Volunteers restoring a riverbank in Pune

Marine conservation begins inland

You don’t need a coast to become an ocean ally.

From Pune’s rivers to India’s coastline, we turn awareness into practical action through education, research and community-led restoration.

Support our work Explore programmes

Pune, Maharashtra · Since 2022

Healthy oceans begin with informed communities—wherever they live.

About Ocean Ally

Bridging the divide between city and sea.

“The plastic that enters a river in Pune can eventually reach a coral reef.”

We connect students, researchers, policy makers, businesses and communities to build practical responses to plastic pollution, habitat loss and climate change.

Research, education and advocacy come together in every programme. Our goal is simple: make ocean stewardship possible for everyone, not only those who live along the coast.

2022Founded in Pune

06Flagship programmes

80GTax-exempt giving

The river-to-ocean story

What happens upstream never stays upstream.

Our inland waterways are arteries of the ocean. That connection shapes everything we teach, study and restore.

01It begins in the city

Plastic, waste and runoff enter local rivers.

02It travels downstream

Waterways carry what they collect toward the coast.

03It reaches marine life

Pollution settles in habitats and moves through food chains.

04So action starts inland

Education and restoration upstream protect ecosystems downstream.

What we do

Six ways we turn concern into action.

Each programme connects knowledge with participation—from expert conversations to hands-on river restoration.

Microphone ready for an expert conversation

PROGRAMME 01

Rajan Vir Webinar Series

Maritime experts make ocean knowledge accessible across India and in regional languages.

Host or join a session

Students working together in a learning environment

PROGRAMME 02

Ocean Guardians

A leadership retreat where students build resilience through restoration and marine response training.

Bring it to your campus

Ocean Ally Foundation volunteers after a river cleanup drive

PROGRAMME 03

River Cleanup Drives

Community action that combines waste removal with lasting river-to-ocean awareness.

Join the next drive

Audience attending a professional seminar

PROGRAMME 04

Kinaara Annual Seminar

Scientists, policy makers and community leaders turn evidence into practical strategy.

Partner with Kinaara

Sunbeams passing through clear ocean water

PROGRAMME 05

Arribada Newsletter

Research, field stories, art and clear ways for every reader to support ocean recovery.

Read and contribute

Scientific samples representing research-led learning

PROGRAMME 06

Guest Lectures

Experts bring marine science and climate action into schools, colleges and workplaces.

Request a lecture

Ocean Ally Foundation presentsArribadaStories from the blue planet · Issue 08

The knowledge hub

Ideas arrive together.

Named after the mass nesting of sea turtles, Arribada carries research updates, conservation milestones and community stories to curious readers everywhere.

We welcome articles, poems, photographs, illustrations, infographics, educational resources and sustainability ideas.

People behind the mission