The High Seas Treaty reconfirms what we've long embraced as our ambition: protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030. It's a bold target. But here's the uncomfortable truth that rarely makes headlines: most marine protection doesn't go further than lines on a map.
Of the 1,215 Marine Protected Areas we analyzed worldwide, we found that over 700 are what conservationists call "paper parks." They look great in policy documents. Politicians love announcing them. But in reality? Weak enforcement, limited resources, and zero public accountability mean these areas exist in name only while biodiversity continues to decline within their boundaries.
If we're serious about 30x30, we need to ensure protection actually means something. And that's where Ocean PULSE comes in.
Ocean PULSE's interactive global map tracks 100+ Marine Protected Areas worldwide, with real-time health status indicators
What is Ocean PULSE?
Ocean PULSE is a digital platform built by Balean where your involvement enhances and accelerates ocean protection. We're using the power of digital technology, data analytics, and community engagement to involve society in ocean conservation actively.
The platform brings together three types of data: official open source and satellite information, peer-reviewed scientific research, and observations from community members we call Ocean Health Monitors. By triangulating these sources, we can paint an accurate, real-time picture of whether an MPA is actually doing its job.
Real-time environmental monitoring shows measurable parameters like depth, water temperature, and salinity to assess MPA health
But this isn't just about data. It's about people.
We're building Ocean PULSE around a simple principle: coastal communities aren't just data collectors. They're experts. Fishers, divers, and local residents have been observing these waters for generations. Our platform gives their knowledge scientific weight by meeting the same quality standards used in regulatory decision-making. When a community member submits an observation, it goes through AI validation and expert review before contributing to an MPA's health score.
Ocean Health Monitors can easily submit observations through our citizen science platform, contributing to MPA health assessments
Our Pilot Program
Our pilot program will launch across three diverse MPAs (Marine Protected Areas), selected in collaboration with local communities to represent different geographic regions, protection levels, and management contexts. This approach ensures we're building something that works in the real world, not just in theory.
The goal? Make every MPA's effectiveness visible, comparable, and impossible to ignore. When the public can see which protected areas are genuinely protecting marine life and which are just lines on a map, that changes the conversation. It directs funding toward what works. It holds managers accountable. It gives communities the evidence they need to advocate for their waters.
Built on Trust, Not Profit
We're building Ocean PULSE as a non-monetised platform because trust matters more than revenue. This will always be free, open, and accessible to anyone who wants to understand what's really happening in our oceans.
How You Can Take Action
But we can't do it without support.
Your donation helps us complete the pilot program, train community monitors, and build the infrastructure that will eventually cover Marine Protected Areas worldwide.
The work done so far proves that it can be done!
Our next steps involve setting up a pilot and launching Ocean PULSE as an MVP.
We're looking for partners and MPA pilot locations.
Join us in making ocean health as transparent as tomorrow's weather.
👉 Curious? Interested in participating, partnering, or supporting?
Reach out! → [email protected]
For more information → LINK TO PROJECT
Thank you for being part of a community that believes in open, inclusive, and scalable ocean impact.💙
The Balean Team