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
Romania
Europe & United Kingdom
Pollution: Waste Reduction & Circular Use
Marian Paiu
This project stems from an initiative started by Mare Nostrum in 2014, wherein twice per year participants are recruited, trained, and integrated into the #plajecurate community (English: "clean beaches") as an example of citizen science and civil involvement. The report generated was forwarded to authorities and stakeholders with the goal of providing scientifically reliable information of marine litter and encouraging stakeholders to take action.
Learn MoreGrant
Thailand
Asia
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Jomphol Lamoonkit
SOA Thailand, led by Waraporn Raksaphram (22), is growing and strengthening the network of youth working on ocean conservation issues in Thailand through a variety of engagement strategies including online workshops, pitch contests, and art exhibitions.
Learn MoreGrant
France
Europe & United Kingdom
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Anne-Sophie Roux
France has the second most maritime territory in the world, including all 5 oceans, and the French government plans to allow deep sea mining. This project spreads awareness about this little known topic in all French speaking territories through social media campaigns, scientific literature reviews as well as articles and interviews in French media, with the goal of addressing the issue politically.
Learn MoreStartup
France
Europe & United Kingdom
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Yanis Souami
SINAY is a "plug & play" big data platform that includes an exhaustive maritime database and dedicated AI to create data-centric apps that provide actionable insights.
Learn MoreGrant
Kenya
Africa
Ecosystems and Species: Preservation & Restoration
Neville Agesa
This project is the continuation of a Sea Turtle Monitoring Program in the South Coast of Kenya. The Msambweni turtle watch Program’s objectives are to implement nest management plans, minimize nest predation, and build a Sea Turtle Learning Community to support the conservation of Kenya’s sea turtles.
Learn MoreGrant
Portugal
Europe & United Kingdom
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Eugenia Barroca Pereira Rocha
Ocean Wide Web (OWW) is one of Ocean Hub Portugal's programs that is essentially an Ocean Literacy educational online platform. With the Ocean Solutions Microgrant support, we have our first online courses: Caravela and Bússola. Caravela's goal is to raise awareness of the challenges facing the ocean and share an overview of the current global situation as well as possibilities for action in the area, with the aim of inspiring and training young leaders to align their course with the ocean sustainability.
Learn MoreGrant
Peru
South America
Marine Data or Research
Javier Jeirzinho Valdivia De La Gala
SOA Arequipa Hub (Peru) will undertake a survey of marine macroinvertertebrates in the Arequipa region at three different underwater sites, and will catalogue and publish their findings on a website of their own making. This project will develop their skills as researchers and science writers.
Learn MoreGrant
Japan
Asia
Pollution: Waste Reduction & Circular Use
Robin Takashi Lewis
Mymizu (“mizu” is water in Japanese) provides a free water refill platform that connects people to 200,000+ locations globally where they can refill their water bottle, instead of buying bottled water. A large part of their mission is education on the oceans & the plastic problem; they carry out workshops and awareness-raising activities at schools, universities & events (70+ times in the past 7 months to 5000+ people), as well as create digital content (e.g. infographics/videos) to engage people on social channels.
Learn MoreGrant
Portugal
Europe & United Kingdom
Ocean Data, Literacy & Research
Ana Matias
With this project, Sciaena aims to promote a moratorium on Deep Seabed Mining in Portugal, reaching at least 10,000 people. The will do this by coordinating with Oceano Livre to increase membership, organize joint actions with anti land-mining movements in Portugal, and organize a public event. They will also organize meetings with the Minister and the National Director for maritime policy, as well as update Oceano Livre's internal documents, websites and campaign materials.
Learn More
