Third World Heritage Marine Managers Conference

Third World Heritage Marine Managers Conference, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador • 27-31 August 2016. Venue: Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Endeavour.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Marine Programme hosted a gathering of the guardians of the 49 wonders of the world’s oceans. Since the first marine site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982, the network has grown to encompass 49 sites in 37 countries that stretch from the tropics to the poles. It includes the breeding grounds of the world’s last healthy population of grey whales, the highest density of ancestral polar-bear dens, and home of the world’s most ancient fish and the inimitable marine iguana.

One of the core tasks of the World Heritage Marine Programme is to support collaboration across this global network, sharing learning and scaling up successes. At the recent conference in the Galapagos, managers exchanged ideas, worked with top experts in ocean conservation and climate adaptation, and formed relationships that will allow them to leverage an unparalleled brain trust of scientists, practitioners and thought leaders as we move forward to protect this ocean legacy of humanity.