New Greenpeace report: Ocean sanctuary network could protect over a third of danger zones for vulnerable leatherback turtles in the Atlantic high seas

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – A connected network of ocean sanctuaries in the Atlantic high seas would protect vital migration routes for leatherback turtles, shielding over 35% of danger zones they face from industrial fishing and reducing the vulnerable species’ risk of mortality, a new report from Greenpeace International shows.[1] The report launches as a key UN biodiversity conference (CBD COP17) begins in Armenia today, where the first official assessment will be made of the progress towards globally agreed targets – including to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030, which scientists say is the minimum required to give the ocean a chance at recovery. Governments must urgently close the glaring gap between commitments and action. The new Greenpeace report reveals that the current rate of progress will take 265 years to fully protect 30% of the ocean. Lukas Meus, Ocean Campaigner, Greenpeace International said: “This report reveals the snail’s pace of progress governments have made to protect our ocean. But creating networks of sanctuaries in the high seas would help governments meet global targets for ocean protection and make up for the lack of progress made by nations. If they don’t, there might not be any animals left to protect. “Having a network of connected fully protected ocean sanctuaries would make sure that incredible migratory species like whales and turtles are protected along their journeys, free from the threat of being killed by industrial fishing or being struck by cargo ships along the way. This is the only way to allow them to travel, eat and breed safely. “Delegates meeting in Armenia need to agree on big bold solutions to put them back on track. Our proposed network of sanctuaries is exactly the sort of solution governments urgently need to implement to have any hope of meeting biodiversity targets.” The report makes a clear case for fully protected marine sanctuaries that would stop industrial fishing and reduce shipping traffic from within their boundaries. Many current marine protected areas still allow for destructive industrial fishing, which renders them useless at protecting biodiversity. Leatherback turtles are one of the most threatened marine vertebrates on the planet, classified as vulnerable on the IUCN red list.[2] Currently, there are no fully or highly protected areas in the Atlantic High Seas, leaving nowhere free from the threat of industrial fishing. The new Greenpeace International report reveals that in 2025, industrial fishing vessels on the Atlantic high seas spent a shocking estimated 1.6 million hours fishing in total – equivalent to over 180 years. Currently only 3.5% of the world’s ocean is fully or highly protected from destructive human activity.[3] The network proposed in the new report, ‘Well Connected’, would cover 31% of the Atlantic high seas, connecting several key biodiversity hotspots in international waters and also protect almost 45% of danger zones for humpback whales in the Atlantic high seas, significantly reducing their risk of ship strike. In the report, Greenpeace International identifies 17 sites that should be fully protected ocean sanctuaries under the Global Ocean Treaty, which would both significantly increase the overall area under protection and cover locations where migrating species face the greatest threats. These areas include existing marine protected areas (MPAs) – which must be upgraded to be fully protected – some sites already being explored by governments and a number of new sites to form a network of protected sanctuaries covering over 31% of the Atlantic high seas. ENDS Notes: [1] Well Connected: Protecting the Atlantic High Seas through an ocean-wide sanctuary network. (Available in the following languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Dutch.) [2] Leatherback turtle listed as ‘vulnerable on IUCN red list [3] Marine Conservation Institute MPA Atlas The report overlays leatherback turtle and humpback whale Atlantic migration routes, against areas of high bycatch risk and high ship strike risk respectively, to identify migratory ‘danger zones’ for these species. The report identifies 17 sanctuary sites. One site includes all existing Atlantic high seas protected areas, which need to be upgraded to full protection. Five sites – the Sargasso Sea, Canary-Guinea Convergence Zone, Banana Hole, Walvis Ridge and Atlantic Equatorial Fracture Zone – are already being explored for protection by governments, scientists and NGOs. Of the remaining 11 newly identified sites, eight are already categorised as Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs). This report uses the term ‘sanctuary’ to align with the standards of ‘fully’ or ‘highly’ protected MPAs as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It recommends banning industrial activity in protected areas. Creating big protected sanctuary networks will protect vital feeding and breeding grounds not only for whales and turtles, but also for over 800 other species that migrate through the ocean. Their survival depends on safety across entire migration pathways, rather than just in single isolated pockets. Just 3.5% of the world’s ocean is fully or highly protected, meaning there’s a ‘marine protection gap’ of 26.5% that needs closing to reach 30%. In the 34 years since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, when countries initially agreed to establish networks of MPAs to safeguard marine biodiversity, fully and highly protected MPA coverage of the global ocean has increased by just 0.1% per year. At this rate, achieving the remaining 26.5% needed to fully protect 30% of the ocean would take the international community an estimated 265 years. Contacts: Florri Burton, Global Media Lead, Oceans Are Life, Greenpeace Nordic, +44 (0) 7896523839, florri.burton@greenpeace.org Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org