Our Principles

Our vision is a world in which marine ecosystems are healthy and well-managed.

This vision embraces the need to reconcile conservation and human dependency on the ocean.

Our mission has three elements:

1. 1. Project Seahorse is an interdisciplinary and international organization committed to conservation and sustainable use of the world’s coastal marine ecosystems.
   2. We engage in connected research and management at scales ranging from community initiatives to international accords.
   3. We collaborate with partners and communities, using seahorses to focus our efforts in finding marine conservation solutions.

Pragmatic idealism

The Project Seahorse approach can best be summarised as pragmatic idealism. We are evidence-based but quick to deploy new information, rather than aspiring to perfect knowledge. Our research is intimately linked to our practical conservation action in a tight feedback loop. We often take the view that “we know enough” and just plunge in to management and policy, explicitly highlighting our uncertainties and adapting as new knowledge becomes available (often through those same initiatives). We pride ourselves on being responsive, nimble and quick to grasp opportunities that are within our reach and scope.

Project Seahorse is focused on conserving marine life. That means, of course, that we work with people who affect the fate of ocean species and spaces.

Consultation and collaboration

We consult and collaborate with people and groups whose expertise lies in development work, seeking to advance human well-being along with conservation gains. We seek win/wins. Where these are not possible – and trade offs must be made – Project Seahorse will focus on the conservation of wild populations, natural habitats and healthy ecosystems. Without a robust marine ecosystem, everybody’s future is compromised.

Our team is based in Canada and the UK but our ideas are developed and implemented globally. In other countries, we work primarily through collaborations with national experts and organizations.

In executing all our projects, Project Seahorse is guided by principles of equity and inclusion. We value diversity in all its forms and seek ways to advance opportunity for everybody involved with our work.

[Updated 31 May 2023]