RSS 1.0INTERNATIONAL
Browse by
Sub-communities within this community
-
COP/BMP Aquaculture [18]
-
HistMarDocs [11]
-
UN Ocean Decade [97]
-
WorldFish Center [743]
Collections in this community
Recent Submissions
-
SAMUDRA Report No.91, June 2024The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) has just published the latest issue of SAMUDRA Report, its triannual journal on fisheries, communities and livelehoods. The current edition, SAMUDRA Report No. 91, dated June 2024, is a Special Issue that runs into 110 pages and features a diverse range of articles from several countries like Japan, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, China, Chile and Brazil, among others. A special focus of the issue is the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines) and the process of its implementation in different countries. Also in the spotlight is the 2nd SSF Summit designed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the SSF Guidelines. The Summit is expected to attract up to 300 people primarily representative of not just small-scale fisheries organizations and movements, but also inter-governmental organizations, NGOs and governments, taking into account regional, gender and age balances. The editorial Comment in SAMUDRA Report No. 91 focuses on how a wide range of actors— from civil society organizations to grassroots activists and trade unionists—are rallying around a human rights-based approach to tackle issues plaguing the SSF subsector. The 40th anniversary of the International Conference of Fishworkers and their Supporters (the 1984 Rome Conference) is commemorated in an article titled “Rallying for Collectivism”, while the implementation of the SSF Guidelines is detailed in various country reports that demonstrate how SSF combat poverty, enhance food security and promote sustainable resource use through National Plans of Action. Tenure rights systems that are primarily responsible for the sustainability of fisheries are illustrated in reports from Japan, India, Sri Lanka and China, while a piece from the US shows how permit banks and collective ownership in Alaska return individual fishing rights to the collective. The article from Brazil describes how artisanal fishing communities in the Amazon struggle to maintain traditional ways of life, while another article talks of how ‘parliaments of the sea’ in France can ensure both co-management of marine areas and protection of fishers’ rights. Targeted initiatives can address the systemic inequalities in the fisheries sector of Bangladesh, argues another article, while climate change is the subject of the piece from Antigua and Barbuda which argues that the Caribbean island nation must make its SSF community resilient to the effects of climate-related occurences. A report on a workshop on Latin America and the Caribbean highlights the participants’ global Call for Action for sustainable and equitable small-scale fisheries. A piece on the SSF-LEX database provides information on the legal frameworks governing SSF, while another on the South Pacific Islands points to the relevance of parametric insurance in protecting SSF from the increasing risks of climate change. From Ghana comes an article on the Sankofa Project which investigates the gendered socioeconomic effects of fisheries closures, while a scientific analysis of spawning periods of marine fish resources in India reveals crucial geospatial differences. The recent instances of extreme flooding in Brazil highlights the vulnerability of small-scale fishers to climate-induced disasters, points out another article. The last article in SAMUDRA Report No. 91 is on the L’orient Film Festival in France, a regular affair that stresses how fishing is vital for ocean biodiversity and community livelihoods. The Roundup section of SAMUDRA Report No. 91 carries news snippets, event announcements, briefings on fishery-related matters, and more. SAMUDRA Report No. 91 can be accessed at: https://www.icsf.net/samudra-articles.php?id=10140
-
Samudra Report No.90, December 2023International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), 2023-12The current edition, SAMUDRA Report No. 90, dated December 2023, features a range of articles from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, with a special focus on climate change. The editorial Comment that opens the current issue of SAMUDRA Report argues that adaptive social protection and effective fisheries management can be the best approach to move towards climate-resilient fisheries. The collapse of fish and crab stocks in Alaska, climate change shocks to Bangladesh’s fishing communities, traditional management in Indonesia’s focus on the Blue Economy, how some provinces in Vietnam are using gender to address climate change, selective fishing to protest Peru’s biodiversity, and Japan’s hoary tradition of fishing co-operatives – these are among the many topics covered in SAMUDRA Report No. 90. An article from Chile reports on how small-scale fishing communities are rallying against the new General Fisheries Law, while another from South Africa shows how the regulation of the country’s inland fisheries continues to remain stuck in apartheid practices. Apart from reports on workshops held on the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA) 2022, SAMUDRA Report No. 90 features an interview with a fisher leader from Senegal, the reflections of a 15-year-old girl from Ireland on attending her first fisheries conference, a book review of essays on the human experiences of small-scale fisheries, and obituary notices on Clotilde de Jamblinne, honorary chair of the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements (CFFA). The back-of-the-book Roundup section leads with a story on how COP28 concluded with a historic agreement to try to tackle the climate crisis, and follows up with an excerpt of the outcome of the first global stocktake on climate change. The Infolog section lists new resources available at ICSF (publications, infograpḥics, films) as well as announcements of upcoming fisheries-related meetings and website links.
