Saint Joseph Atoll, a nature reserve with a marine protected area.
protected elkhorn corals, brain corals and purple sea fans
a large school of horse eye jackfish
a school of black margates off the reef at Hol Chan Marine Reserve
an American crocodile, swimming in Cuba's Gardens of the Queen National Marine Park.
a whitetip reef shark swimming over regrown coral
bottlenose dolphins swimming in the Indian Ocean
rough seas in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area
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The Seychelles' Saint Joseph Island, once a coconut plantation, is now a nature reserve with a marine protected area.
Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak, Nat Geo Image Collection

Glorious pictures of pristine marine protected areas around the world

From Kiribati to the U.S. Virgin Islands, these pictures show ocean conservation success stories for World Oceans Day.

ByLori Cuthbert
June 06, 2019

The world’s oceans need our protection now more than ever. Under attack from plastic pollution and climate change, global seas are under huge pressure, which has direct impacts on humans. But marine protected areas are making a difference.

In celebration of this year's World Oceans Day, we’ve gathered these pictures of pristine marine protected areas, where our efforts have borne fruit.

World Oceans Day was created in 1992 to raise awareness about and celebrate the world’s oceans. Every June 8, hundreds of events around the world are held to spread the word.

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