last commercial gillnet licence on the northern Great Barrier Reef - and promptly retired it, effectively creating a 100,000km2 safe haven for turtles, dugongs and dolphins. Now we're calling on the Australian and Queensland governments to permanently protect the area as well as create more official net-free zones. BUILDING STRONG PARTNERSHIPS Partnerships are fundamental to our ocean work - not least our partnerships with coastal communities. WWF has worked alongside coastal communities for decades, but our Coastal Communities Initiative is scaling up these activities to have even greater impact. In 120 sites across 29 countries, we've supported community-led management of more than 270,000km2 of coastal habitat. This inclusive conservation work has benefited more than 300,000 people directly and some 2.1 million people indirectly. 31 © Antonio Busiello / WWF-UShttps://updates.panda.org/new-wildlife-refuge-in-australian-waters https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/oceans_practice/coastal_community_led_conservation/