-
Samudra Report No.89, August 2023The current edition of SAMUDRA Report, No. 89, dated August 2023, features a range of articles from Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the Amazon, as well as an analysis of climate change and fisheries, and a comprehensive look at the Illuminating Hidden Harvests (IHH) report, arguably the most concerted and comprehensive research effort so far to focus exclusively on small-scale fisheries (SSF). Fiji, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Ghana, France, Sri Lanka, India — these are some of the countries covered in the latest edition of SAMUDRA Report. The issue also introduces the IHH report, a global study which mobilized over 800 contributors from around the world to generate and disseminate new evidence about the importance of SSF to inform policy and practice.
-
Yemaya No.69, June 2024Yemaya No. 69, dated June 2024, features articles from Barbados, India, Spain, a regional study focusing on Kenya, Sri Lanka and Cambodia and Women in Fisheries Action plans from ICSF’s IYAFA workshops from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean Islands. A series of regional workshops were held through the years 2022 and 2023 in Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia to mark the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA) 2022. The workshops raised several issues that were common across regions. In these workshops, women fishers discussed the multiple roles they played. Women are active in primary fishing activities, including shore-based subsistence fishing and fishing on boats; they are the main producers of processed fish products; they contribute significantly to fish trade; they provide allied services in sales and transportation. Women in Africa and Asia also participate in fish exports through cross-border trade. However, women’s work is also largely invisible, and lacks recognition by policy makers. The discussions highlighted the need to make the roles of women more visible, through better research into their roles, and improved data collection by the government, The need for capacity building among women was stressed, so that they can gain the skills to be more competitive in the sector. The workshop discussions also noted with concern the persistence of violence that women experienced at homes, in communities, and in their workplaces. The need to ensure greater gender sensitivity, through training, advocacy and positive policy measures was repeatedly stressed. Arguably, the single most important takeaway from the IYAFA workshops was the need for women to organize to gain visibility and amplify their demands.
-
Yemaya No.68, December 2023International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), 2023-12Yemaya No. 68, dated December 2023, features articles from Costa Rica, Chile, Malawi, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana and Southeast Asia on Inland fisheries, fisheries management, fish processing, social capital, gendered economy of dried fish, climate change, women in fisheries profile from Africa, and a review of a book on women in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Asia. Articles from Costa Rica and Chile show, in cases where government support was made available to facilitate women’s participation in decision making in cooperative fisheries groups, it led to improved earnings for women; better representation of women in leadership; and better environmental outcomes. The case study from Malawi shows how important it is for mainstreaming efforts to go beyond the issue of equitable access to markets for women engaged in fish trade, and to include equity in pricing and returns for both women and men. The study also shows the importance of addressing gender biases in the ways in which women and men perceive discrimination. When women’s work receives focused attention, the importance of their contributions to the sector is duly revealed. Several research projects on mapping dried fish presented at the GAF-8 Conference in Kochi in November 2022, shed light on the substantial contributions made by women fishers in postharvest processing and trade. The article from Tamil Nadu in India shows how in families, forced to migrate to larger cities due to dwindling economic opportunities in their native villages, women play significant and cohesive roles within the migrant community, often facilitating financial upscaling and social stability. In the interview with Edithrudith Lukanga, Secretary General of AWFishnet and Technical Advisor at EMEDO, she argues that the challenges women facing are similar