Leveragign Surfing for Conservation

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As surfing grows in popularity, surf breaks are gaining recognition as important coastal resources with environmental, economic, social, and cultural value. This recognition is driving an increase in efforts to protect surf spots around the globe. However, there have been few attempts to assess the effectiveness of current programs or share learning across initiatives. This report seeks to synthesize lessons from surf conservation programs around the globe and provide thoughtful analysis to help practitioners scale their programs.

This report draws on three key resources for these lessons: 1) Interviews with practitioners; 2) published surf management plans and studies; and 3) peer-reviewed literature directly or tangentially assessing surf resources.

Surf conservation is likely to continue being used as a vehicle for coastal protection and understanding the interconnected aspects of surf resource management are essential for developing plans that simultaneously enhance the human enjoyment of these spaces and defend vulnerable ecosystems against threats. Download the report at the link below.

Acknowldgement: This report was supported by the Surf Conservation Partnership (SCP), a joint initiative between Conservation International and Save the Waves Coalition which seeks to establish a network of surf protected areas (SPAs) around the world.