Our vision
Thriving, resilient seas and coastal communities.
Our mission
To scale effective, community managed protected areas, for nature and people.
We Focus on Four areas
Challenges we tackle
Designation versus Effective Management
While 38% of UK waters are designated as protected areas, there is a lack of comprehensive condition assessments and management is not fully implemented at most sites.
Fragmented Funding Landscape
Conservation efforts are hampered by underfunding and low prioritisation, with a focus on one-off restoration projects that may fail to deliver sustained improvements.
Top down risk-based approach to Management
Current management approaches are top-down, risk-based and minimal, requiring a shift toward ongoing active management and engagement with interconnected stakeholders.
Community groups
Community groups around the UK are increasingly active around the coast, many at protected areas. However they lack user-friendly tools to interpret how site designations affect their plans and activities; knowhow for effective ongoing management and access to sustained finance and resources.
Our Goals
Our goal is to complement and enhance existing conservation efforts for greater impact.
Our focus is therefore on:
Photo credit: Cromarty Community Rowing Club
Building community capacity with user-friendly tools
Photo credit: Cromarty Community Rowing Club
Strengthening existing conservation initiatives at designated protected areas, rather than campaigning for new MPA designations
Photo credit: Brian Yurasits/Ocean Image Bank
Working within existing conservation mandates, rather than campaigning to change them
Who we are
The charity is founded by two driven individuals with a shared ethos and values for a more hopeful future, a heartfelt commitment to inclusive nature conservation and the pursuit of excellence.
The Team
Belinda is a blue economy consultant focused on securing more effective and inclusive marine protection as the cornerstone of a sustainable blue economy.
Belinda enjoys connecting people with ideas and initiatives. She currently co-leads stakeholder engagement for the Horizon Europe MORSE project where she supports national authorities, restoration practitioners and other stakeholders to co-develop climate-resilient models that support practical coastal and marine restoration across Europe. Prior to this she co-led stakeholder engagement for the Horizon Europe MPA Europe project. She recently contributed to “Sustainably Financing Ireland’s Marine Protected Area Network”, a report from Fair Seas shared with the Government of Ireland.
Belinda is an advisor to Blue Green Future LLC, thought leaders in valuing natural capital and designing tools and policies to secure a future that is both environmentally and economically sustainable, and an associate of NLA International, a blue economy consultancy. Prior to consulting, Belinda worked in investment banking before moving to the not-for-profit sector, where she served as CFO of NGOs working to protect tropical forests and the marine environment respectively.
Belinda is a chartered accountant with a degree in Mathematics from Oxford University. She has led or contributed to publications on the blue economy in practice, including quality of life aspects and new incentives and tools to deliver robust and inclusive nature-based solutions and equitable and effective marine protected areas.
An experienced and passionate environmental consultant, Duncan has dedicated most of his professional life to protected area and conservation management. Over 30 years of working across a range of projects in this field, he has developed significant expertise in areas including collaboration with governments, NGOs, and international networks, as well as strategic planning and – crucially – the more practical aspects of successful day-to-day management of protected areas.
A member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas since 2006 and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society since 1996, Duncan is an active contributor to global conservation efforts. Notable recent projects include developing a standardized management plan template for Seychelles MPAs, running the Management Success Evaluation project across 10 protected areas in The Caribbean for over 20 years, contributing to the development of the IUCN Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool 4.1 and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas lexicon for protected area terminology.
In his role with Bonaire National Marine Park in the Netherlands Antilles, Duncan gained invaluable hands-on experience overseeing operational activities such as research, education, and infrastructure maintenance. Earlier career highlights include teaching Geography and SCUBA diving in Oman and Dubai, working as a GIS Operator at the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, conducting research for the BBC Natural History Unit, and serving as an Environmental Advisor in Madagascar.
Duncan holds an MSc in Tropical Coastal Management from Newcastle University, a PGCE in Geography from Cambridge University, and a BSc in Geography from King’s College London. His academic focus has centred on biogeography, coastal ecosystems, and the impact of human activities, such as recreational diving, on marine environments.
Dr Kat Bruce is a biodiversity scientist, environmental entrepreneur and expedition leader. She founded NatureMetrics in 2014 after completing a PhD in Molecular Ecology at UEA, establishing herself as a pioneer of the fast-growing nature technology field. Kat has twice undertaken circumnavigations of Great Britain in an ocean rowing boat adapted to collect data on the health of our coastal seas. Most recently she led the Sea Change expedition, which also recorded the stories of the work being done by coastal communities to protect, restore and regenerate marine ecosystems. This fuelled her belief in the necessity of empowering communities to manage their marine natural resources, and she is delighted to be able to contribute to this through her role as Head of Communities and Data.
Will Tingle is a Marine Biologist and science communicator, who has produced hundreds of science communication programmes for the BBC. Will is also a keen wildlife filmmaker, having written and edited multiple conservation films, and has created promotional material for GVI and CITES.
Rosslyn loves nature, and has always been inspired by the ocean. A zoology graduate, specialising in marine biology, Rosslyn spent 20 years in Financial Services focused on strategy execution and change management. The volunteering she did with Sharklab Malta and the Edinburgh Shoreline project opened her eyes to the impact that marine conservation work could have. She has supported the environment sector since, allowing her to make best use of her experience and networks, alongside a life-long passion for nature conservation.
Her current roles include Trustee for Edinburgh Shoreline SCIO, Council Member and restoration spokesperson for Coastal Communities Network Scotland (CCN), Steering Group member for the Restoration Forth project and volunteer for Sharklab Malta. In the non-marine world, she is Chair of the Board of Bathgate Hills Venture. In all roles she aims is to create opportunities for people from all walks of life to enjoy our natural world and participate in its protection and recovery.
