Marine Conservation

Coral bleaching, ­declining fish stocks, ­loss of marine biodiversity...­

The world's oceans are complex and challenging, as are the problems that threaten them, calling on scientists and conservationists to work together to protect seascapes and the animals that inhabit them. These problems include massive coral bleaching events, overfishing, and the degradation of coastal ecosystems. Extractive activities such as fishing are important to human communities, but can have devastating effects on natural systems when they are not managed.

At one time, people believed that the seas' bounties were endless. Today we know that the overexploitation of marine resources harms marine biodiversity as well as the human communities that depend on it.  Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) scientists are working to address these and other marine conservation problems around the world. From the coral reefs in the Indian Ocean to freshwater dolphins in Southeast Asia, the WCS

Marine Conservation Program generates scientific information that is vital to the maintenance, conservation, and recovery of marine wildlife populations and the habitats that support them.

WCS's strong, world-wide commitment to marine conservation is met through collaborative efforts by field scientists working around the world in over twenty countries.