This World Oceans Day, we are excited to share a major milestone for Ocean Eye. We are launching our first European pilot project in Finland’s Archipelago Sea, bringing together tourism, local communities, and marine conservation in one of the Baltic Sea’s most unique marine environments.
Scheduled to run throughout 2026, the pilot will enable visitors, sailors and marine enthusiasts to contribute valuable biodiversity observations while enjoying the region’s unique marine environment. The initiative aims to strengthen conservation efforts in the Baltic Sea and support long-term ecological restoration through local community participation.
Discover the Archipelago Sea
The Archipelago Sea, located between mainland Finland and the Åland Islands, is part of the Baltic Sea and is home to one of the largest archipelago systems in the world, with thousands of islands and islets. Known for its rich biodiversity and unique brackish-water ecosystem, the region provides important habitats for fish, seabirds, marine mammals, and aquatic vegetation. Despite its ecological significance, the Archipelago Sea faces environmental challenges such as nutrient pollution, habitat degradation, and the impacts of climate change, making it a key area for conservation and restoration efforts in Northern Europe.
During the summer of 2026, pilot activities will be coordinated through partnerships with key regional organisations, the Turku Archipelago Sea Foundation, and the Biosphere Area coordination. Through these collaborations, Ocean Eye aims to create a practical model for integrating tourism experiences with measurable environmental impact and the local community benefits.
“Marine conservation should be participatory, positive, and accessible to everyone,” said Sari Tolvanen. “Every marine excursion can become part of the solution by generating valuable biodiversity data and supporting conservation efforts in the Archipelago sea and communities.”
Ocean Eye first launched operations in Indonesia in 2024, where its platform was successfully deployed across several marine areas in partnership with local communities and conservation organizations. The 2026 Finnish pilot builds on those experiences and adapts the model to the unique environmental and social context of the Baltic Sea, as the first outside of Indonesia location.
Pilot partners include:
The initiative is designed to create a scalable model that can eventually be expanded across the Baltic Sea region and internationally.
The Archipelago Sea pilot showcases how tourism can actively support marine conservation. By engaging visitors in biodiversity monitoring and citizen science, the initiative helps strengthen conservation efforts in the Baltic Sea while fostering greater community involvement in protecting this unique marine ecosystem.