World Surfing Reserves is our flagship program at Save The Waves Coalition.
With 14 WSRs and counting, the program is a robust network of local communities working to protect and steward their surf breaks and coastlines.
In this August report of World Surfing Reserves and their recent impact, we’re looking at the progress of 4 individual WSR locations:
- Punta de Lobos, Chile
- Gold Coast, Australia
- North Devon, United Kingdom
- Guarda do Embaú, Brazil
Punta de Lobos, Chile
What makes Punta de Lobos special?
Punta de Lobos is an iconic big-wave. It’s world-famous for its left-hand point break that handles massive Pacific swells, framed by dramatic coastal cliffs, and rich marine biodiversity.
It’s not one feature, but the combination: the geography, the size and consistency of the wave, its ecosystem, its community and traditions built up around the point, the rawness of nature, even a little bit of the madness of the place.
What projects is Punta de Lobos working on?
Parque Punta de Lobos has been operating for 10 years. The first five years was solely focused on the land purchase that forms the park and designing the conservation plan. The last five years have been about building and running the stewardship programs: Ecological Restoration, Park Services & Community Involvement, Environmental Education, and Park & Infrastructure.
Current programmatic focus includes wave modeling and bathymetric studies mapping the seafloor to actually understand (and hopefully help protect) the waves of Pichilemu and Chile. Restoration of native ecosystems we’ve made real progress including planting cactus that has been propagated on site for over 10 years and environmental education where current programs have included over 200 activities.
What is their recent stewardship impact?
→ Recent impact includes over 1,700 native plants and 1,000 square meters of coastal habitat restored with a robust volunteer and environmental education impact with over 6,000 people attending conservation activities. All of Parque Punta de Lobos impact metrics can be viewed in the impact report below.
→ Read their 2025 Impact Report here.
Gold Coast, Australia
What makes the Gold Coast special?
16 Kilometers of world-class waves extending from Burleigh Point to Snapper Rocks. This stretch features world-renowned sand-bottom right-hand point breaks, including the iconic Superbank!
What projects is Gold Coast working on?
The GCWSR is carrying out several new projects including a Surf Quality Monitoring program that will track important data on surf quality, consistency, and use; a Surfing Infrastructure Management plan that will improve surfer safety and experience, and a more robust water quality monitoring and public notification system.
What is their recent stewardship impact?
→ The 2026 World Surfing Conservation Conference in February brought together the global surf conservation community for an impactful forum where hundreds of attendees shared the latest tools, resources, and success stories in surf ecosystem conservation. This event also celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the declaration of the Gold Coast as the 8th World Surfing Reserve
→ The Gold Coast Surf Management Plan was approved and expanded for another 5 years covering important management updates on beach and surf protection, water quality, surf etiquette and engagement with major coastal stakeholders over issues and concerns that can be raised with Council.
→ The innovative addition of a Surfing Infrastructure Master Plan (SIM) was adopted as part of the Surf Management plan review.
→ Water quality progress as the council aims to add 32 additional water testing stations to test and ensure clean water.
North Devon, United Kingdom
What makes North Devon special?
30 kilometers of cold water coastline and blessed with a hugely diverse selection of waves, North Devon is the UK’s first World Surfing Reserve. It encompasses a wide range of beach and reef breaks overlapping with a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. North Devon, although a popular destination for tourists and surfers still manages to maintain its natural beauty and traditional feel.
What projects is North Devon working on?
Water quality is a huge challenge in the UK, and North Devon is no different. In fact, North Devon experiences persistent unhealthy water conditions – despite its World Surfing Reserve status. The WSR has taken a tangible and direct approach in tackling another source of water pollution, by working with local partners to clean up small scale streams and rivers.
The Coastal Rivers Project works with landowners to create interventions in streams, such as leaky dams, reed beds, willow planting and land drain breaking, which all slow the flow of the water across the land. This has numerous benefits – boosting biodiversity, greater carbon sequestration, plastic collection and increased filtering of land pollution carried to the ocean.
What is their recent stewardship impact?
→ The WSR through the Coastal Rivers project has funded and created 27 interventions across the North Devon World Surfing Reserve, helping improve the water quality on Combesgate and Woolacombe beach.
Guarda do Embaú, Brazil
What makes Guarda do Embaú special?
A world-class rivermouth surf break with unique surf culture and identity. Guarda is famous for its left-hand barrel that breaks where the Rio da Madre meets the ocean, adjacent to the Serra do Tabuleiro State Park and a traditional artisanal fishing community.
What projects is Guarda do Embaú working on?
The Guarda do Embaú World Surfing Reserve develops and supports a range of projects focused on the conservation of the surf ecosystem including stewardship and monitoring, environmental education, and the strengthening of community participation in conservation. Their primary focus has been on monitoring and restoring water quality at the Rio Do Madre river – the chief ecological element that sustains the formation of the waves at Guarda – by identifying sources of pollution and supporting environmental management and restoration efforts. The project is carried out in partnership with research institutions and the local community. Along with the water quality focus, Guarda is focused on ensuring the rivermouth is resilient to climate change through the restoration of native plants.
What is their recent stewardship impact?
→ The Reserve’s focus on gathering scientific data through their water quality program has led to community discussions around the development of concrete solutions to preserve the surf ecosystem. The protection of the waves has become a focal point for the preservation of the Atlantic Forest, the Rio da Madre, coastal ecosystems, and local culture, demonstrating that environmental conservation can also generate social, scientific, and economic benefits for the entire community.
Explore all World Surfing Reserves
We have designated 14 WSR sites to date operating under local management in: Australia, Brazil, California, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, El Salvador and the United Kingdom.
