The ocean is threatened on all sides by global pressures — from overexploitation and pollution to climate change and biodiversity loss. This harms not just wildlife and ecosystems, but over 3 billion people who depend on the ocean for their livelihoods.

A healthy ocean is also crucial to halting climate change. With the right support, the ocean can provide up to 35% of the emissions cuts needed to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). Yet we continue to degrade this crucial resource. Today, countries manage only a fraction of their national waters sustainably. 

To meet global health, biodiversity and climate goals, countries urgently need practical tools to sustainably manage 100% of their ocean areas. This is where Sustainable Ocean Plans (SOPs) come in.

WRI helps countries develop and implement Sustainable Ocean Plans, providing clear roadmaps to balance marine protection and economic use. By integrating science, policy and local expertise, these plans turn global commitments into national action; support coastal communities; and help ensure a resilient, productive ocean for current and future generations.

WRI is the Secretariat of the Ocean Panel, which was formed in 2018 to unite ocean protection with economic and social progress. In 2020, the Ocean Panel launched Transformations for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, with each of its country members committing to sustainably manage 100% of their national waters through “Sustainable Ocean Plans” — a concept developed by the Ocean Panel and WRI.

Following this commitment, WRI curated and coordinated an international team of experts to deliver a practical guide on developing Sustainable Ocean Plans: 100% Sustainable Ocean Management: An Introduction to Sustainable Ocean Plans. This guidance, along with the Ocean Panel’s Blue Papers and Special Reports — which include more than 20 peer-reviewed studies coordinated by WRI researchers — provide the evidence base and policy foundation for national Sustainable Ocean Plans.

As more nations embraced Sustainable Ocean Plans, WRI and partners recognized the need for more explicit guidance on their development and implementation. Working alongside international organizations such as IOC-UNESCO, WRI researchers led development on the 2025 Handbook on Sustainable Ocean Plans: A Practitioners’ Guide, a step-by-step resource for policymakers helping to turn political commitments into national practices with global implications.

WRI will continue to help countries design, fund and deliver Sustainable Ocean Plans through initiatives like Ocean Action 2030, for which WRI’s Ocean Program serves as Secretariat, as well as the Rapid Assistance Fund (RAF), so that the ocean can continue to benefit both people and nature for future generations. WRI also coordinates the 100% Alliance, an initiative that calls on all coastal and ocean states to sustainably manage 100% of their ocean areas — not just Ocean Panel members. The 100% Alliance is supported by the Ocean Panel, is co-led by Australia and Chile, coordinated by WRI and counts the Republic of Korea and Panama as members.

SOPs have also become a recognized framework across global ocean and climate processes, linking biodiversity goals, climate action and sustainable development. They are now referenced or adopted by several key international initiatives and institutions, signaling a broad shift toward integrated, science-based ocean management.

  • Yaoundé Declaration (July 2025): Eight coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea committed to develop and implement SOPs and to manage 100% of their national ocean waters by 2030.
  • UN Ocean Conference Political Declaration (2025): Recognized SOPs as vital tools for achieving sustainable ocean-based economies and the integrated management of national waters.
  • UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (2025): The IOC launched a Global Strategy for Sustainable Ocean Planning and Management (2025–2030) under the UN Ocean Decade, positioning SOPs as the pathway to “100% sustainable ocean management by 2030.” This was endorsed by over 190 countries and included in the COP30 Ocean Action Agenda.
  • Lisbon to Nice Declaration (February 2025): France and Portugal reaffirmed their ambition for ocean protection and pledged support for the 100% Alliance initiative (which centers on SOPs) as part of their joint ocean agenda ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice.
  • Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration (October 2024): The 56 Commonwealth nations committed to 100% sustainable management of national waters, alongside protecting 30% of the oceans and restoring 30% of degraded marine ecosystems by 2030.
  • Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity (UBPP): Endorsed by 22 Pacific Island countries and territories, this regional commitment aims for 100% sustainable management of their ocean waters, aligning closely with the SOPs “100% approach”. 

Cover image by Anett Szaszi / Ocean Image Bank