London, 27 August 2025 – The Nippon Foundation–GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project is pleased to announce a new partnership with ProtectedSeas, whose mission is to raise awareness of critical marine protected areas and strengthen compliance with ocean protections through advanced mapping and monitoring solutions.
By bringing together ProtectedSeas’ comprehensive marine protection mapping and monitoring capabilities with global bathymetric information, the partnership will help deliver richer insights to support effective ocean management.
Since its inception a decade ago, ProtectedSeas has created the most comprehensive resource of regulatory information on marine protected areas (MPAs) globally, alongside a unique marine monitoring system that enhances understanding and enforcement of ocean protections. Its Navigator platform – which offers a global map of marine life protections – provides freely available, standardised information that allows comparisons across jurisdictions and delivers actionable insights on the state of conservation of the global ocean. Currently deployed in over 25 locations worldwide, ProtectedSeas’ shore-based Marine Monitor (M2) provides continuous, 24/7 live tracking of vessel activity to monitor and protect the nearshore marine environment.
When paired with detailed seafloor mapping, ProtectedSeas’ regulatory data and autonomous monitoring system help inform marine management, spatial planning and biodiversity protection.
Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO), which seeks to inspire the complete mapping of the world’s ocean by 2030, and to compile all the data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. The Project is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Ocean Decade. GEBCO is a joint programme of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), and is the only organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor.
Commenting on the partnership Seabed 2030 Project Director Jamie McMichael-Phillips said: “Strengthening ocean knowledge requires collaboration across disciplines and sectors. ProtectedSeas’ work in documenting and monitoring marine protections complements the efforts of our ever-growing global network and adds valuable context to the picture we are building of our ocean.
“Together, we can ensure informed decisions that will help us manage and protect the marine environment.”
Director of ProtectedSeas Virgil Zetterlind said: “ProtectedSeas was founded on the belief that understanding where and how the ocean is protected is essential to safeguarding it. Joining Seabed 2030’s global network allows us to share our work with a broader community and contribute to a united effort to expand and apply ocean knowledge in support of conservation and sustainable use.”
All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 project is included in the free and publicly available GEBCO global grid.
ENDS
For media inquiries contact:
Pegah Souri
external.relations@seabed2030.
Deirdre Brannigan
deirdre@protectedseas.net
For more information on ProtectedSeas visit: protectedseas.net