She is delighted to be joining the Protected Areas Foundation Board of Trustees. From her most recent environmental projects, it is clear that the restoration work being done by local communities is definitely helping to raise awareness, bring hope, and drive small change, but it is not enough to help nature rebalance. It is key that alongside this, we see more effective management of protected areas in restoring healthy seas, reversing biodiversity loss and mitigating and adapting to climate change. Protected Areas Foundation will help to drive this forward. An exciting and critical opportunity to drive more holistic sustainable change.
Suresh has over 20 years experience working in public policy across a broad range of subject areas. He worked as a senior lawyer for the UK government in a number of high profile areas and has extensive experience negotiating for the UK government and spent significant time engaging with the EU institutions. Since leaving government Suresh has worked in the Group Public Affairs Team at Aviva. Amongst other things, Suresh led for over three years Aviva’s active engagement in the EU Sustainable Finance agenda, where the business has enjoyed a positive reputation for leading through action.
He now since 2021, in addition to being responsible for Aviva’s engagement with the UK growth agenda from the perspective of large institutional investors, leads its international biodiversity policy engagement. This has seen him play a key role in international private finance being heard in the CBD negotiations on the Global Biodiversity Framework and having a direct and positive impact on that agreement’s text explicitly recognising the role that private finance must play in minimising harm to nature. In this capacity he works closely with the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation, where he is Chair of its Advisory Board as well as being a Board member.
Patrick is the CEO of AKO Capital, a London-based equity investment firm which manages capital on behalf of many large global endowments and foundations. Demonstrating that it walks the talk in terms of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency, AKO Capital is a certified B Corp and channels a significant proportion of its annual profits into the AKO Foundation, which supports charitable causes that improve education, promote the arts, or mitigate climate problems.
Prior to AKO, Patrick worked at Goldman Sachs, Cazenove and Price Waterhouse, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He has a degree in English Literature from the University of Oxford and is the co-author of Quality Investing (a book that sheds some light on AKO’s long-term investment philosophy).
Kalli De Meyer is an experienced nature conservation professional with a demonstrated history of establishing, managing and assisting terrestrial and marine protected areas and regional networks of protected areas.
Ness Smith is a marine scientist who specialises in socio-ecological systems. She has an in-depth knowledge of UK and international environmental legislation and policy as well as its practical application through fisheries, marine spatial planning, natural capital approaches and MPA management.
Ness has worked on cutting-edge projects exploring natural capital approaches to MPA designation and management and was Head of Integrated Marine Management for the Blue Belt Programme for the MMO. At the MMO she worked closely with UK Overseas Territory (UKOT) governments to designate and manage MPAs across five UKOTs. Transferring to lead the Blue Planet Fund Ocean Country Partnership Programme for the MMO, Ness worked with partner governments on their MPA networks and management effectiveness processes.
Most recently, Ness has worked closely with UK government on a range of projects exploring local decision making, and marine restoration, and led a comprehensive review of the UK MPA network for the Office for Environmental Protection. Ness lives in Purbeck, Dorset, and is Chair of the Dorset Coast Forum.
James Harrison joined the University of Edinburgh School of Law as a member of academic staff in July 2007 and he was appointed as Professor of Environmental Law in 2019. James teaches on a number of specialist courses in environmental law, international environmental law, and international ocean governance. His research interests span these areas, considering how the legal rules evolve and interact, as well as examining how international law and policy influences the domestic legal framework. He has a particular interest in the legal framework for the protection of the marine environment, including the regulation of fishing, shipping, disposal of waste at sea, and seabed mining.
Marc Hockings is Emeritus Professor in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Queensland and Vice-Chair (Science) with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas where he leads the global program on Science and Management of Protected Areas.
Our Values
Ambition:
Confronting entrenched obstacles to inclusive and sustainable development by building and supporting resilient long-term coalitions, systems and networks that can stimulate and adapt to change.
Dynamism:
Continuously seeking and implementing innovative solutions with partners, with a commitment to diligence and excellence.
Integrity:
Acting with independence, honesty, transparency, and accountability through a holistic, system-wide lens.
Optimism:
Taking pleasure in our work and conveying hope and inspiration in all our activities and interactions.
Sustainability:
Commitment to sustainable practices that protect and preserve natural resources for future generations.
Trust:
Listening to needs and differences with humility and an open mind, working respectfully with all stakeholders and collaborators to co-design and co-deliver common goals.
Our Principles
Science and Local Knowledge:
We aim to be guided by the best available science, local knowledge and local community values and to incorporate new information and tools as these become available over time.
Co-design and Collaboration:
We seek to work with like-minded partners and funders to establish coalitions, to co-design and co-develop solutions with policy-makers, statutory agencies and community groups.
Practical and Fit-for-Purpose Tools:
We seek to provide cost-effective, user-friendly analysis and tools that are accessible, efficient and fit-for-purpose and to work with partners with aligned approaches and principles.
Adaptive and Forward-Looking:
We aim to be open, practical and adaptive, working with existing and emerging public and private financing mechanisms, standards and codes, including for carbon and biodiversity related markets.
Coherence and Connectivity:
We seek coherence and connectivity between our activities and we encourage our partners and stakeholders to embrace long-term coherence in their policies and practices, towards socially inclusive, just and nature-positive approaches.
Supporters and Collaborators
Supporters
Thank you to our supporters for financial or in-kind support.
Collaborators
Thanks also to our collaborators with shared interests.
