Marine conservation

Oceans cover more than 70% of Earth’s surface and support the food, climate, and biodiversity systems that billions of people depend on. This archive tracks real progress in marine conservation — from expanding protected areas and restoring coral reefs to reducing plastic pollution and rebuilding fish populations. Each story focuses on what’s working and who is making it happen.

Hollywood street, for article on single-use plastic reduction

California passes first sweeping US law to reduce single-use plastic

By / / Good News For Humankind

California’s single-use plastic law sets a binding target to cut throwaway plastic 25% by 2032, and it puts the bill where it belongs: on the companies making the stuff. A new producer-led organization will run recycling programs and pay $500 million a year into a fund that helps clean up the mess and address its health impacts. That’s a real shift, because for decades the cost of plastic pollution has fallen on cities and taxpayers, not the businesses profiting from it. As the largest U.S. state, California tends to pull markets and other states along with it — making this a hopeful template for tackling plastic pollution far beyond its borders.

Fish, for article on fisheries transparency initiative

Ecuador becomes first Latin American country committed to Fisheries Transparency Initiative standards

By / / Good News For Humankind

Fisheries transparency just gained a major foothold in Latin America: Ecuador has become the first country in the region to join the Fisheries Transparency Initiative, pledging to publish vessel records, catch data, subsidies, and the identities of who ultimately profits. The commitment was announced in Manta, home to much of the country’s tuna fleet, and it opens a door that journalists and even government scientists have spent years knocking on without answer. A new national working group will bring civil society and industry to the table alongside officials, with annual independent reviews to keep progress honest. For oceans worldwide, where opacity has long shielded overfishing and illegal catch, Ecuador’s step offers a replicable model — and a reminder that sunlight remains one of conservation’s most powerful tools.