UK invests £14 million to help global communities protect the ocean

Communities on the frontlines of climate change will receive £14 million in new Government of United Kingdom funding to protect oceans and fight poverty, the government announced. The support comes through the second round of the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN) Grants Programme, which backs community-led initiatives across developing countries that depend on the ocean for food, income, and protection from extreme weather.

The new funding will support at least eight projects focused on restoring marine ecosystems and improving the livelihoods of coastal families. Many of the projects target women, girls, and marginalized groups most affected by the decline in ocean health. One award, led by Ecuador’s Mare Nostrum Foundation in partnership with University College London, will use green LED lights on fishing nets to prevent turtles, sharks, rays, and whales from getting caught — reducing accidental captures by up to 73 percent.

Building on the programme’s first round, which has already helped conserve over 93,000 hectares of ocean ecosystems, the latest awards aim to expand sustainable fishing, restore coral reefs, and strengthen local conservation management. “We’re leading efforts to put local people at the heart of solutions to conserve the ocean they depend on for food, income, and protection from extreme weather,” said UK Nature Minister Mary Creagh.

“These pioneering projects will bring lasting change for families hit hardest by climate impacts while safeguarding the world’s oceans for future generations.”

The Zoological Society of London, one of the programme’s earlier grantees, welcomed the expanded funding.

“A healthy ocean underpins our own wellbeing,” said Jérémy Huet, the organization’s conservation programme manager. “Warming waters and pollution threaten all life under the sea — and the people who depend on it. Increased investment in community-based ocean protection is vital if we want to reverse the damage.”

By funding partnerships between scientists, conservation groups, and coastal communities, the UK government hopes to show how local action can both protect nature and lift people out of poverty — proving that supporting people and protecting the planet go hand in hand.