The Ocean Elders, a collective of global visionaries dedicated to protecting the ocean and its wildlife, have announced the addition of two remarkable women to their ranks: Kristine Tompkins, President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation, and Lavinia Currier, filmmaker, philanthropist, and environmental activist. Together, they bring decades of leadership in conservation, creativity, and courage to one of the planet’s most distinguished coalitions for environmental stewardship.
Kristine Tompkins: A Legacy of Wild Beauty Restored
Few individuals have reshaped the geography of conservation like Kristine Tompkins. As the former CEO of Patagonia and the driving force behind Tompkins Conservation, she has spent more than thirty years working to protect and rewild South America’s most iconic landscapes. Alongside her late husband, Douglas Tompkins, she has helped safeguard over 15 million acres of parklands in Chile and Argentina — one of the largest private land donations in history.
Through Rewilding Argentina and Rewilding Chile, Tompkins has helped create or expand 15 national parks, including marine sanctuaries, and reintroduced species once lost to extinction: from jaguars and giant river otters in Argentina to Darwin’s rheas and the endangered huemul deer in Chile.
A former Patron for Protected Areas at the UN Environment Programme, Tompkins has inspired a generation of environmentalists and philanthropists to see nature not as a casualty of progress, but as the foundation for prosperity. She was the first conservationist to receive the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, a recognition of her extraordinary impact.
Lavinia Currier: Storytelling for a Living Planet
Lavinia Currier has spent her life at the intersection of art, activism, and ecology. From attending the first Earth Day as a child in New York City to directing the Saint Francis Day Celebration of the Animals at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, her creative journey has always honored nature as sacred.
Through her Sacharuna Foundation, established in the 1980s, Currier has championed Indigenous Peoples and protected ecosystems across the Pacific, Central Africa, and the Tibetan Plateau. Her films — including Passion in the Desert and Oka! — explore the delicate balance between humanity and nature, while her most recent documentary, Deep Trouble (2023), co-created with Sylvia Earle and Yo-Yo Ma, shines a spotlight on the urgent threats of deep-sea mining.
A recipient of the Light of Truth Award from the Dalai Lama, Currier has worked hands-on with conservation projects worldwide — from volunteering on a Sea Shepherd vessel in the South Pacific to helping reintroduce wolves, wolverines, bison, and river otters to her family’s land in Colorado. On her home island of Molokai, Hawaii, she leads efforts to restore native forests, protect seabirds, and combat ocean plastics.
Guardians of the Ocean’s Future
With Tompkins and Currier joining the Ocean Elders, the group deepens its already formidable leadership in advancing ocean and planetary conservation. Their appointments come at a pivotal time as nations and organizations race to meet global biodiversity targets and safeguard 30 percent of the planet by 2030.
Both women embody the spirit of the Ocean Elders — a blend of activism, philanthropy, and storytelling that galvanizes action across borders and generations. Their work underscores a shared conviction: that protecting the ocean and its interconnected ecosystems is not only a moral imperative but a pathway to peace, prosperity, and resilience.
Related Content: Ocean Elders Unite: Two Global Leaders Join the “Avengers” of the Sea
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