Aspen High Seas Initiative

The Aspen High Seas Initiative was a dynamic, interdisciplinary program that brought the ocean community and world leaders together to sustainably manage and protect the health of our planet’s ocean, including the High Seas, our greatest and most neglected global commons. Using the convening power of the Aspen Institute to advance ocean health and the wellbeing of people and communities that depend on ocean and coastal resources, the Initiative leveraged Aspen’s reputation for non-partisanship and balance, its vast international and domestic network of potential new ocean champions, and the multiple disciplines in which Aspen works. In doing so, the Initiative raised awareness of how ocean ecosystems affect everyone on this planet, and advanced actions that improve management of our ocean and coasts to ensure they continue to provide the vital goods and services on which all of us rely.