across the world but they are contextual. If there are national platforms, then they can amplify their united voice. The Profile column by Peter L.A. looks at how Lydia Sasu became a community leader in Ghana and her work in organizing women in small-scale fisheries in Ghana has received international recognition. In What’s New, Webby? Vishakha Gupta looks at how CAOPA, The African Confederation of Professional Organizations of Artisanal Fisheries launched an exciting new series on its website that captures the stories, lives, struggles, challenges and achievements of women leaders in African fisheries. The Milestones column by Ahana Lakshmi looks at the recently published, Taking Stock: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Climate Commitments: A Global Review and focuses on one key concept –impact. The article highlights the fact that the existing structural drivers of inequality in society are often a tangled web causing non-uniform impacts. Veena N. in the Yemaya Recommends section, points out that the book, Women and Men in Small-scale Fisheries and Aquaculture in Asia seeks to inquire into the forms and implications of gender -based division of labour, analyse the drivers of these differences, and identify entry points and opportunities for addressing inequalities and discriminatory practices. The current issue of Yemaya also carries the ever-popular cartoon strip, “Yemaya Mama”(“This type of smoking is safe and profitable!”).
-
Yemaya No.67, August 2023Yemaya No. 67, dated August 2023, a special issue on GAF8 features articles on the recently held 8th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries-Shaping the Future: Gender Justice for sustainable aquaculture and Fisheries. Held over three days, from 21-23 November 2022 in the city of Kochi in the coastal state of Kerala in India, GAF8 attracted 198 delegates from 26 countries and hosted 70 paper presentations as well as a range of expertly curated audio-visual media events. The presentations at the conference revealed that women in aquaculture and fisheries across the world are putting in long hours of hard labour in conditions that are becoming increasingly more challenging due to climate change impacts and the growing risk of biological and environmental disasters. The dire and long-overdue need for formal recognition of women’s labour emerged as one of the chief recommendations from the conference. Other recommendations include women’s rights of tenure and the management and use of coastal lands; women’s right to receive institutional support and build capacity and entrepreneurship; to have access to food and nutritional security; to live and work in a safe, peaceful and hygienic environment; and to collectivize and organize themselves. Another key recommendation is the need for new approaches to document and analyse gender issues in aquaculture and fisheries, which draw upon political economy, human rights, intersectionality, and transformative, participatory, and gendered value chain concepts, and include standardized tools and methodologies to generate gender-based data. The Profile column by Ashwini Jog looks at how Purnima Meher continues her struggle for the rights of fisherwomen who are facing increasing marginalization due to large-scale development projects that encroach the seas and coastal areas, depriving the fishing community of their primary means of livelihood. The current issue of Yemaya also spotlights Coast 2 Coast which contains information distilled from the collaborative work of a Peruvian community based nonprofit with rural educators and young leaders from public schools, nonprofits and social welfare centers located in inland and coastal small-scale fishing villages in Peru, Nigeria, Madagascar and India. Emi opines that this curriculum would be of great value, especially for the purpose of advocacy and training. The Milestones column by Sivaja Nair looks at the recently published Global Gender GAP Report 2023. The report highlights persistent gender disparities that hinder progress towards a more inclusive and equitable society. She argues that women’s representation in leadership roles and their participation in the workforce remain areas of concern. The Yemaya Recommends section, points out that the book “Achieving Gender Equality at Work” offers a series of comprehensive recommendations aimed at achieving gender equality at work. By addressing the identified challenges and adopting the provided recommendations, societies can create more inclusive and sustainable economies that capitalize on the full potential of both women and men.
