Blue Azores

Blue Azores is a marine conservation and blue economy programme set up in 2019 as a partnership between the Regional Government of the Azores, the Oceano Azul Foundation and the Waitt Institute. The three partners share the aim of protecting, promoting and valuing the marine natural capital of the Azores. The programme works to guarantee a healthy ocean as the foundation for a prosperous and sustainable blue economy in the archipelago. Over the past six years it has run a participatory, science-based process with scientists, the fishing sector, local communities and civil society organisations. That process led to the approval of the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network (RAMPA), which covers 287,000 km² of ocean and is the largest network of its kind in the North Atlantic. It came into force on 1 January 2026 and gives effective protection to 30% of the Azores Sea at two levels. Full protection bans extractive or destructive activities in areas of high ecological vulnerability. High protection allows regulated, low-impact fishing. The programme's main objectives include protecting 30% of the Azores Sea, reviewing coastal marine protected areas and bringing them into the network, making sure the Azores Marine Park is effectively managed and financially sustainable, and supporting the restructuring of the fisheries sector. A recent Memorandum of Understanding between the Regional Government, the Oceano Azul Foundation and the Waitt Institute formalised more than €10 million in support for implementation. The team includes specialists in marine ecology, maritime spatial planning, protected area management and communication. Their work safeguards sharks, whales, deep-water corals and unique hydrothermal vent ecosystems for future generations.