International NGO Save The Waves Coalition announces the launch of their campaign and strategic goal of protecting 1,000 waves by 2030.
Buoyed by their recent strategic plan and academic work proving the link between surfing locations and key biodiversity areas, this ambitious goal aligns with the larger collective conservation goal of protecting 30% of marine resources by 2030.
“When we protect a wave, we are protecting much more than that. We are protecting a surf ecosystem, which means the wave, the plants and animals that depend on the place, and the community that has been built around it,” said Save The Waves CEO, Nik Strong-Cvetich.
Save The Waves’ will accomplish this huge goal by three strategies they are calling “Protect. Steward. Defend.” Through these initiatives, they are creating voluntary or legal protected areas, promoting on-the-ground stewardship of the place, and mobilizing local communities in global campaigns.
The key element of this approach is building coalitions around each of these strategies with diverse organizations, individuals, and companies.
“Coalition-building is our special sauce, almost none of the 200+ waves we have protected so far, we have done alone. It is always in collaboration – in fact it is in our name; Save The Waves Coalition.”
Save The Waves plans to unveil this new goal and campaign in a live broadcast, May 13 at 4pm PST at their virtual Gala, Life is a Wave. It is free to attend, and registration details can be found here: www.savethewaves.org/lifeiswave
