Looking back at 2022, I am humbled by the incredible work the SOA team brought to life. It was a record-breaking fundraising year, which allowed us to accelerate dozens of new ocean solutions that you can read about in this report. We now have more than 7,000 young ocean leaders around the world, and 82 hubs across 77 countries. The team came together for the first time since the pandemic at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Portugal, where we proudly cohosted the Youth and Innovation Forum. Many of us met in person for the very first time on the beautiful beach in Cascais, where we had the honor to watch more than 120 youth devise real-world solutions to some of the greatest threats facing our ocean – and even enjoyed a surprise appearance from actor and activist Jason Momoa! From our realized impact to strengthening internal bonds, it was truly SOA's greatest year yet.
Now looking forward to 2023, it is clear we still have so much work to do. We are bracing for the defining climate fight of our generation – deep-seabed mining. SOA has been campaigning vigorously against this destructive practice for more than two years, and recently delivered a collaborative petition with more than a quarter of a million signatures calling for a moratorium. The International Seabed Authority is set to vote on whether to allow the mining of the deep sea in July, and if approved, it could be open for business that very month. In the history of the destruction of our planet, our generation has never been present to prevent detrimental actions from taking place. This is why we are spending so much of our time restoring, regenerating, and rehabilitating. But now, we can prevent this horrific practice from ever starting. We cannot afford to stay silent and do nothing. We cannot afford to stay on the sidelines and watch those in power determine our fate and our future. This is why we must urgently continue to build our network of young ocean leaders – and ocean allies of all ages. It is critical we have a voice in world-altering decisions, as it is our future most at stake.
While we know we have our work cut out for us, I hope you are as inspired and buoyed by this report as I am. The climate crisis cannot be solved by one person. But together, we are creating meaningful change to protect our planet, our future, and each other.
Daniela V. Fernandez
Founder and CEO,
Sustainable Ocean Alliance
Our global network of people and solutions are making a measurable impact. These numbers are cumulative through December 31, 2022.
Sustainable Ocean Alliance takes a unique approach to solving key ocean challenges. By allocating funding across nonprofit grants, market-driven startup investments, and local initiatives, we support a diverse community of ocean solutions. This unique strategy has led to SOA supporting 266 ocean solutions across 77 countries over the past 5 years.
Through collaboration with ocean impact entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and scientific advisors, we have developed a methodology for organizing and collecting impact data across five key ocean areas. Each solution represented in this report falls into one or more of these impact categories. We hope that this report will encourage funders to allocate more resources towards solving these ocean challenges.
—
Craig Dudenhoeffer
Chief Impact & Investments Officer
2022 IMPACT:
1,143 metric tons of CO2 avoided or removed
Greenhouse gasses (GHGs) absorb infrared solar radiation and trap heat in the atmosphere, resulting in global warming, climate change, increased ocean temperatures and sea level rise. CO2, one of the most common GHGs, is absorbed by the ocean, which in turn, causes ocean acidification. In 2022, 36.8 gigatons of carbon (CO2) were emitted globally.
By supporting solutions that remove or avoid GHG emissions, or that sequester and store CO2, SOA can help reduce these harmful environmental effects and improve the health of our ocean.
2022 IMPACT:
1,794 metric tons of waste removed, avoided, or recycled
(including 446 metric tons of plastic)
Every year, 11 million metric tons of plastic enter our marine environments, killing marine life, destroying sensitive ocean ecosystems, and polluting food sources that support livelihoods around the world.
SOA champions solutions that remove these harmful pollutants from the ocean or avoid their use altogether. Their work in turn helps to build the circular economy, which promotes the extension of product lifecycles through recycling and upcycling, and aims to decrease solid waste and pollution.
2022 IMPACT:
Marine and coastal ecosystems protect crucial biodiversity, and provide services vital to our existence. These areas include coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, salt marshes, and the deep seabed. Together, they serve as critical areas for wildlife reproduction, nurseries for marine organisms, and landscapes for carbon capture.
Solutions in this category measure impact by reporting the area of marine habitat they restore or protect. In 2022, this included establishing 3,573 square meters of coral reef, and planting 19,425 mangroves. This category also includes 11 projects related to local education and advocacy around the detrimental impacts of deep-seabed mining.
2022 IMPACT:
56.9 metric tons of Blue Foods Produced
55 metric tons of bycatch avoided
More than three billion people rely on seafood as a primary source of protein, and 260 million depend on fisheries for their livelihoods. Overfishing, and illegal and industrial practices are killing wildlife and destroying wild places. At the same time, aquaculture seeks to meet demand and reduce the burden on the ocean, but can result in high levels of pollution if not performed sustainably.
