SHARK FIN BAY MPA NETWORK EARNS PRESTIGIOUS BLUE PARK AWARD

Shark Fin Bay MPA network earns prestigious Blue Park Award at the UN Ocean Conference for Outstanding Conservation Value. Marine Conservation Institute announced that Shark Fin Bay MPA Network won yesterday June 12, the prestigious gold-level Blue Park Award for exceptional marine biodiversity conservation at the 3rd UN Ocean Conference. With this award, Shark Fin Bay MPA Network joins a growing network of 34 awarded Blue Parks around the global ocean that have met the highest science-based standards for conservation effectiveness.

Dr. Lance Morgan, President of Marine Conservation Institute, announced the 2025 Blue Parks at an event co-hosted by Marine Conservation Institute, the Republic of Costa Rica, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, MigraMar, EarthEcho International, and The Blue Quest.

“The Blue Park Award aligns perfectly with our mission, and we’re more committed than ever to taking bold action for the ocean’s future. With our Blue Park Award and our community, we want to be the first NGO to reach the 3030 target in our bay in the Philippines,” said Fred Tardieu, President and Founder of the Sulubaai Environmental Foundation that co-manages the Shark Fin Bay MPA Network with local communities.

Located in the northeast of Palawan Province, the Shark Fin Bay MPA Network includes five community-led MPAs that protect tropical coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves within the semi-enclosed, shallow Shark Fin Bay. The network provides a vital refuge for a variety of threatened and endangered reef fish, sea turtles, and reef sharks.

Shark Fin Bay MPA Network is a model of community leadership. Sulubaai Environmental Foundation established the first MPA, Pangatalan Island MPA, in 2017; after witnessing the revitalization of the island and surrounding waters, the local coastal and island barangays (villages) championed the creation of an entire MPA network in partnership with the Sulubaai Environmental Foundation through the Sea Academy Project. The Shark Fin Bay MPA Network Management Council includes representatives from each barangay, including stakeholders from the local community governments, fisherfolk associations, and schoolteachers. In addition to ecological conservation, restoration, and monitoring, the management authority also prioritises the well-being of the community and has developed a variety of alternative livelihood projects and community outreach activities. The Sulubaai Environmental Foundation and the local communities are continuing to work together to expand the network in the coming years.

“Congratulations to the 2025 Blue Parks,” Dr. Lance Morgan said. “To achieve the 3030 target, we not only need more protected areas, but we need those areas to effectively protect wildlife and deliver the conservation benefits that will support coastal communities. Blue Parks are incredible models of success, and the teams of ocean champions behind these efforts inspire us all.”

Shark Fin Bay MPA Network is the fourth Blue Park in the Philippines, following Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (2017), Apo Reef Natural Park (2022), and Siete Pecados Marine Park (2024).

Presented annually since its launch in 2017, Blue Parks now cover over 3.5 million square kilometres of ocean, spanning 23 countries. Marine Conservation Institute’s rigorous science-based criteria and an international panel of esteemed marine scientists are key to vetting and ensuring that these MPAs provide examples of the most effective marine life conservation.  The Blue Parks initiative highlights that the quality of protection, not quantity alone, is critical for the 3030 target to achieve biodiversity conservation and restore ocean health.