This is part of our Meet the Organization series–a collection of deep dives into the initiatives receiving larger, dedicated support from Klarna’s 1% pledge, and what they hope to achieve with it.

Initiative: Blue Marine Foundation 

Main focus: Save oceans and seas 

UN Sustainable Development Goals: 14- Life Below Water 

Areas of operation: Global

WHY WE GIVE ONE Overfishing is one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. It destroys the ocean’s ability to act as a carbon sink, dramatically reduces biodiversity, and threatens livelihoods and food security of communities who depend on the ocean for their income and food. Blue Marine works on nearly 50 projects around the world securing marine protected areas, tackling unsustainable fishing, developing models of sustainable fishing, restoring marine habitats, and connecting people to the sea. Blue Marine works using a combination of top-down intervention to improve governance of our seas and bottom-up project delivery to help local communities who are at the front line of ocean conservation. Due to the nature of the challenge our ocean is facing, Blue Marine can respond most effectively through deploying a range of tactics: awareness raising, using media and education; pressure to change, using legal and policy interventions; revealing the truth, through science and investigations; and leveraging funding, through blue carbon and economics.

HOW WE GIVE ONE From 2022, we will provide Blue Marine with flexible organizational support for their oceanic initiatives. Rather than funding individual projects, we’ll provide financial support for the full spectrum of their strategic and applied work. This enables Blue Marine to operate in a responsive and agile manner, distributing the money as they see fit across their projects worldwide and within strategic operations. It’s all about achieving the greatest impact. Blue Marine’s dedication to bottom-up project delivery, which emphasizes local communities’ actions on the frontlines of ocean conservation, reflects Give One’s own vision for a more sustainable planet. 

MEET AN IMPACTER Luke Helmer is a marine biologist working to restore the overexploited native oyster reefs along the coast of the UK. “Oysters are over-harvested for consumption, which is hurting our environment,” Luke says. “If we lose the oysters, we lose other species as well, making fisheries collapse and the water quality degrade, having huge socioeconomic effects on the people depending on the ocean.” Luke and his team have already restored 105,000 native oysters across 12 sites in the last five years. Their next goal? Restoring millions. 

Interested in learning more and contributing to Blue Marine and other organizations with a focus on oceans? Donate through our strategic sustainability partner Milkywire.