Oceans and Coasts

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Together with our conservation partners, The Nature Conservancy is creating lasting conservation results that benefit marine life, local communities and economies. Learn more about our most recent successes, developments and news on marine conservation.

Generations on a boat 215x143A love of nature runs in the family for Conservancy marine assistant director Chrissy Schwinn, as her dad Don (right), introduces her kids, Jackson and Petra, to boating. © Chrissy Schwinn
Love of Nature Inspires Cousins in Conservation

Assistant Director of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Marine Team has always been intrigued how she and three of her cousins all ended up working in environmental careers.

Atlantic Aquarium feature 215x143Aquarium turtle. Photo © kennymatic/Flickr
Atlantic Aquarium

Explore the diverse marine resources off North America's eastern coast and in oceans around the world. Admission is always free!

jack sparrow 215x143Jack Sparrow © MPTV Images
Which Ocean Celebrity Are You?

How much do you love the ocean? Were you born to be at sea like Jack Sparrow, or the ultimate survivor like Kate Austen? Take our quiz and find out!

Kate Austen ThumbnailKate Austen from Lost Disney ABC Television Group/Mario Perez /Getty Images
The Conservancy's Top Seafaring Characters

Find out which of our staff measure up to some of the best ocean stars on the big and small screen.

APR051027_D146Fish and coral, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. © Gary Bell
Save Coral Reefs, Save Lives

Medicines derived from coral reefs have been used to fight cancer and save lives.

ArdenOconnerArden O'Conner © Arden O'Conner
Coral Reefs Saved My Life

Arden O'Conner discusses how medicine derived from coral reefs helped save her life and a prominent medical researcher talks about the value of reefs in medical research.

seafoodMenuFeatureCollectionThe blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is native to the western edge of the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to Argentina. Many crabs harvested in Georgia are shipped to the Chesapeake Bay area to fulfill a demand the Bay can no longer meet due to overharvesting and environmental degradation. © Erika Nortemann/TNC
Hungry? Browse Our Sustainable Seafood Menu

The Nature Conservancy is working to maintain stable populations of our favorite fish and shellfish, ensuring that today’s fare will be available tomorrow as well.

DFLW081223_D024A snorkeler explores a coral reef in the coastal waters of Micronesia. These reefs are part of the rich resources that have sustained Pohnpeians for centuries. Photograph taken for The Nature Conservancy's "Design For A Living World" project © Ami Vitale
Make Your Next Vacation Reef Friendly

A new report says 75 percent of the World's Coral Reefs are in trouble. Find out how you can help coral reefs survive during your next vacation.

WOPA051011_D188Run Hill Dune at Nags Head Woods Preserve in North Carolina, United States, North America. © Harold E. Malde
Five Signs of Health and Hope Along Our Coasts

A healthy beach is a beach that moves — one that is wild and has room to wonder.

Fishermen at San Francisco, EcuadorFisherman launch their boat near the fishing village of San Francisco, Ecuador. © Ivan Kashinsky
Mario Batali: Cooking with Sustainable Seafood

Mario Batali discusses why using sustainable seafood is important to his business and the World.

coralReefsAliveSea urchin in Hawaii, United States, North America. © Nancy Sefton
Keeping the Pacific's Coral Reefs Alive

In the Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, The Nature Conservancy and its partners have found solutions to coral reef decline, turned the reef around and the coral is coming back.

gulfMex_cmmBrown pelicans on Gulf Coast, Louisiana, United States © Nancy Webb
Gulf of Mexico

In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, the Conservancy is working to restore the Gulf’s health, productivity and resilience.

coral reefsTubastrea coral in the Caribbean. © Nancy Sefton
Coral Reefs

Coral reefs face a "triple threat" from climate change: bleaching, acidification and sea level rise. Find out how the Conservancy is helping.

vancouverOyster_cmmoysters © Hal Brindely
Shellfish at Risk

A Conservancy marine scientist searches for the last remaining healthy Olympic oyster reefs in Vancouver. Join the expedition.

seaToplateAcropora coral and blue green chomis on Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. © Steve Lindfield
From Sea to Plate

Can conservationists, fishermen, chefs and consumers work together to find new ways of living off our waters while keeping nature healthy?

humanThreat_cmmNumerous commercial fishing boats pursuing migrating salmon in the coastal waters off southwest Alaska. © Ami Vitale
Human Threat

More than 40 percent of the world's oceans are affected by humans. A report co-authorted by a Conservancy scientist describes the threat.

WOPA091216_D015Pelagio Paulino waits in a protected compound for sea turtle eggs to hatch that he has collected from the beaches of Parque Nacional del Este. Pelagio now works, often at his own expense, to protect the turtles that nest on the island of Soana in the park. Parque Nacional del Este is one of the Caribbean's largest marine parks located on the southeastern tip of the Dominican Republic. The Conservancy and its partners are working to unite a coalition of representatives from the private and public sectors to guide conservation planning and management at the government-owned park. © Mark Godfrey
Conserving Sea Turtles Around the World

The Nature Conservancy is covering an impressive amount of ground — and ocean — to make sure that sea turtles in both hemispheres can continue their migrations for generations to come.

Common lionfish 215x143Common lionfish. © Jeff Yonover
Marine Invaders

Learn about the pervasive threat of invasive species to marine life, why invasive species are difficult to remove and how the Conservancy is helping address this threat to our oceans.

feral pig swimming 215x143Feral pig swimming in the Bahamas. © Mark Godfrey
Marine Invaders: Science Q&A

Conservancy scientist Jen Molnar discusses research which finds that 84 percent of the world's coastal ecoregions have been invaded by at least one species and what the Conservancy is doing to help.

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Photo Special Features TabLion in Maasai Mara, Kenya, Africa. © Kenneth K. Coe

Close Encounters with Nature

Whether scary or exciting, nature has a way of sneaking up on you. See stories

Arden OConnor 215x143Arden O’Connor. © Lajla LeBlanc

Nature Matters

Hear some of nature's success stories and see how nature matters to us all. Watch videos

Protect Oceans and Coasts

oceans-coasts-cta Palmyra Atoll. © Robert Shallenberger
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