With the highly development of the economy, oceans are suffering unprecedented pressures from human society, this including the decrease of the fishery resources, the degradation of the coastal areas, the increased marine pollution, the loss of the marine biodiversity. Conservation International (CI) is an international non-profit organization working for environmental protection in more than 30 countries on six continents to ensure a health, prosperous planet that supports us. Since its foundation in 1987, CI has been working to advocate the responsible and sustainable conservation of nature for the well-being of humanity on the base of scientific researches, partnerships and field project demonstrations. CI entered China in 2002, and is mainly working on biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation, freshwater conservation and marine conservation.
Marine public education is one of CI China marine programs’priorities. CI China leads a series of promotional events to raise public awareness of marine conservation and calls for support from the Chinese society to protect ocean, this includes organizing the World Ocean Day Campaign on June 8th in 2012 and 2013, “One Planet One Ocean”- the activity of “BLUE on Tour University Ocean Films Festival in China”, the launch of Nature Is Speaking (NIS) in 2015 and its series public campaign, bringing outstanding marine experts to the front of p ublic education, raising public awareness through collaboration with Xiamen Ocean Week organizers. With the effective use of social media, such as Sina Weibo and Wechat, CI enlarges its influences and explores diverse ways to influence more people on marine conservation. CI also works together with government officers, including Ocean Health Index with SOA (State Oceanic Administration) to better understand China ocean status and to help policy makers improving their decisions on marine conservation, and special trainings with MOA (Ministry of Agriculture) to better monitor the CITES listed marine species. From the beaches to the deserts to the mountain tops, the ocean affects everyone. We are working to keep it safe and productive and balancing the needs of both people and nature.
