Management teams
People responsible for turning legal mandates and management plans into budgets, staffing, decisions, partnerships, relationships, and results.
A community of practitioners around management and governance at scale.
Big Ocean connects people whose work contributes to durable care, governance, and management of large ocean places. Their authority, responsibilities, knowledge, and contributions take different forms.
From membership to participation.
Big Ocean began with managers of designated large-scale MPAs. Today, participation happens through work and relationships rather than site membership. Managers and management teams remain foundational partners because they carry formal responsibility for established places and much of the field's accumulated management practice, but they are part of a wider community whose authority, knowledge, and contribution take different forms.
Different roles. Shared work at scale.
Select a perspective to see how it contributes to the community.
Indigenous Peoples + rights holders
People whose authority, responsibilities, knowledge, and relationships to ocean places do not depend on a modern conservation designation.
Communities + knowledge holders
Community leaders, former managers, scientists, cultural practitioners, and other people carrying place-based or technical knowledge.
Partners + emerging initiatives
Policy specialists, allied organizations, funders and supporters, and people developing proposed, community-led, cross-jurisdictional, whole-domain, multi-national, OECM-aligned, or high-seas governance initiatives.
With gratitude
Longstanding support and partnership.
Big Ocean’s work has been strengthened over time by organizations that have invested in, partnered with, and helped carry the network.
NOAA
National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation
Blue Nature Alliance
Oceana
National Geographic
Pristine Seas
Start with the work.
There is no membership application. Participation begins through a relationship, a shared problem, a convening, a collaboration, or a resource that is useful to your work.
If you are managing at scale, building a new protected or conserved area, seeking recognition for an Indigenous- or community-led ocean place, working across multiple jurisdictions, or developing another large-scale ocean governance model, start with the work you are trying to do.
Contact Big Ocean