Ocean Conservation FUND – 3rd Edition

Oceanário de Lisboa and the Oceano Azul Foundation present the 3rd edition of the Ocean Conservation FUND. This edition is based on the theme of “Marine Invertebrates. Protect the ocean, the future of the Planet” and it is a 150,000-euro fund to support projects that contribute to the conservation of marine invertebrates species.

We are proud to present this year’s winners, the Selvagens LImpet project, COACH and DEEPbaseline, with each of their projects contributing to the conservation, education and knowledge of critical marine invertebrate species.

Of the 16 valid applications, the jury of national and international conservation experts selected the projects

| DEEPbaseline dedicated to the conservation of deep corals and sponges, all along the coast of mainland Portugal

| COACH which intends to create a cockle cooperative in the Ria de Aveiro dedicated to the conservation and management of cockles

| The Selvagens’ LImpet Project whose objective is to decipher, through genetic studies, whether the Selvagens Giant Lapa is unique to these islands, and define conservation strategies for this species.

We know that about 97% of the total number of species of animals currently on Earth are invertebrates. However, it is estimated that only 10% of these species are known.

Invertebrates are key populations in all ecosystems on the planet, particularly in marine ecosystems. This large group of animals, not very often taken into consideration in conservation efforts, includes a lot of species with severe conservation problems related to human activity, such as fishing and harvesting, habitat destruction, climate change and pollution among many others.

About the ‘Ocean Conservation Fund’

The ‘Ocean Conservation Fund’ was launched in May 2017 by Oceanário de Lisboa and the Oceano Azul Foundation. This fund, to be awarded every year, will finance scientific projects that contribute to ocean conservation.

The 1st theme was “Rays and sharks. From darkness to the light of science” and the three prize-winning projects stood out for the excellence of their proposals, selected from among 23 applications. This fund will take on an essential and collaborative role in the fight to maintain existing biodiversity, promoting greater knowledge of the biology of marine animals and the search for solutions to combat the threats that they face.

The 2nd theme was “Endangered Marine Species. From Science to Awareness”, this year’s Fund will support conservation projects for marine species that are classified as Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).