Bezos Earth Fund Expands Its Pacific Ocean Conservation to Five More Nations

The Bezos Earth Fund is granting more than $25 million for ocean conservation efforts in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu spanning more than 625,000 square miles of ocean, an area larger than Alaska. The grants will support major new conservation efforts across the region, including Papua New Guinea's first large offshore marine protected area, new protected areas in Tonga, advancement of the Cook Islands' Marae Moana vision, efforts to identify and protect important ocean habitats in Kiribati and Vanuatu, and development of some of the world's first marine protected area proposals on the high seas under the UN High Seas Treaty.

For generations, Pacific Island communities have cared for ocean areas that support countless species including whales, sharks, sea turtles, coral reefs, as well as fisheries. These grants will help keep those waters healthy and productive, while supporting new efforts to protect ocean life both within national waters and on the High Seas.

“Every kid falls in love with the ocean before anyone tells them it’s in trouble. I was that kid. I still am. This summer I spent time in the Pacific, and the water was everything you’d imagine. But what I keep coming back to is the people. Out there, the ocean isn’t just a beautiful view. It’s the road, the pantry, the backyard. They’ve been protecting it for generations because their lives depend on it. Nobody had to explain the stakes to them. So, this is us backing what they’ve already been doing. Five nations. Protection that lasts for generations to come,” said Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.

New Grants at a Glance  

Cook Islands | BirdLife International  

The Cook Islands manages Marae Moana, a pioneering whole-of-ocean marine park that is more than 734,000 square miles of ocean, supporting globally significant marine biodiversity. This grant will support work to advance the country's ambitious ocean vision by expanding protections, improving how these waters are watched and managed, and supporting local leadership, helping safeguard species such as giant manta rays and endangered oceanic whitetip sharks.

Kiribati | Live & Learn Environmental Education

Kiribati is home to vast stretches of ocean spanning the Gilbert, Phoenix, and Line Islands. The new funding will support Kiribati’s national marine spatial planning process and efforts to identify and legally protect priority ocean areas, strengthen existing marine and community-managed areas, and improve monitoring and enforcement. It will also help build the long-term financing needed to sustain marine protection and give decision-makers better information about conservation, fisheries, and food security. 

Papua New Guinea | Wildlife Conservation Society  

Papua New Guinea’s waters form part of the Coral Triangle, one of the most biodiverse marine regions on Earth, and sustain coastal livelihoods, food security, and an extraordinary range of ocean life. This grant will support work toward the country’s first large-scale offshore marine protected area and local communities’ stewardship of the coastal ocean areas on which they depend.

Tonga | TierraMar  

Tonga has committed to protecting 30 percent of its ocean. This grant will support work to establish new protected areas in Tonga, improving monitoring and enforcement, and creating the long-term funding needed to keep them effective. Tonga's waters are a vital refuge for humpback whales and other migratory species that travel across the Pacific.

Vanuatu | Live & Learn Environmental Education

Vanuatu has completed its national marine spatial plan, and the new funding will support its implementation. This includes advancing the legal process for designating priority offshore conservation areas, strengthening monitoring and enforcement, expanding community-led marine management under customary tenure, and developing sustainable financing for long-term protection.

Pacific High Seas | Rare  

Through the grant, Rare will work with Pacific governments to develop some of the world's first marine protected area proposals under the recently adopted UN High Seas Treaty, helping safeguard critical ocean habitats that connect marine life across the Pacific.  

A New Era for Ocean Protection on the High Seas  

The UN High Seas Treaty entered into force in January 2026, creating a new legal pathway for establishing marine protected areas in international waters. Pacific countries helped drive the Treaty’s adoption, with Palau becoming the first country to ratify it. The region is now well positioned to help put it into practice. Working with the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner and regional experts, and with this new funding from Bezos Earth Fund, Pacific governments will work together to identify key areas of the high seas that could benefit from future protection and develop proposals under the Treaty.

“The course is charted. Pacific leaders have set the ambition, and the High Seas Treaty gives us a new way to act together beyond national waters. Our focus must now shift to implementation and ensuring there is financing mobilized for this,” said Dr. Filimon Manoni, Pacific Ocean Commissioner. “This new support from the Bezos Earth Fund will help OPOC collaborate with partners to support Pacific countries, strengthen protection in their own waters, and prepare the Pacific’s first proposals for marine protected areas on the High Seas. The Pacific helped shape this Treaty. Now we can help show how to make it work.”

Continuing Momentum Across the Pacific   

Today’s grants are the second round of funding under the Bezos Earth Fund’s $100 million commitment to support Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity. The Pacific-led initiative, endorsed by the region’s leaders, aims to sustainably manage all of the region’s waters and protect at least 30 percent by 2030. The Bezos Earth Fund announced seven grants totaling $37.5 million in 2025. With this new round, it has made $63.3 million in grants toward that commitment. 

Work supported through the first round of grants is underway. Earlier this year, French Polynesia created the world's largest network of fully protected marine areas, safeguarding nearly 625,000 square miles of ocean. In Niue, where 40 percent of national waters are already protected, the Bezos Earth Fund’s support is helping strengthen enforcement and monitoring, and building the long-term financing needed to ensure those protections endure. 

“We welcome the Bezos Earth Fund’s commitment to Pacific-led stewardship and thank our partners for supporting Tonga’s vision. This investment will strengthen our ability to turn data, science, technology and innovation into better decisions and build a resilient ocean economy,” said Lord Fatafehi Fakafānua, Prime Minister of Tonga. “As Small Island States with Large Ocean responsibilities, we are uniquely placed to develop and scale solutions that balance conservation, prosperity and resilience. Through genuine partnerships, we can strengthen ocean sovereignty and contribute Pacific leadership to global challenges for future generations.”

With this second round of grants, 17 of the Pacific’s 22 countries and territories are now working to protect and sustainably manage their waters. Across the region, countries are establishing protected areas, strengthening monitoring and enforcement of their waters, and building the long-term financing needed to make those protections last.