News

The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held in Nice from 9 to 13 June 2025, marked a decisive moment in the global effort to protect our oceans. As one of the UNEP-accredited organizations, the MEDSEA Foundation joined over 15,000 participants from 193 countries to share experiences, strengthen alliances, and push forward scalable solutions to tackle the marine biodiversity crisis.

Among the most impactful initiatives presented at UNOC3 was the call to action of the Alliance for European Seas, co-founded by John Nurminen Foundation (Finland), Fondation de la Mer (France), and MEDSEA Foundation (Italy). The Alliance is a concrete response to the accelerating loss of marine biodiversity, with a focus on restoring one of the ocean’s most valuable but vulnerable ecosystems: seagrass meadows.

“Our fieldwork shows that with the right mix of science, local engagement, and long-term monitoring, restoration is not just possible—it’s replicable. This is not only environmental work, but a climate strategy,”
said Piera Pala, President of MEDSEA Foundation.
“We’re calling on public and private actors to invest in the sea and accelerate this transformation.”

Over the past years, the joint effort of the 3 EU Foundations of the Alliance has already resulted in more than 20,000 seedlings of Zostera marina in the Baltic Sea and Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean being planted. An additional 85,000 plants are currently being restored or are in preparation. These underwater meadows are biodiversity hotspots: they store carbon, produce oxygen, stabilize coastlines, and host thousands of marine species.

During UNOC3, the Alliance for European Seas hosted a key moment at the iconic Le Plongeoir in Nice — a symbolic location where partners, allies, scientists and institutional representatives gathered for a collective call to action. The shared goal: to build the largest green belt of seagrass habitats across Europe, stretching from the Baltic to the Mediterranean.

“Through the Alliance, we’re testing methodologies, sharing knowledge, and scaling up impact across very different ecological and social contexts. This is the strength of cross-border collaboration,”
added Piera Pala.

The Alliance also seeks to reduce pressures on marine ecosystems through advocacy, ocean literacy, and improved governance — complementing on-the-ground restoration with systemic change.

“We, three independent European foundations, came together through our hands-on conservation work restoring seagrass meadows. We have since carried out this important restoration work, discovered new areas for collaboration, and are committed to strengthening our efforts for a healthier future for our seas and ocean,”

said Annamari Arrakoski-Engardt, CEO of the John Nurminen Foundation.

What began as a shared vision at the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon is now a growing platform of cooperation — and new partners are invited to join.

“We now want to accelerate the work we have undertaken by creating a green corridor of seagrass meadows around all European coasts. To increase our impact, new partners will join the Alliance for European Seas after UNOC3,”
said Alexandre Iaschine, CEO of Fondation de la Mer.

From local intervention to European-scale ambition, the Alliance is proof that international cooperation can lead to tangible, science-driven solutions for the sea — and MEDSEA is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation.

For more information or to get involved: alliance4seas.org