“The greatest gift was growing up with the example of a sense of purpose,” says Alexandra Cousteau, senior advisor to Oceana, founder of the ocean restoration platform, Oceans 2050 and granddaughter and daughter, of course, to the incredibly renowned Jacques and Philippe Cousteau. Which makes her somewhat ‘ocean royalty’ in many respects.

“It was the sense of purpose that my father had, that my grandfather had, that people in this world have – this incredible sense of purpose. And I feel really fortunate for that,” she continues.

She’s talking – believe it or not – about fisheries legislation. A subject that quite possible, and possibly quite understandably would have – at first, to a younger version of herself – seemed a million miles away from the glamour, the lifestyle, the excitement of ocean exploration for which her grandfather made his name.

But that’s just the thing with being a Cousteau – it transpires – that the legacy of the name is as strong as the evolutionary path it follows from generation to generation. For her grandfather, Cousteau meant ocean explorer; for her father it means ocean conservation – an area in which he pioneered and transformed before dying too young in his 40s. For Alexandra, it’s all about ocean restoration.

“When I first thought of fisheries legislation I looked at it and thought… it looks kinda dry,” Cousteau explains. “But when you get into it… it’s just so fascinating. That’s the thing with your sense of purpose, you can’t know what your purpose is unless you learn and try something. The more you know about things, the more interesting they become – and that’s the gift of knowledge.”

Oasis in Space was the series created by her father in which he interviewed some of the earliest thinkers in conservation – names like Carl Sagan – before it had even become a thing. It was this that broke new ground in bringing the concept of nature conservation to the general public in an effective way. The concept was eventually accepted by Alexandra’s grandfather, Jacques “who picked it up and moved it forward” after his son died.

Moving that conversation forward one generation later, and today, Alexandra’s mission is in ocean restoration – be that in coral, seagrasses, or coastal restoration. It’s a means – she believes – of bridging the gap between camps, driving consensus between the ‘us’ and the ‘them’ that some schools of thought subscribe to. Instead, for Cousteau ‘restoration’ is about embracing both sides of the argument to “find common ground and move the positive action forward.”

“At the end of the day, whether your a conservationists, a fisher, or a businessman – nobody wants to be living on a dying planet with empty seas,” says Cousteau. “But it’s about finding the approach to restoration that makes everybody feel involved in the same conversation.”

For the past 14 years, Alexandra has been working as a senior advisor to the US ocean advocacy group, Oceana with whom she has travelled the world to be a part in conversations around ocean policy-building and restoration projects, lending a supporting voice to coastal communities and campaigns all in the name of ocean protection. It’s a position that has brought her a great deal of joy.

It’s also shown her that there’s a great deal of hope and plenty to be optimistic about. Which is precisely what she’ll be heading into the United Nations Ocean Conference with when things kick off in Nice next week.

Check out the Ocean News Podcast Ocean Interview with Alexandra Cousteau here.