Worldwide, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) need tailored advisory services to address many of the challenges they face but do not have easy access to the expertise they need. SEA Success will pilot an approach for global knowledge sourcing and provision to benefit identified MPA management and governance challenges in a tailored manner, drawing from the vast network and knowledge banks of PANORAMA and OCTO. The project will apply this approach as a test with two partner sites in Thailand and Bangladesh.

Thailand’s Hat Chao Mai-Ko Libong (HCM-KL) Seascape in the Andaman Sea protects important seagrass habitats for more than 150 threatened dugongs. In Bangladesh, the island of St. Martin houses the nation’s only recorded coral, as well as numerous vulnerable marine turtle, mammal, and cetacean species. While they are both established as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), these sites face unique challenges that require tailored solutions and lessons to maintain the health and productivity of the ocean and enable sustainable use of their marine resources. SEA Success aims to address these needs for site-level support at a scale no entity has attempted before, with the intent to scale the approach broadly.