This creative conservation initiative treats the ocean like an endangered species

Sponsoring an endangered animal has long been a way for people to contribute to the conservation of at-risk species like tigers and pandas. Now, a program is encouraging the public to sponsor parcels of endangered ocean.



About 1,500 miles northeast of New Zealand, the tiny South Pacific nation of Niue is “a very small rock in the middle of a large ocean,” says Maël Imirizaldu, regional lead director with the Blue Nature Alliance. Last year, the 101-square-mile island marked its surrounding ocean—about the size of Malaysia—into 127,000 zones and declared them open for sponsorship. With a quick online purchase of about $150, anyone can chip in to protect a part of the earth’s seas. This program is the winner of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award in the nature category.



[Illustration: Richard Borge ]



Niue had already been at the forefront of ocean conservation. In 2022, it announced it would protect 100% of its exclusive economic zone—the oceans extending 200 nautical miles from a country’s shore—which far exceeded the UN’s target of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030. “We’ve been here for a long time,” Imirizaldu says. “We want our next generation to be able to keep on living on this island.”



[Photo: © Richard Sidey/Galaxiid/Conservation International]



But the little island had limited resources to make this pledge a reality. It began working with the ocean conservation nonprofit Blue Nature Alliance, which helped design a mechanism to permit a steady stream of revenue for the next 20 years. Together, they formulated the sponsorship model, the first of its kind. Six months in, about 16% of the segments, known as Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs), have been sponsored—the large majority by the New Zealand government, which committed support for 1,700 segments, one for each of the island’s citizens. If the total reaches 100%, it would raise about $19.2 million that Niue can spend on building teams and operations, enforcing policies, engaging the community, and doing marine research.



[Photo: © Richard Sidey/Galaxiid/Conservation International]



Niue is unique in its geography, but if the effort works, Imirizaldu says other countries can replicate it. “I believe it is a pretty cool model that can actually make waves,” he says.



Explore the full list of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas , 281 projects that are making the world more accessible, equitable, and sustainable for everyone. We’ve selected the companies, organizations, and nonprofits making the biggest impact across 50 categories, including  architecture , energy , finance , transportation , and more.