Ocean Biodiversity Program

The ocean’s remarkable diversity of species and habitats plays a vital role in sustaining life. In the United States, ocean biodiversity represents both a community foundation and a national asset. At the community level, diverse ocean life is woven into the fabric of everyday life, underpinning cultural identity, food security, livelihoods, and safety and well-being. At the national level, it bolsters the country’s ecological health, food systems, economy, national security, and resilience. Through this program, BCF will uplift the needs and stories of communities and offer a national platform where they can build a shared understanding of ocean biodiversity challenges and solutions. 

Listen. Support. Engage.

BCF envisions a future where the U.S. manages marine biodiversity as both a national asset and a community foundation, with decisions grounded in knowledge, culture, and equity. To that end, our Ocean Biodiversity program will generate opportunities to:

• Listen: Mobilize community voices through listening sessions and other convenings in different regions of the United States to scope community needs and cultivate relationships.
• Support: Issue open funding opportunities targeting projects that advance our understanding of how ocean biodiversity knowledge can shape more equitable and sustainable decisions.
• Engage: Catalyze knowledge to action across funded projects through strategic outreach and engagement across researchers, stakeholders, rights holders, managers and more.

Rooted in the approach and results of Marine Biodiversity Dialogues, we will start in three initial regions: Chesapeake Bay, Mobile Bay, and Puget Sound. 

Contact Us

We welcome opportunities to connect and partner with others in this field as we progress on this work – please reach out to Jason Landrum (jlandrum@blueconvergence.org) and Emily Knight (eknight@blueconvergence.org) if you would like to connect. 

To sign up for our Ocean Biodiversity email distribution, sign up here.