Context
All our action starts from a diagnosis: marine degradation is not an isolated environmental problem, but part of a systemic crisis of the planet.
The ocean crisis as a meta-crisis
The ocean faces an unprecedented convergence of threats —biodiversity loss, climate change, chemical and plastic pollution, noise pollution, acidification, overfishing and habitat destruction— that the scientific community identifies as components of a planetary meta-crisis.
In 2025, seven of the nine planetary boundaries have been transgressed, including ocean acidification for the first time[1]. More than 14 million tonnes of plastic enter the marine environment each year. The health of the ocean is inseparable from global socio-economic stability[2].
Added to this crisis is a profound disconnection between societies and the sea, and a disciplinary and sectoral fragmentation that makes it hard to translate evidence into action. SeaWilding is born to occupy that mediation space that the evidence itself identifies as absent.
Pillars of restoration
Well-designed Marine Protected Areas generate ecological externalities that extend beyond their boundaries (spillover), also benefiting coastal communities.
MPAs are especially effective when they operate in connected networks, which allow gene flow and larval dispersal. Today, less than 8% of the oceans is under formal protection[3], and most suffers from a lack of effective implementation.
SeaWilding has made its optimisation a priority, with the goal of 30% protection in the Mediterranean by 2030. Cases such as Torre Guaceto, Gökova or Port-Cros show that effective protection generates measurable ecological and economic returns[4].
OECMs
OECMs —Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures— extend protection beyond formally declared areas: spaces that, without being MPAs, deliver conservation outcomes sustained over time.
SeaWilding promotes their implementation as a participatory governance framework and their integration into connected networks, aligned with the Kunming-Montreal 30x30 Target.
International frameworks
SeaWilding aligns its strategy with the main scientific and regulatory frameworks in force.
UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030)
The UN framework for international scientific cooperation in sustainable ocean governance. The SeaWilding Conference is an official activity of the Decade.
Kunming-Montreal Framework · 30x30 Target
Its targets commit, by 2030, to restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems (Target 2) and protecting 30% of lands and oceans —the 30x30 target (Target 3).
EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030
A Horizon Europe initiative that mobilises investment for ocean restoration, in its 2026–2030 deployment phase.
EU Nature Restoration Regulation
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 sets binding objectives: restore 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050, with National Restoration Plans before September 2026.
European Ocean Pact
Adopted in June 2025, it articulates public-private collaboration for European marine regeneration, with the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030.
SDG 14 · Life Below Water
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
- 01Sakschewski, B., Caesar, L., Rockström, J. et al. (2025). Planetary Health Check 2025. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) / PBScience.
- 02World Economic Forum (2026). The Global Risks Report 2026, 21st edition. Geneva.
- 03García-Charton, J.A. et al. (2008); Goñi, R. et al. (2008). Effectiveness and spillover effect of Atlantic-Mediterranean MPAs.
- 04Duarte, C.M. et al. (2020). Rebuilding Marine Life. Nature, 580, 39–51. · Blue Marine Foundation (2024). Restoring Our Seascapes.