Paolo
Domondon
World leaders at the U.N. Ocean Conference must embrace transparency, and equity to rapidly advance ocean governance, says Paolo Domondon.
The French city of Nice is no stranger to the global spotlight. Perched on the edge of the Mediterranean, it has long been a crossroads of diplomacy, luxury and culture. This week, however, the coastal city plays host to a unique kind of high-stakes gathering: the third United Nations Ocean Conference, or UNOC3, where world leaders, scientists and civil society stakeholders are convening for a pivotal summit aimed at confronting our planet’s accelerating ocean crisis.
With less than five years remaining to meet the 2030 deadline for a raft of global environmental commitments, ocean conservation has emerged as both a litmus test of political will and a bellwether for global cooperation. Among the most ambitious of these pledges is the 30×30 target: a commitment to protect 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by the end of the decade.
“The 30×30 target offers not only urgency but realism,” says Paolo Domondon, chief program and policy officer at Global Fishing Watch. “It’s both widely supported by stakeholders and rooted in the hard-won lessons of the past while also providing something the conservation community has long needed: a clear rallying point.”
But, he adds, the road to 2030 requires “not only more ambitious commitments, but more transparency, accountability and inclusion in how those commitments are carried out.”
Domondon’s path to global ocean advocacy began along the coastal villages of his native Philippines, where he spent his early career working with Indigenous communities, informal settlers and those living in conflict-affected areas. A champion of environmental and social justice, he has spent more than two decades advancing issues ranging from marine conservation and sustainable fisheries to good governance and climate resilience.
We spoke with Paolo Domondon as he traveled to Nice to hear his thoughts on the challenges of reaching 30×30, the role of international convenings like UNOC and why transparency can level the playing field and help ensure that ocean governance moves from rhetoric to reality.
The 30x30 target to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 has become a central pillar of global marine conservation. How close are we to achieving this goal — and what are the primary obstacles standing in the way?
Unfortunately, a lot more needs to be done if we’re going to achieve 30×30 on time. We know there is a lag in effectively rolling out marine protections worldwide. Just over 8 percent of the ocean is currently protected, and less than 3 percent is considered effectively managed. Moreover, scientists and practitioners rightfully note that it is the quality and effectiveness of these protections, not just the size of the protected area, that is of utmost importance.
So, there are lots of challenges in achieving 30×30, but there are three major questions that we need to immediately answer for it to have any chance at being successful. First, where should protections be placed to achieve real impact for biodiversity? Second, how will those areas be managed, enforced and monitored over time? And third — and often most overlooked — who will be involved and who stands to benefit?
This last point about ocean equity is vital. Too often, marine conservation efforts have overlooked the very communities that depend on healthy oceans for their livelihoods. At Global Fishing Watch, we believe that it is critical to give stakeholders access to the data and information used for decision-making while also promoting participation for the durability and success of protection efforts. The 30×30 target can be a defining achievement of our time but only if we remember that bold targets require more than just global agreement, they also need local trust, equity and evidence-based action.
Global Fishing Watch participated in the Our Ocean Conference in April and is now attending the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France. Are these international fora driving the change we need to ensure more sustainable use of our ocean?
The immense challenges of our times cannot be confronted in isolation. We need multilateralism and cooperation to tackle transcendent issues such as the climate and biodiversity crises. Global convenings such as the U.N. Ocean Conference are critical tools for advancing ocean sustainability. They help maintain momentum, foster accountability and generate the political will necessary to meet international commitments. By bringing together governments, scientists, civil society and the private sector, these fora encourage all stakeholders to stay on course, increase ambition and track progress in a transparent manner. They are also valuable spaces for surfacing and sharing innovative solutions and new thinking, identifying what works and what doesn’t and exploring how successful models can be replicated and scaled. In a field where urgency and complexity are high, the ability to exchange lessons and align on priorities is indispensable.
