From the Inbox: Explore the Ocean with Me

Dear Friend,

I first traveled to the Galapagos Islands in 1983 on a study-abroad trip for college, and I have lived here most of my adult life.

I was drawn to the islands’ stark beauty and unique wildlife—sea lions, marine iguanas and the famous Darwin’s finches, to name just a few. I have stayed here because of the opportunity to make a difference in the conservation of these and myriad other animals and their remarkable habitats.

As the Andes - Eastern Tropical Pacific Regional Marine Program Coordinator, I believe we’ve made a difference—as have local governments, communities and a growing network of other partners—in helping to protect these islands and the ocean that surrounds them, along with the coastal areas of Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador and Panama that collectively make up the Seascape.

This Seascape aims to conserve more than 2 million square kilometers and the diverse sea life—including threatened leatherback sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, humpback whales and many commercially important species—within the Seascape. Taken together, this wildlife underpins the local economies and defines the local communities and cultures of millions of coastal-dwelling people who call this area home, just as my family and I do.

The Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape is just one of many projects that increasingly offer working examples of Conservation International’s mission to empower societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature for the well-being of humanity.

CI and our partners are striving to expand this work and establish four more Seascapes in Brazil, the Central Pacific, Hawaii and the Western Indian Ocean.

Over the next few weeks, our marine team will take you to the front lines of our work – the coasts, the mangrove forests, the open oceans and the coral reefs.

We will visit the spectacular animals that call the oceans home, explore the important benefits that oceans provide to humanity and examine win-win solutions we’re putting into practice to protect those benefits for generations to come.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Scott Henderson
Andes - Eastern Tropical Pacific Regional Marine Program Coordinator