Ocean Alive

Ocean Alive works with the fishers and shellfish gatherers of the Sado estuary to protect seagrass meadows, which are blue carbon ecosystems. It's a Portuguese NGO and cooperative, founded by Raquel Gaspar and Sofia Jorge, and its approach to ocean conservation is community-driven. The organisation brings these coastal communities together with scientists and decision-makers so they can talk to each other, share knowledge and change behaviour. Its work combines community empowerment, gender equity and the restoration of marine ecosystems, and its vision is a healthy ocean protected by coastal communities. The *Mariscar SEM Lixo* campaign mobilises volunteers to clean marine litter from the Sado estuary, and raises awareness among fishing communities at the same time. The Ocean Alive Camp is an educational programme that connects participants with marine science and conservation. A separate scientific programme maps and monitors the seagrass meadows of the Sado estuary, with local shellfish gatherers, researchers and students taking part. Outside Portugal, Ocean Alive works as an NGDO. It cooperates with projects in Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP) that involve women, communities and seagrass ecosystems. It also does advocacy, developing recommendations to support management plans and policy decisions on the valorisation and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems. The organisation collaborated on the documentary *Lungs of the Ocean*. With CCMAR and other partners, it takes part in the RESTORESEAGRASS project, which works to conserve seagrass meadows in the Algarve, Arrábida and Tróia/Setúbal.