Love the Oceans is a non-profit marine conservation organization supporting work in Jangamo Bay, Mozambique. Jangamo, whilst home to a huge host of marine life, has never been studied in depth for any prolonged amount of time. As part of our commitment to environmental conservation, Dots.eco has partnered with Love the Oceans to support its mission of protecting this critical ecosystem. In this interview, we explore the incredible work of Love the Oceans, a pioneering initiative dedicated to restoring and preserving Marine ecosystems.
How was Love The Oceans created? What’s its origin story?
Love The Oceans was born from a passion for marine conservation and a need to address the urgent threats facing marine ecosystems. When I was 21, in 2014 I founded the non-profit after witnessing the harsh realities of unsustainable fishing practices during my visit to Mozambique while studying marine biology. While conducting research and diving in the area, I noticed the beauty and biodiversity of Jangamo Bay, but also the challenges it faced, including overfishing and habitat destruction.
The vision behind Love The Oceans (LTO) is to create a community-led conservation effort that will empower local populations to protect their marine resources, with the ultimate goal of establishing Jangamo as a Marine Protected Area. LTO focuses on engaging local stakeholders—such as fishermen, youth, and community members—to build sustainable practices from within. This grassroots approach is what makes Love The Oceans unique in its mission to create lasting change.
What are Love The Oceans’ long-term goals and vision?
LTO’s long-term goal is ambitious but crucial: to establish a locally-led Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Jangamo Bay, Mozambique. This involves protecting key species like sharks, mantas, turtles, and humpback whales while ensuring sustainable fishing practices. LTO is working to preserve the region’s biodiversity, support the local community’s livelihoods, and promote eco-tourism, which could provide alternative income to unsustainable fishing.
The MPA, once established, would serve as a critical refuge for marine species and a model for conservation in other regions. LTO envisions the MPA as not only a haven for marine life but also a center for scientific research, community education, and responsible tourism. The ultimate goal is to create a harmonious balance between human needs and the environment, where both can thrive sustainably.
In addition to the MPA, LTO continues to focus on education, offering marine conservation expeditions, supporting local schools, and facilitating research to improve the understanding of the area’s ecosystems. LTO’s educational programs and community initiatives play a vital role in ensuring the long-term success of its conservation efforts.
What challenges do you face when trying to protect marine habitats?
Marine conservation in Mozambique, and particularly in Jangamo Bay, comes with significant challenges. One of the main issues is balancing economic needs with conservation goals. The local community has historically relied on fishing as a primary source of income. Encouraging sustainable practices, such as selective fishing techniques and marine reserves, requires ongoing education and community involvement. Convincing fishermen to adopt new methods while ensuring they can still provide for their families is a delicate process that requires patience, trust-building and behaviour change.
Another major challenge is limited resources. As a grassroots charity, LTO relies heavily on donations, grants, and the revenue from its expeditions to fund its work. These funds go towards research, community outreach, and operational costs. The scale of the problem in Jangamo Bay, from illegal fishing to plastic pollution, often requires more funding than is available.
Lastly, climate change is a pervasive threat that compounds all of LTO’s work. Warming oceans, rising sea levels, and changing weather patterns all impact marine life and local communities. These global challenges require local adaptation, which can be difficult without robust support from international environmental bodies.
Tell us about the people from the ground. What is the role of each stakeholder?
Love The Oceans has built strong relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders who each play a vital role in the organization’s success.
- Local Fishermen: These community members are key to the conservation work, as their buy-in is essential for the sustainable fishing practices that LTO promotes. The fishermen often participate in data collection efforts and attend workshops on sustainable practices.
Schools and Teachers: Education is at the heart of LTO’s mission. By working with local schools, the organization is able to raise awareness about marine conservation from an early age. Teachers play a pivotal role in helping to instill conservation values in the next generation.
Volunteers and Students: LTO’s volunteers come from all over the world to participate in its marine conservation expeditions. They work alongside local stakeholders to conduct research, teach in schools, and participate in community outreach projects. Their contribution is vital in providing the hands-on support that LTO needs to operate.
Marine Biologists and Researchers: The LTO team includes experts in marine biology who lead research initiatives and use scientific data to drive conservation strategies. Their work, from coral surveys to fisheries research, is essential for informing LTO’s actions and securing the MPA status.
Local Government and Policy Makers: Establishing the Marine Protected Area requires collaboration with local and national government officials. LTO works to advocate for the importance of marine conservation and the need for legal protections for key species and habitats in Jangamo Bay.
What’s something you wish more people would know about our planet?
One of the most crucial things the Love The Oceans team wants people to understand is the interconnectedness of ecosystems and humans. The health of our oceans impacts everything from climate regulation to food security, and yet, marine ecosystems are often overlooked in global conservation efforts – it’s the most underfunded UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14 Life Below Water).
Most people don’t realize that the oceans absorb more than 90% of the excess heat caused by climate change. They also produce over 50% of the world’s oxygen and support the livelihoods of more than 3 billion people. However, overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction are pushing marine ecosystems to the brink.
Conservation is not just about saving individual species; it’s about preserving entire ecosystems that humans rely on. When we protect our oceans, we are also protecting our own future.
If you could recommend a book to people wanting to get informed about sustainability, which book would it be?
One of the books I recommend is This Is Not A Drill by Extinction Rebellion, which offers a powerful call to action and provides practical steps for people to engage in the fight against climate change and environmental degradation. The book highlights the urgency of the environmental crisis and ways individuals can contribute to meaningful change.
Another excellent read is Rewilding The Sea: How To Save Our Oceans by Charles Clover. This book explores the concept of rewilding our oceans through marine reserves and sustainable fishing practices, offering real-world examples of how these strategies can restore biodiversity and create healthier marine ecosystems.
Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman is a detailed and accessible look at ocean ecosystems through illustrations and simple explanations, making complex ocean science more approachable – it’s great to learn more about our ocean and it’s inhabitants in general and it’s super digestible.
Lastly, All We Can Saveby Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson is a collection of essays, poetry, and art by women climate leaders, giving diverse perspectives on sustainability, climate action, and environmental justice. This book is a must-read for those seeking inspiration and a holistic view of the sustainability movement.
Love The Oceans is a grassroots charity deeply committed to the conservation of marine habitats in Mozambique. Through its research, community engagement, and vision for the future, LTO is working to protect one of the world’s most biodiverse and vulnerable ecosystems. Despite the challenges, the team remains optimistic, driven by the belief that through education, science, and local collaboration, sustainable conservation is possible. By supporting LTO, you’re not just helping save the oceans—you’re contributing to a global movement for a more sustainable and equitable future.
Learn more about Love the Oceans: https://lovetheoceans.org/
