Earlier this month, the Blue Pangolin Consulting team was in Vancouver, Canada, for IMPAC5, the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress – the global conference bringing together ocean conservation professionals from around the world to advance the global ocean protection agenda.
To mark this occasion we are pleased to announce that Tom Dallison, Senior Project Manager, was selected as one of 15 global ocean professionals to join the prestigious Young Professionals Committee for IMPAC). Chosen from over 100 international applicants, Tom’s selection reflects his commitment to advancing marine protection and fostering inclusive, forward-looking ocean governance.
IMPAC5, brought together more than 3,500 participants from 128 countries, including Indigenous leaders, policy-makers, scientists, practitioners, and young professionals. Co-hosted by the Government of Canada, British Columbia, and Host First Nations, and organised under the auspices of IUCN, the congress served as a major milestone in global efforts to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 — the widely endorsed 30×30 target.
The Young Professionals Committee was established as a central pillar of IMPAC5’s structure to ensure the next generation of ocean leaders helped shape the event. The 15 committee members, all aged between 18 and 35, were selected for their leadership in marine conservation, commitment to equity, and potential to drive long-term impact.
As a member of the committee, Tom played a central role in contributing to key thematic streams, including marine governance, biodiversity conservation, and blue economy transitions. He supported the delivery of youth-led sessions, networking activities, and mentorship events and participated in intergenerational dialogues, helping to steer the congress’ legacy framework to ensure long-term youth engagement beyond IMPAC5. Furthermore, Tom was also invited to attend a high-level roundtable discussion, during the Leadership Forum of IMPAC5, focusing on the Blue Economy and driving sustainable financing for Ocean systems.
Beyond Tom’s selection, Blue Pangolin Consulting’s presence at IMPAC5 reflected the breadth and depth of its global portfolio. As a consultancy supporting governments, coalitions and institutions on marine policy, monitoring, governance, and finance, Blue Pangolin brought practical experience to congress discussions on MPAs, sustainable finance, and climate-resilient coastal management. This included the presentation of the Marine Mammals Management Toolkit, across two sessions, developed under the Marine Mammal Twinning as part of the EU Ocean Governance 4 MPAs, led by GOPA Worldwide Consultants, to over 50 MPA managers and decision makers.
Through our involvement, we supported the international dialogue around equitable marine protection, helped connect emerging leaders with policy platforms, and contributed to a vision for ocean governance that is evidence-based, inclusive, and actionable.
As Blue Pangolin continues to work at the intersection of science, policy and practice, we are proud of the role our team played at IMPAC5 to advance ocean solutions to support transformative action across the marine space.
The Blue Pangolin team recognises, and thanks, the Host First Nations – xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ(Tsleil-Waututh) – for welcoming us to their traditional territories for this Congress.
Read the IMPAC5 summary here.
