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Other effective area–based conservation measures (OECMs) are anticipated to play an important role in progress towards global protection targets, with progress being judged on the basis of the areas reported to the World Database on Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM). Given concerns that OECMs may be designated inappropriately, in this study we asked what evidence has been provided to show that sites have been assessed against the criteria to be OECMs.

Delivering both social and ecological outcomes is regarded as essential for conservation actions to be effective, particularly in regions where Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and local communities (LCs) depend heavily on natural resources. In the Indo-Pacific, sustainable small-scale fisheries are seen as potential win–win solutions. Here, we evaluate the opportunities and challenges of supporting IPs and LCs to sustainably manage and add value to a high-value marine commodity using a case study from the Mwanus Endras Asi Resource Development Network (MEARDN) in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea.

Climate change and its impacts are increasingly threatening the ability of marine protected areas (MPA) to meet their conservation goals. While integration of climate change into planning is critical, a recent global analysis found that relatively few MPAs have incorporated climate change considerations into formal management planning processes. Despite this, sessions and discussions at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) demonstrate that climate-adaptive management already permeates MPA processes, from day-to-day management to design and implementation.

Summarising CBD target 3 to “30 × 30” emphasizes area coverage, but conservation success depends on MPA quality. Many existing MPAs are under-protected, and rapidly designating new areas risks creating ‘paper parks’ without ecological or social benefits. Prioritizing strictly or fully managed MPAs, supported by a clear and shared definition, is essential to achieve meaningful biodiversity outcomes. Quality-focused strategies ensure that global targets benefit both nature and people, rather than merely meeting numerical goals.

Global changes threaten marine species, making marine climate refugia essential for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. Our analysis maps sensitive and stability zones across the global ocean. We define marine climate refugia as climate-resilient zones with global conservation consensus under the worst-case emissions scenario for 2100. Marine climate refugia span 17.6 million square kilometres, with 96% within exclusive economic zones.

Our planet is facing an unprecedented and accelerating biodiversity crisis, driven by human activity and compounded by climate change, which is bringing ever more severe weather to a world already strained by poverty and inequality. Species are disappearing at accelerating rates, entire ecosystems are collapsing at alarming speeds, and millions of people struggle to secure the most basic needs of water, food, energy, and safety.

Sharks are some of the most threatened animals on Earth, with approximately one-third of all species assessed as threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List. These animals are not only older than dinosaurs, but older than trees, and yet they face a very real risk of extinction within our lifetimes. Their number one threat is unsustainable overfishing, driven by demand fed through complex international trade networks.

We must integrate effective protection with scalable restoration to ensure resilient coastal ecosystems. We identify five challenges, including unequal ecosystem coverage, spatial protections that are weak or centered offshore, compartmentalized restoration efforts, and policies that are not fit for purpose, and propose actionable solutions for scaling effective marine conservation. Emphasizing underserved habitats like kelp forests and seagrasses, we call for integrated, equitable, and community-supported strategies that align with global agendas and promote future coastal ecosystems.

Ecosystem restoration is recognised as a key strategy for confronting the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030)1 sets an ambitious agenda to restore degraded ecosystems worldwide (FAO et al., 2021). However, while the ecological dimensions of restoration are widely documented, the socio-cultural aspects – especially gender – remain critically neglected. This exclusion undermines the effectiveness and equity of restoration efforts and contributes to entrenched inequalities (Oxfam, 2021).

Marine megafauna species are affected by a wide range of anthropogenic threats. To evaluate the risk of such threats, species’ vulnerability to each threat must first be determined. We build on the existing threats classification scheme and ranking system of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species by assessing the vulnerability of 256 marine megafauna species to 23 at-sea threats.