Ocean Protection Projects Need Stronger Governance, Say Researchers

Climate interventions are accelerating in our oceans, but without responsible governance they could do more harm than good, according to new research.

Coral bleaching, rising sea levels and biodiversity loss are no longer distant threats, they are unfolding now with profound consequences for marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

In response, scientists, governments and industries are racing to develop and deploy a suite of interventions to help the ocean respond to climate change.

The new study, published today in Science, reviewed the array of novel interventions that are being used in urgent response to the scale and intensity of the climate crisis and the dramatic changes in our oceans.

These include efforts to make the ocean less acidic to absorb more carbon dioxide, breeding climate-resilient corals that can survive warmer waters, farming seaweed to capture carbon and restoring mangroves to protect coastlines and naturally store carbon.

Lead author, University of Melbourne Professor Tiffany Morrison, from the Faculty of Science's School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said while these interventions offer hope, they also carry significant risks.

“Without robust governance, we risk repeating past mistakes – implementing solutions that are ineffective, inequitable, or even harmful. The pace of innovation is outstripping our ability to regulate, monitor, and evaluate these interventions responsibly,” Professor Morrison said.

“Private and nonprofit funding is accelerating the ambition. In 2020 alone, philanthropists had allocated $160 million to oceanic climate action, with another US$250 million announced at COP28 in 2023 for a new global Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance.”

The researchers say to navigate these challenges, we must embrace the concept of responsible marine transformation - a governance approach that prioritizes sustainability, equity, and adaptability.

“This means weighing risks against benefits, resolving ethical liabilities, improving social co-benefits, and aligning adaptation interventions with broader climate mitigation goals,” Professor Morrison said.

“It is vital we conduct rigorous, comparative studies to assess the climate benefits and risks of interventions, including their scalability and long-term viability.”

Co-author, University of Exeter Professor Emerita Katrina Brown said communities must be engaged.

“This means collaborating with Indigenous peoples and local stakeholders from the outset, ensuring their knowledge, values, and rights shape intervention design and implementation,” Professor Brown said.

“If interventions are proven viable, we must also develop and apply bioethical protocols that address not just animal welfare, but broader ecological and societal implications of upscaled deployment.

Reference: Tiffany H. Morrison TH, Pecl G, Nash KL, et al. Governing novel climate interventions in rapidly changing oceans. Sci. 2025. doi:10.1126/science.adq0174

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