Saving the ocean one island at a time

Aboard Mission Blue, oceanographer Greg Stone tells the story of how he helped the Republic of Kiribati create an enormous protected area in the middle of the Pacific -- protecting fish, sealife and the island nation itself.

Greg Stone was a key driver in the establishment of the Phoenix Island Protected Area in the island nation of Kiribati. The second-largest marine protected area in the world -- and one of the most pristine -- PIPA is a laboratory for exploring and monitoring the recovery of coral reefs from bleaching events.


Greg Stone began his career as an ocean scientist, pioneering research in Antarctica on marine mammals and ice ecology where he mastered the art of diving into icebergs. Today he is well-known for his leadership in the effort to create the world's second-largest marine protected area (MPA), around the Phoenix Islands in Kiribati.

Working with the government of Kiribati, Stone helped establish the MPA using market-based tools to conserve ocean biodiversity, in order to encourage continued local economic development rather than destruction of local communities livelihoods. Stone is the Chief Scientist for Oceans at Conservation International and a prolific author and speaker on the state of the marine environment and how policy can make change.

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