UNESCO World Heritage Marine Site Managers Conference (KSLOF)

Charting a Sustainable Future for UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites

September 20, 2016

Written by Alison Barrat

At the beginning of September Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation Director of Communications, Alison Barrat, participated in the UNESCO World Heritage Marine Site Managers conference in the Galapagos Islands. The conference brought together managers of the most special marine places that we have on the planet. Areas that have been called out for their Outstanding Universal Value and are now protected by UNESCO for the future for all of us.

Managers of Marine World Heritage sites from around the world met in the Galápagos aboard the Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Endeavour. (© Daniel Correia/UNESCO)

Managers of UNESCO sites solve conservation issues every day and the conference was designed so that they could share ideas and solutions with other site managers from around the world. The conference was held aboard the Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Endeavour and sailed around the Galapagos Islands over the course of the meeting. UNESCO invited experts from many fields and covered topics as diverse as making management plans that take climate change into account, communication and branding, working with businesses to increase conservation and protection, and the future of sustainable fisheries within marine World Heritage sites. Among those speaking at the conference were Dr. Daniel Pauly and Smithsonian Scientist Dr. Stephen Box, whose fisheries work is featured in our upcoming film An Ocean Mystery: The Missing Catch.

The marine site managers are a dedicated team of people protecting some of the most beloved places on the planet for many generations to come. You can hear some of their individual perspectives in this short film:

2025-2026 B.A.M. Student Voices

Throughout the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) and Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) programs, we evaluate each phase of the mangrove education and restoration process to better understand how students are learning, growing, and connecting with their coastal environments.

Before the programs begin, students share what they already know about mangroves and how they feel about them. As the program progresses, we continue to gather feedback to see how their knowledge evolves from identifying mangrove species and understanding food webs to recognizing the role mangroves play in coastal protection and climate change mitigation.

But the surveys go beyond science content.

We also ask students…

Ten Years of B.A.M.: Rooted in Partnership, Growing in Purpose

Ten years ago, the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) program began with a simple but meaningful commitment: to connect Bahamian students with the mangrove ecosystems that shape and protect their island home.

Since 2015, B.A.M. has been implemented in partnership with Friends of the Environment, whose dedication to environmental stewardship in Abaco has made this program possible year after year. Together, we have worked alongside Patrick J. Bethel High School and Forest Heights Academy to bring hands-on mangrove science into classrooms and out into the field.

What makes ten years remarkable is not just longevity — it is consistency…

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