to get one's arms around, so many organization devote their resources and energy to more specific topics of interest. Mission 
Blue accomplishes this by identifying Hope Spots - geographical marine areas of critical importance that can also serve to highlight specific marine issues or challenges. The web site allows you to select and learn more about a specific Hope Spot - ranging from the Seychelles off of Africa, to Antarctica's Ross Sea, to the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), and more.
There is a lot of great interactivity with the site, added by Dr. Earle's working relationship with Google, which provided map imagery and a handy version of Google Earth incorporated into the site. And then to round it off, there is a blog to keep readers updated with the activities of each expedition and other events with which Dr. Earle has been involved, such as the creative think tank organization, TED (technology, entertainment, design).
Mission Blue, another avenue for ocean conservation and enlightenment. Check it out.
One of the new ocean conservation-based organizations is COARE, based in San Francisco and dedicated to greater public awareness through education. The group has an additional effort taking place in shark conservation with their Shark Safe web site. Shark Safe focuses on shark conservation and addressing the market demand through education. To that end, here is a press release that announces the multi-lingual expansion of their web site, including a Chinese version - one of the primary markets for shark products.
SharkSafe.org Adds Multilingual Support
Certification Program Uses Chinese and French Versions to Raise Awareness of Shark Conservation.
Oakland, CA, November 04, 2009 --(PR.COM)-- The Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education, known more commonly by its acronym "COARE", announced today the availability of multilingual resources for its Shark Safe certification program.
The website, www.sharksafe.org, which allows both consumers and businesses to learn more about the Shark Safe certification program, is now available in several languages, including Chinese and French.
Using an easily recognizable logo to distinguish participating establishments, the Shark Safe program offers certification to qualifying restaurants and select businesses that demonstrate a measured commitment to shark conservation. Now available in several languages, the website is expected to reach and influence an even greater audience.
"The need for shark conservation is a global issue, so our efforts need to transcend international borders, cultural differences, and language barriers," said Christopher Chin, COARE's Executive Director.
"We're particularly proud of and excited about the Chinese version of our website," said Chin. "The vast majority of sharks that are killed are taken for their fins, which end up in shark fin soup - a delicacy entrenched in Chinese culture and tradition."
"With an estimated 1.3 billion native speakers, Chinese is, by far, the most widely spoken language on the planet, and we are thrilled to be able to extend our message to such a key audience," said Pete Wang, one of COARE's volunteer translators.
"We have observed that a number of well-intentioned shark conservation efforts have failed to persuade their intended audience, and sometimes even alienated those they meant to engage, because they failed to account for language and cultural differences," said Richard Nelson, one of COARE's directors. "Our program takes both language and culture into consideration, and works with communities to decrease the demand for products that are harmful to sharks and the ocean."
The mission of the Shark Safe certification program is to protect oceanic ecosystems by encouraging practices that do not negatively impact shark populations. "Sharks are one of our oceans’ top predators, keeping the entire ecosystem in check, but shark populations have declined dramatically over the last few decades as a result of human greed and lack of understanding," said Chin. "If people knew more about these animals, they would want to protect them."
As a conservation based website, www.sharksafe.org also offers information about the plight of sharks and about the need for their conservation. As further development of the website continues, it will serve as a portal for consumers to locate certified Shark Safe establishments quickly and easily.
COARE began development of its Shark Safe program in early-2007, seeking to protect sharks by raising awareness of threats to shark populations and by reducing the demand for shark products. In July of 2007, Jim Toomey, the artist behind the popular syndicated cartoon Sherman's Lagoon, joined the effort and helped form the Shark Safe logo in use today. "Sharks have resided in a dark corner of our mythology for thousands of years, which is partly the reason why saving this vital animal from extinction will require a special effort," said Toomey.
About COARE
The Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education, Inc. (COARE) is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its purpose is to study our oceans and increase public awareness of the earth's marine environment through educational programs and outreach. COARE seeks to enlighten people, young and old, to the plight of the oceans, to change the way they think and act, and to encourage them to create positive and lasting change. For more information about COARE, visit http://www.coare.org.
COARE, Shark Safe, and the Shark Safe logo are trademarks of The Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education, Inc. All other company names or marks mentioned herein are those of their respective owners.
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There are many conservation organizations vying for our attention and support. I subscribe to several to get the latest updates on what is happening in the world of conservation. Typically each organization has a particular strategy that best maximizes their available resources: some focus on legal action, others go after illegal trade in threatened species, while others focus on general public awareness.
Oceana is one of the larger and more prominent organizations involved in ocean conservation. They approach a wide range of issues and have international reach. They recently revised their web site and I think it's worth a look. While sprucing up a web site with the latest technology in look and feel is common today, what I found noteworthy with Oceana's new web site was some of the information it provides.
In particular, the web site explores various issues and lists what Oceana's involvement is, what they are doing regarding, say, overfishing, ocean acidification, or shark conservation. And then, most importantly, they list their victories. This is critical when you are considering whether an organization is worthy of your support, particularly your financial support: what are they doing and what have they DONE.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of well-intentioned groups out there with worthwhile agendas but, in the end, its what they accomplish that really matters. So it's good to see Oceana providing that kind of information.
The web site also contains information on a long list of various species that are endangered or threatened with extinction. And there is information on many of their ongoing scientific research projects and expeditions, which are of considerable interest to me (I'm always interested in what is going on out in the field and how these results are being communicated to the decision-makers and general public).
Oceana is among my top A-list of committed ocean conservation organizations. Check out their new web site at www.oceana.org.
A new web site was launched yesterday that I highly recommend you take a look at: Mission Blue. This new site is part of Dr. Sylvia Earle's foundation and provides a sharp focus on many of her recent expeditionary activities, including an ongoing expedition and ocean conference at the Galapagos Islands.
Blue accomplishes this by identifying Hope Spots - geographical marine areas of critical importance that can also serve to highlight specific marine issues or challenges. The web site allows you to select and learn more about a specific Hope Spot - ranging from the Seychelles off of Africa, to Antarctica's Ross Sea, to the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), and more.
