
Enric Sala
National Geographic explorer | Leading global ocean conservation and marine protection initiatives

About
Enric Sala transformed from marine scientist to global conservation leader, using pioneering research to reveal how protecting marine ecosystems can solve critical global challenges. As a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, he has conducted groundbreaking studies across the world's most vulnerable marine environments, demonstrating the interconnected nature of ocean health and planetary survival.
His work bridges scientific understanding with actionable conservation strategies, showing how ocean protection directly impacts climate stability, biodiversity preservation, and human survival. Sala's research offers a compelling blueprint for environmental restoration, advocating for ambitious goals like protecting 30 percent of Earth's surface and ocean floor.
Through his presentations at major global forums, he has inspired governments, organizations, and individuals to reimagine our relationship with the planet's marine ecosystems, turning scientific insights into powerful calls for transformative conservation action.
What Enric Talks About
Protecting 30 percent of Earth's surface and ocean floor through strategic conservation planning
Creating large-scale marine protected areas and ocean reserves for biodiversity preservation
The economic and environmental case for high seas protection and international ocean governance
How marine ecosystem restoration addresses climate change and global sustainability challenges
Translating marine science research into actionable conservation policy and implementation strategies
Talks4
A bold plan to protect 30 percent of the Earth's surface and ocean floor
As a diver in the 1970s, marine ecologist Enric Sala saw once-lush oceanscapes reduced to underwater deserts -- but later, in marine preserves across the globe, he also witnessed the ocean's power to rejuvenate itself when left to its own natural devices. Could rewilding the planet help us restore biodiversity and reduce the impacts of climate change? Sala presents the 30x30 initiative: a global plan to protect 30 percent of the Earth's surface and the ocean floor by 2030.

Por qué necesitamos proteger el alta mar

Let's turn the high seas into the world's largest nature reserve
More Talks
Glimpses of a pristine ocean
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