At the same time, these convenings have their own set of challenges. We must continuously examine how inclusive these fora truly are and ensure that they remain open to all stakeholders — especially youth, Indigenous peoples, local communities and other historically marginalized groups. And in the process, we need to hold ourselves accountable to ensure that each convening is more inclusive than the previous one. The success and impact of these gatherings depend on broad and diverse engagement, not only in presence but in influence.
On a personal level, while these meetings are often fast-paced and intensive, they also serve as moments of reflection and reconnection. They offer a space for me to cultivate friendships I’ve developed overtime and engage with a community of believers, practitioners, optimists and hopefuls who share a commitment to safeguarding the ocean. That sense of shared purpose is both grounding and motivating.
Global Fishing Watch often describes transparency as essential to effective ocean governance. What do you mean by transparency and how can we balance this with concerns around safety and security at sea?
Transparency is a key pillar of all good governance. It strengthens accountability, promotes participation in decision-making and, if implemented meaningfully and consistently, will contribute to advancing equity in terms of access to both information and resources. That’s why for us at Global Fishing Watch, transparency means making specific ocean and vessel data, as well as the policies and decisions that surround them, available and accessible to all stakeholders. Our goal is to ensure that the individuals and communities affected by ocean management decisions have access to the same information as those making them.
However, as ocean transparency becomes the norm, we also remain vigilant about potential risks — particularly in contexts involving safety and security at sea. We take these concerns seriously. For example, when releasing data, we apply short delays or filters to mitigate risks to individuals without compromising the overall value of open access. Our near real-time data thus helps stakeholders implement transparency in ways that are thoughtful, adaptive and ultimately serve the public good. In a complex and dynamic sector like fisheries, this balance is essential.
Technology is seen as vital for ocean monitoring and governance. From satellite tracking to AI-powered surveillance, which tools are proving most effective, and what are the limitations to their widespread adoption?
Global Fishing Watch co-founder and chief innovation officer Paul Woods often says that we are a technology platform with a transparency agenda. But as an organization we don’t only advocate for governments and stakeholders to collect, maintain and publish data. We take it a few steps further, asking authorities to commit to data transparency and providing them with a platform that makes sure these data are reliable, actionable and accessible. Indeed, Global Fishing Watch’s open source tools ensure interoperability and strive for a combination of data sets to give our stakeholders and the public the information they need to address challenges on a broad range of issues spanning from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to biodiversity protection.
Like many technological solutions, the widespread adoption of ocean monitoring tools is often constrained by limited capacity and insufficient resources. But when these limits are addressed, technology and transparency can serve as powerful equalizers. Open access to reliable data enables even resource-constrained governments to manage their waters more effectively, overcoming long-standing information gaps. At Global Fishing Watch, our goal is to reach a tipping point where a critical mass of countries is meaningfully using transparent, open-source data creating the momentum needed to drive systemic change in ocean governance.
With 2030 fast approaching, what are the top three actions Global Fishing Watch would like to see governments prioritize—at national and international levels—to ensure that ocean sustainability moves from rhetoric to reality?
Governments must urgently move from ambition to action in order to meet global commitments and safeguard the health of our ocean. At Global Fishing Watch, we are calling for three core priorities to help close the gap between policy and practice — these are focused on transparency, IUU fishing and biodiversity.
First, governments must collect, maintain and publicly share key ocean and vessel data, particularly on ownership, identity and activity. Transparency remains a foundational pillar of effective ocean governance, and without open access to reliable information, efforts to manage marine resources will continue to fall short.
Second, coastal, flag, post and market States must fully implement their legal responsibilities in addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. While progress has been made, persistent enforcement gaps and jurisdictional loopholes continue to undermine sustainable fisheries and reward bad actors.
Finally, we urge governments to not only commit to the 30×30 target but to deliver it meaningfully. That means identifying and protecting significant areas, ensuring that protections are backed by robust management plans, and investing in sustained monitoring and enforcement. A designation alone is not enough — it must come with the tools and resources to make it effective.
Global Fishing Watch remains committed to supporting countries and partners in realizing these priorities, and in ensuring that transparency becomes the standard in ocean governance.