Heroes of the Oceans, a documentary that brings together legendary oceanographer and Rolex Testimonee Sylvia Earle with a cast of pioneering marine scientists, to tell the story of work being undertaken across the planet to protect the oceans’ fragile ecosystems.
Sylvia Earle, legendary marine explorer and a Rolex Testimonee since 1982, launched Mission Blue after winning a 2009 TED prize for her “vision to spark global change”. In 2014, Rolex became a partner of her organization as part of a commitment to help protect the oceans.
Mission Blue’s aim is to create a global network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) called Hope Spots. These are ecologically important areas of the oceans considered vital to the preservation of species or places where communities rely on a healthy marine environment to survive. Key to the programme is the empowerment of local people to make change by creating a global wave of community support for ocean conservation.
The oceans represent nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface and harbour most of the world’s biodiversity, but they are in trouble. Many commercially exploited species of fish have declined by 90 per cent; about half of the coral reefs have disappeared or experienced serious decline; and hundreds of coastal “dead zones” have developed.
Mission Blue’s goal is to help protect 30 per cent of the oceans by 2030, which is the IUCN’s (International Union for Conservation of Nature) recommended target for safeguarding ocean health. With the support of Rolex, Mission Blue is trying to ensure that marine ecosystems in all their teeming diversity are not lost to future generations.
Sylvia Earle, legendary marine explorer and a Rolex Testimonee