-
Yemaya No.66, March 2023Yemaya No. 66, dated March 2023, features articles on IYAFA Asia workshop, National level women in fisheries workshop in Chennai, India, article on gender and marine plastic pollution, report of a panel discussion during the 8th global symposium on gender in aquaculture and fisheries. Kyoko Kusakabe write that gender responsive fisheries require not only changes in fisheries practices but also changes in the daily practices of the community and households. Nivedita Sridhar illustrates the shortcomings of lack of preferential treatment of women in all relevant fisheries policies, legislation and schemes at the State and Union level. The workshop recommended to expand the scope of social protection schemes in fisheries to benefit men and women, especially female-headed and to register and provide licences to all women fishers and fishworkers, including gleaners and develop a database. Veena N. and Kyoko Kusakabe in their article flag some key issues that need further research and analysis to understand the gendered impact of marine plastic on fishing communities in three different dimensions, their fishing activities, post-harvest activities and within the relations in the households. Nilanjana Biswas and Ahana Lakshmi in their symposium report highlights the key issues of women facing today. The symposium discussed whether the discourse on women in fisheries explicitly recognize womens human rights, labour rights, environmental rights, and social impacts. Veena N. in her summary of Building back better from Covid-19 while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development examines how each of the sustainable development goals was based on a vision of a just and equitable world. The report recommends a human right based and gender transformative approach to the implementation of all aspects of the 2030 Agenda. The Profile column by Tracey Lee Dennis looks at how Charmaine Daniels battling several challenges at family level and at fishing level. Charmaine is worried about the fact that how Government policies are depriving fisher women of their dignity. The current issue of Yemaya also spotlights SSF-LEX which contains information distilled from FAOLEX database with a menu specially customised for the SSF Guidelines. Ahana Lakshmi opines that This database would be of great value especially for the purpose of advocacy and lobbying. The Milestones column by Sivaja Nair looks at the recently published gender plan of action of The Global biodiversity framework. The gender plan of action requests national governments and relevant organizations to incorporate the gender plan of action in national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and to include gender-specific indicators in the development of national indicators, collecting data disaggregated by sex, age and other demographic factors and gender indicators. Sokha Eng, in the Yemaya Recommends section, points out that the film, The Unseen faces, Unheard Voices: Women and Aquaculture opines that the gender division of labour and restrictive social norms prevent women from accessing the benefit of the government’s aquacultural initiatives.
-
2022-2023 ECOP Asia Report.The regional node of the ECOP Programme in Asia (hereinafter referred to as “ECOP Asia”) was informally established in June 2021, during the Virtual Early Career Ocean Professionals Day (V.ECOP Day). At the time, ECOP Asia was composed of a dozen volunteer members from countries across East, South and Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines and the Republic of Korea. The core team met on a monthly basis with the aim of connecting interdisciplinary groups of ECOPs across the continent, and sharing knowledge and experience about the recently launched United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (hereinafter referred to as the “UN Ocean Decade”). Members of the informal 2021 ECOP Asia group were particularly active and motivated to spread the word about ECOPs and the UN Ocean Decade. Among other contributions, they circulated the first pan-Asia ECOP survey in early Spring 2021 (with region- and country-specific results available in this report1), celebrated “World Oceans Day” on 8 June 2021 by sharing inspiring testimonials from ECOPs across India (video), made short awareness-raising interventions during online webinars and workshops, and moderated a Decade Action Incubator Session dedicated to ECOPs during the UN Decade Regional Kickoff Conference for the Western Pacific and its Adjacent Areas, a two-day conference co-sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) and its sub-commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC). The latter session provided perspectives on science communication, inviting speakers from different career stages and ocean sectors2 (video recording is available here). On November 2021, the IOC-UNESCO launched a call for individual consultants to support a variety of tasks related to the development of the regional dimensions of the ECOP Programme, seeking coordinators in Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS)3. A regional consultant was subsequently hired for Asia in mid-December 2021 and has remained in this position since then. The hiring process coincided with the official launch of the ECOP Programme website, including dedicated web pages for the first three regional and national ECOP nodes: Africa, Asia and Canada4. By November 2022, a national node in Japan and regional hub in Central America were also established, followed closely by a new regional chapter in the Caribbean. Throughout the first half of 2023, another nine additional national nodes have emerged from all over the world, including in Brazil, Italy, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Senegal, Togo and the United States. Several other ECOP chapters are waiting in the pipeline, currently building their own core teams, drafting concept notes, and engaging with their respective communities (e.g., Australia/New Zealand, Belgium, China, Europe, India, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, Spain and the United Kingdom). Extending from the Middle East all the way to Indonesia in Southeast Asia, and including the Russian Federation5, the ECOP Asia community grew significantly throughout 2022 and in the early months of 2023 (see section I). Figure 1 below provides a non-exhaustive list of 2022 activities and highlights that contributed to the development and expansion of ECOP Asia since the appointment of the regional consultant/coordinator. Table 1 lists more recent updates and achievements since November 2022, including ongoing work in 2023.
