Blue Belt Programme

Today we're celebrating #WorldTurtleDay with some good news! @AscensionMPA is home to the largest green turtle nesting site in the South Atlantic. Their conservation efforts have contributed to the IUCN reclassifying the green turtle from “Endangered” to “Least Concern”!

Happy International Day for #BiologicalDiversity 🌍🪸 For 5 years, the Global Ocean Wildlife Analysis Network (#GOWAN) has been using cameras to improve understanding of marine biodiversity within the UK Overseas Territories. Learn more bit.ly/3WMUV1x #BlueBelt10Years

Happy International Day for #BiologicalDiversity 🌍🪸 For 5 years, the Global Ocean Wildlife Analysis Network (#GOWAN) has been using cameras to improve understanding of marine biodiversity within the UK Overseas Territories. Learn more bit.ly/3WMUV1x #BlueBelt10Years

Happy 100th birthday, Sir David Attenborough! Few people can be credited with championing the oceans like this man. It's safe to say he has inspired almost everyone within the Blue Belt team to follow a path in #MarineConservation and management.

Hear from Inez Januszczak and Jon Ablett @NHM_Science who were the taxonomy team on board the #BeyondTheReef26 expedition! Read their blog and dive into what life is like at sea and how the samples collected will enable future scientific research. bit.ly/4tKVFT5

MMO's Head of Global Marine Jo Stockill spoke at #GSIS2026 and highlighted how our work in supporting UK Overseas Territories @ukgovbluebelt is helping turn governance ambition into practical outcomes.

Hear from Dr Emily Hardman @The_MMO as she explains what happens next after #BeyondTheReef26 and how the data collected will be used to manage marine environments sustainably youtube.com/watch?v=Lv-RQb…

In the #BeyondTheReef26 Expedition, camera tows of the Anguilla Bank revealed a biodiverse mesophotic reef. Listen to Jon Hawes, benthic ecologist on the expedition, talk more about the importance of this reef. Explore each leg of the expedition: bit.ly/4cKKSmf

Discover the breadth of research that can be conducted at the @PitcairnMPA Marine Science Base! Join our webinar where @CefasGovUK scientists will share research case studies and help you explore if your research could be supported. 📆 13/03 | 11am 📍 bit.ly/3Nf9ZTM

The final leg of the #BeyondTheReef26 expedition in the #CaymanIslands is complete. The team mapped 11,000 km² of seafloor, capturing the first images of the Islands' remote offshore banks & revealing a wealth of biodiversity. 🐟🪸 ▶️Read the blog: bit.ly/4bAqbs3

We're so pleased to see our most exciting findings from the #BeyondTheReef26 Expedition featured in the BBC! Read the full article 👉 bbc.in/40R4ttH This expedition is just the beginning of understanding and protecting these remarkable environments.

Unexplored deep-water worlds in the Caribbean revealed for the first time - BBC: “The Cayman Islands, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos are home to 146 species that only live in those territories, and this research expedition should add even more to the list.” 🌊 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

That's a wrap! It's officially the end of the #BeyondTheReef26 expedition. The expedition may be over, but this is only the beginning! We will now begin analysing the data and sharing our findings with our #UKOT partners to support conservation and marine management.

As we enter the last days of the #BeyondTheReef26 Expedition, we'd like to reflect on the Turks and Caicos Islands leg of the expedition. From an unknown ridge to #DeepSea sharks, discover what we learnt here: bit.ly/4qTlyxC

It was great to welcome Governor @JaneOwenCayman, Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Minister of Health, Environment, and Sustainability @caymangovt, & representatives from @doecayman as well as NGOs, schools and the public onboard the RRS James Cook to share our #Beyondthereef26 findings.

From depths of 20 metres down to 700 metres, our tow camera images of Caymans offshore banks have revealed some amazing and healthy looking near-surface, mesophotic and deep water corals. 🪸 🐟 #BeyondTheReef26

Introducing Ogcocephalidae — the batfish 🦇🐟 This round, jelly-faced larva is our 2,000th specimen! A flat, disk-shaped anglerfish, batfish are famous for using their fins to crawl along the seafloor. 📷 Lawrence Eagling @swimming_head

What happens after a CTD comes back on deck? Watch how scientists on the #BeyondTheReef26 expedition collect seawater from the rosette to analyse for oxygen, chlorophyll & salinity. From 5,500m to surface, every sample is helping us to understand ocean health & climate change.

Great to have two seabird experts from @doe_cayman aboard #BeyondTheReef26. They’re collecting data on the rarely documented offshore behaviour of red-footed & brown booby and magnificent frigatebird — species under pressure from climate change, fishing & invasive species.

It's been a busy few days on the Beyond the Reef expedition 🌊 With @doecayman & @NHM_London colleagues, we explored Lawfords & Pickle Bank, finding triggerfish, pufferfish, fangtooth – and a possible sea swimming cucumber at 700m depth. 📷 Lawrence Eagling