A Holistic Approach

Our impact is rooted in long-term, community-led conservation. Through research, education and locally driven solutions, Love The Oceans works to protect marine ecosystems while strengthening food security, livelihoods and ocean access for the communities who depend on them.

HOW WE CREATE IMPACT

Effective conservation starts with understanding why ecosystems are under pressure, not just responding to the symptoms. Love The Oceans grounds all of its work in long-term scientific research, collecting robust baseline and monitoring data across our three core sites in Jangamo Bay: Guinjata, Paindane and Coconut Bay. Our research spans fisheries, coral reefs, megafauna and ocean health, providing the evidence needed to identify root causes, track ecosystem change over time and set realistic, locally relevant biodiversity targets. This science forms the backbone of our work to design and implement a community-led Marine Protected Area in Inhambane Province.

Research alone is not enough. Lasting impact depends on the people who live alongside these ecosystems having the knowledge, skills and agency to lead conservation themselves. Education and capacity-building sit at the heart of Love The Oceans’ approach. We work directly with active fishermen through sustainable fishing workshops, and with the next generation through Marine Resource Management and Sea Safety lessons in local schools. Read more about our community programs here. Our programs are designed to build ocean literacy, improve safety, and create a shared understanding of how healthy marine ecosystems underpin food security, livelihoods and long-term resilience. This knowledge does not stay in the classroom, it travels home, into families and fishing communities, driving broader behavioural change.

The final pillar of our impact focuses on solutions that make conservation viable in everyday life. Through alternative livelihood initiatives, ocean access programs and leadership pathways like our Sustainable Fishing Project and Ocean Conservation Champion Program, we support communities to transition away from damaging practices while maintaining access to food and income. Sustainable fishing, locally led ecotourism and skills development offer practical routes to reduce pressure on reefs and fisheries, while creating opportunities aligned with conservation outcomes.

Together, these interconnected strands of science, education and community-led solutions, form Love The Oceans’ holistic approach to conservation. By addressing root causes and placing local communities at the centre of decision-making, we are working towards durable, equitable protection of marine ecosystems through a bottom-up, locally governed Marine Protected Area.

Watch our Founder's speech at COP26 on the importance of a holistic conservation approach:

OUR IMPACT

Love The Oceans believes in working towards a clear, achievable and focussed goal, and producing clear, measurable results. To date Love The Oceans has:

Established the area as a Mission Blue Hope Spot
Hosted +250 volunteers over 7 seasons.
Collected 8 years of data on small-scale, artisanal fisheries, and conducted initial sustainability assessments.
Reviving the Community Fisheries Council (management body for fisheries regulations) for better management of marine assets.
Collected 7 years of biodiversity assessments on local coral reefs, and conducted initial assessments of biodiversity and coral reef health.
Collected 6 years of humpback whale surveys.
Collected 6 years of oceans trash research, removing over 1 tonne of marine debris from our local beaches.
Launched our Trash 2 Trade initiative aiming to turn waste into a resource by melting and upcycling ocean plastic into new items.
Taught over +2000 children at primary school level about Marine Resource Management.
Built 14 new classrooms at two local schools, bringing both the schools up to 10 solid classrooms – enabling access to local high school education for both communities.
Taught over 3000 children to swim over 5 seasons, and run 5 seasons of intensive swimming workshops.
Qualified the first ever women in our area as swim teachers, lifeguards and scuba divers.
Secured Aquatic Helper certificates for 8 students from our Ocean Conservation Champion Initiative.
Two of our Ocean Conservation Champions are now PADI Advanced Open Water and Rescue qualified.
Qualified the first Mozambican Divemaster in our district.
Qualified the first Mozambican women divers in our district.
Collected 5 years of turtle research
Launched the first ever turtle patrol team, made completely of local community members. Patrols run every night locating and securing new nests. Patrols appoint 24hr guards for each nest.
Launch of LTO’s Sustainable Fishing Project in conjunction with the indigenous fishing community. Eventual net elimination has been agreed.
Received Blue Marine Foundation’s Oceans’ Award, Young Initiative.
Received the 2024 Gender Just Climate Award at COP29.
Hosted over 75 free international webinars and talks to over 50,000 people
Facilitated the production of 2 multi-award-winning documentaries on our work
Ran the first ever sustainability workshop with Mozambique fishermen in our district
Launched our Women’s Health Project reaching over 200 women
Completed a pilot study assessing meso- and apex predator presence
Launched a coral research project in conjunction with Leeds University for a recruitment and mortality study.

Read our 2024 Annual Impact Report below to get a full understanding of how we use donations, and how big of an impact we can make with a little support.

Most of our projects are funded on short, one-year grant cycles, and we are continuously seeking partners, sponsors and supporters to help sustain and scale this work. If you’re interested in contributing, collaborating or funding any of these projects, we’d love to hear from you. Click the link below or reach out to our founder directly at Francesca[@]lovetheoceans.org. Thank you for supporting us!