Home / Environment / Bezos Earth Fund Boosts Pacific Marine Protection Efforts
Bezos Earth Fund Boosts Pacific Marine Protection Efforts
1 Oct
Summary
- Bezos Earth Fund grants over $25 million for Pacific ocean conservation.
- Funding supports marine protection across five Pacific island nations.
- Initiative aims to protect 30% of the region's waters by 2030.
The Bezos Earth Fund is significantly increasing its focus on the Pacific Ocean, announcing more than $25 million in new grants. This funding targets ocean conservation efforts across five Pacific nations: the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu. The initiative is part of the fund's broader $100 million commitment to the Pacific, known as Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity.
These latest grants will support the protection and sustainable management of over 625,000 square miles of ocean. The overarching goal is to help protect at least 30% of the region's waters by the year 2030. This latest funding round, led by Lauren Sánchez Bezos, follows an initial $37.5 million grant announced in 2025, bringing the total disbursed so far to $63.3 million.
Projects include establishing Papua New Guinea's first large offshore marine protected area and expanding Tonga's protected zones. Funding also aids the Cook Islands' Marae Moana ocean park and habitat protection planning in Kiribati and Vanuatu. The program extends to international waters through a grant to conservation organization Rare, supporting proposals under the UN High Seas Treaty.
This investment arrives as the South-West Pacific faces increasing threats from ocean warming and acidification, which have impacted marine ecosystems and local economies in recent years. The Bezos Earth Fund has previously committed $10 billion to climate and environmental causes through 2030, with approximately $2.4 billion granted to date.