Emerging alternatives to any form of aquatically-derived animal protein are plant-based and new methods of cellular agriculture. SOA supports solutions that produce sustainable Blue Foods and those that help move our food systems towards a sustainable future.
2022 IMPACT:
3,149 People Trained or Educated
156 Reports & Publications
296 Workshops
Ocean data, literacy, and research projects help us build the knowledge base we need to activate all other ocean solutions. While there may not be a singular category to measure their impact, in 2022 we have elected to report on education, training, and knowledge sharing.
The majority of projects in this category represent grants to SOA's global community, via Hubs. Through hosting over 150 events and activations around the world, their work has engaged over 200,000 people. These projects inform policy, drive innovation, and equip new audiences with the knowledge they need to become change agents in their own right.
Grant
South Africa
Africa
Marine Data or Research
Chantel Elston
ELMO is a citizen science project using public participation to gather data on South African shark, ray, and skate populations. They now host the biggest database of elasmobranch sightings in South Africa. For this project, they developed a user-friendly app for citizen scientists to report sightings as they happen.
Learn MoreGrant
Indonesia
Asia
Pollution: Waste Reduction & Circular Use
Yuli Efriani
Sibolga is one of the smallest cities in Indonesia, on the coast of Sumatera. Almost all of the city is bordered by a beach. Seabolga was formed after the Divers Clean Action Indonesia Youth Marine Debris Conference in 2019, with the mission to protect Sibolga from it’s growing plastic waste problem. Seabolga goes to school 2020 is a program which aims to educate children in Sibolga’s schools about Marine Debris and its impact on the ocean and on human life.
Learn MoreGrant
Japan
Asia
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Mitani Yuiko
Mobile Sea Otters work with local fishermen, volunteer divers, and dive shops to regenerate kelp forests by decreasing and ultimately eliminating the sea urchin population. Activities included monitoring of both kelp and sea urchin population growth, direct extermination of urchins, and estimation of CO2 absorption per unit area of kelp. Surveys and calculations were conducted by Teruhisa Komatsu (Technical Advisor of Japan Fisheries Resources Conservation Association).
Learn MoreGrant
Mexico
North America
Marine Data or Research
Ibrahí Rodríguez Larreta
This project, led by SOA Mexico, will select and train 6 - 7 local youth to take part in the monitoring process of the selected waterbody of Todos Santos in the Baja California Peninsula. Data will be collected in regards to the water's safety for human consumption. This will inform sustainable usage of the water source, which will be communicated through 5 workshops/trainings.
Learn MoreGrant
India
Asia
Pollution: Waste Reduction & Circular Use
Kristin Kagetsu
With support from SOA, Saathi will do a thorough assessment of the positive environmental impact of their product in terms of plastic and C02 pollution avoided due to the production of their plastic-free feminine hygiene products. Their business model has a positive impact at every part of our supply chain, providing income to farmers who produce the materials, employ an all-female manufacturing staff, and sell pads to women typically residing in underserved urban areas.
Learn MoreGrant
Tanzania
Africa
Greenhouse Gas: Blue Carbon & CO2e Removal or Avoidance
Ailars David
SOA Tanzania, registered as an organization in Tanzania in 2021, conducts seagrass monitoring and restoration as well as capacity building and awareness raising. In 2021, they restored .16 sq. km. of seagrass beds and removed 2,000 kg of waste from the Msimbazi River.
Learn MoreGrant
Indonesia
Asia
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Janis Argeswara
This project collects data on Manta Rays in The Nusa Penida Marine Protected Area (MPA), and couples this information with individual sightings data to understand their population demographics and dynamics. The information garnered from this study will provide data on manta ray life-history parameters and lend insights into whether sites repeatedly used by smaller individuals can be considered nurseries for this species, which is an understudied aspect of manta ray ecology. The information from this study will be used to inform tourism management within the MPA.
Learn MoreGrant
Indonesia
Asia
Marine Data or Research
Faqih Akbar Alghozali
The Elasmobranch Citizen Science Network is creating an Indonesia-wide Citizen Science Network to support elasmobranch conservation through a mobile-reporting database. Elasmobranch Project Indonesia works with government and non-profit organizations and other stakeholders in the region to recruit and train youth from every region to identify and report shark sightings and landings.
Learn MoreGrant
Kenya
Africa
Greenhouse Gas: Blue Carbon & CO2e Removal or Avoidance
Josphat Nguu
In 2013, Mikoko Pamoja was founded: the first community-led project in the world to protect and restore mangroves through the sale of carbon credits. As part of the community commitments in Mikoko Pamoja, 4000 new mangrove seedlings are to be planted every year to qualify for quantifiable carbon credits. This project aims to test the Riley Encasement Technique, an innovative replanting method, in a bid to rehabilitate mangroves in the denuded high energy intertidal areas of Gazi Bay.
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