World Surf League Delivers “We Are One Ocean” Petition to United Nations

The World Surf League has delivered a We Are One Ocean petition to the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity, calling on world leaders to protect and conserve 30% of the global ocean by 2030.

The WSL launched We Are One Ocean in early 2021 with the goal of bringing people together to care about the issue of ocean conservation and preserve the future of surfing for generations of surfers to come. Since launch, the campaign has brought together people from over 150 countries and more than 90 organizations as well as garnering more than 400 million cumulative reach.

“We Are One Ocean provides a powerful opportunity for the global community of surfers and ocean lovers to have their voice heard by world leaders,” said WSL Chief People & Purpose Officer, Emily Hofer. “We know that meaningful change can be achieved through igniting passionate communities to speak up on behalf of our one ocean. The WSL is committed to working at both the global and grassroots level to protect and conserve the global ocean and, in particular, investing in youth as stewards of the global ocean.”

WSL collaborated with nine ambassadors from around the world – including scientists who surf Dr. Cliff Kapono and Dr. Easkey Britton as well as WSL Championship Tour surfers Kanoa Igarashi and Lakey Peterson – to expand the conversation by sharing their personal connection to our one ocean in the We Are One Ocean content series. The campaign was also integrated into Championship Tour events throughout the season, including beach cleanups, coastal restoration and turtle nesting preparation.

The WSL brought together an worldwide coalition of more than 90 Non Governmental Organizations and corporations in support of We Are One Ocean and committed to conservation, sports, and sustainability, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Conservation International, Take3, Surfers Against Sewage, I AM WATER, Surfrider Foundation, Sea Legacy, Lonely Whale, PADI, and World Sailing.

As part of the We Are One Ocean campaign the WSL launched and funded a new grant program, which supports the ocean conservation work of NGOs tied to the locations and communities around the world that graciously host WSL CT events. Recipients included SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation, Brazil, WILDCOAST, California, Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea, Hawaiʻi and WILDOCEANS, South Africa. The application for the 2022 grant program is open now.

We Are One Ocean is supported by Shiseido as part of the SHISEIDO BLUE PROJECT, which promotes ocean conservation through initiatives such as beach clean ups and sand dune planting to safeguard shorelines, and Gillette Venus as part of their ongoing commitment to provide women the best grooming products while protecting our planet’s resources, as well as the all-new Jeep 4xe hybrid electric vehicle.

The petition has been delivered in the form of a video to the United Nations Biodiversity Conference ahead of the meetings in Kunming, China next spring, where the new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will be presented for final consideration and decision by CBD’s 196 parties.