Edition Fifty Fathoms - 2019

2019

The ocean is fundamental to human wellbeing and an indispensable part of the Earth's life-support system, which sustains the species and the ecosystems upon which we depend. It regulates our climate and drives weather patterns. It reduces the impact of human-induced climate change by absorbing a significant part of the carbon dioxide released by human activities, as well as most of the heat trapped by rising concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases. With this in mind, and in continuation of the Fifty Fathoms' contribution to the opening up of the underwater world in the early 1950s, Blancpain has been working for more than 15 years with individuals and major organizations in a long-term effort to act on three interwoven axes: education to raise the public's awareness; exploration and scientific research; policy and ocean conservation. The Edition Fifty Fathoms issue you hold in your hands focuses on the latter. Protected areas represent important baselines in the understanding of the true magnitude of human impacts on ocean life, as well as in the evaluation of the efficiency of management and conservation actions. These areas represent an important step toward improving the condition of the ocean to be inherited by future generations. Having contributed to the creation of more than four million square kilometers of marine protected areas through the support of the Pristine Seas project, we are now working to help local conservation initiatives conduct scientific research to evaluate their innovative approaches, and communicate their preservation efforts and promising results to the public. Our goal is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable use of the ocean through the exchange of best practices and the motivation of many more local communities to act. This Edition presents four such initiatives. Let's get inspired and act before it's too late.