The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Ambassadors are a group of global leaders with a shared interest in safeguarding our ocean for generations to come.
The six Ocean Ambassadors intend to play a key role in advancing a strategy to secure and implement marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world by advocating for a healthier and more resilient ocean.
Working with the Bertarelli Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, the ambassadors will strive to bring sustained public attention to the threats facing the ocean—from harmful fishing practices to the devastating impact of climate change—and how MPAs can aid in restoring and sustaining healthy marine ecosystems. Fully protected marine reserves can help mitigate the effects of a changing climate, secure long-term economic growth for local economies, and safeguard cultural and traditional practices in coastal and island communities.
The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Ambassadors are:
- Diva Amon, Ph.D., scientific associate, Natural History Museum, London; director of the Trinidad and Tobago-based SpeSeas; former research fellow at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (2013-2017).
- David Cameron, former United Kingdom prime minister (2010-2016); former leader, U.K. Conservative Party (2005-2016).
- Carlotta Leon Guerrero, executive director of the Guam-based Ayuda Foundation; former member of the Guam Legislature (1994-2000).
- James Alix Michel, former president of Seychelles (2004-2016).
- Heraldo Muñoz, former Chilean minister of foreign affairs (2014-2018)
- Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., former president of Palau (2001-2009, 2013-2021).
The Ocean Ambassadors support the work of the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project. The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Bertarelli Foundation joined forces in 2017 to create the project, with the shared goal of establishing the first generation of ecologically significant and effective marine protected areas around the world. This effort builds on a decade of work by both organizations to protect the ocean. Between them, they have helped to obtain designations to safeguard over 8 million square kilometers (3 million square miles) of ocean by working with philanthropic partners, indigenous groups, community leaders, government officials, and scientists. Since 2010, the Bertarelli Foundation has sought to protect the ocean for future generations through marine conservation and collaborative marine science research.