-
State of the Ocean Report 2024.The State of the Ocean Report (StOR) has the ambition to inform policymakers about the state of the ocean and to stimulate research and policy actions towards ‘the ocean we need for the future we want’, contributing to the 2030 Agenda and in particular SDG 14, which reads ‘Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources’, as well as other global processes such as the UNFCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Structured around the seven UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Outcomes, the Report provides important information about the achievements of the UN Ocean Decade and, in the longer term, about ocean well-being. The StOR will be used to inform policy and administrative priorities and identify research focus areas that need to be strengthened or developed.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers - Challenge 10: Restoring Society's Relationship with the Ocean.By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge No. 10 will be evidenced through a culture shift in the ocean community leading to implicit understanding that ocean threats are an outcome of human behaviour. This will require a shift in the way that ocean science, in the broad sense as defined in the Decade, is formulated, practiced, and communicated to ensure that all sectors of society have strengthened emotional connections with the ocean, and understand the vital role that the ocean plays in human and planetary well-being, including climate stability. All members of society across regions, sectors, and scales will have increased motivation, capability, and opportunity to make decisions and behave in ways that ensure a healthy ocean. By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge No. 10 will include fulfilment of critical science and knowledge gaps: Increased priority and practice of science that embraces multiple knowledge systems and transdisciplinary collaboration Increased priority of Indigenous-led research, consistent with the supporting articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), inherent rights, and signed treaty obligations with Indigenous Nations Increased priority of marine social sciences, particularly: public perceptions ocean research marine citizenship and identity research behavioural science research linked to ocean-climate education and communications research on how ocean literacy can be measured and monitored over time, and the impacts of an ocean literate society on ocean health research on ocean literacy as a policy tool science communication through multiple approaches including immersive technology, storytelling, and the arts Success will also depend on the generation, sharing, and use of the following priority datasets: human-ocean connection/human-ocean values dataset(s) pro-ocean behaviour change methodologies, case studies, and effective practices impact mapping of regional and key global ocean literacy initiatives ocean culture mapping that includes a global body of evidence (contextual, local knowledge) that demonstrates and supports cultural engagement as an enabler of ocean-human health. It will include the development of: a co-designed theory of change to action key drivers of Challenge 10, in which regional expertise helps guide the initial and ongoing strategic direction of the newly launched Decade Coordinating Office (DCO), Connecting People and Ocean a guiding portfolio of best practices on research co-design, co-production, co-implementation, and co-evaluation, respectfully bridging different forms of knowledge, ensuring mutual recognition and benefits, and nurturing long-term relationships with each other and nature a collaborative global, multi-dimensional ocean literacy survey tool (i.e., Ocean & Society Survey) to measure ocean connection and values, as well as motivators, enablers, barriers to action and behaviour change a global network of ocean communications experts and regional ocean communications communities of practice to support training, accreditation, upskilling, knowledge exchange, and impact measurement a global network of ocean-climate education experts (formal, informal, and non-formal) to support teacher training, certification programmes, and knowledge exchange a Global Blue Schools Network, building off the All-Atlantic and European Blue Schools Networks, to bridge practitioner best practices with research and training a global framework for sharing successful community projects that demonstrate practices and solutions specific to cultural connections, heritage, language, and place-based innovations for ocean-human health.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 9: Skills, Knowledge, Technology, and Participatory Decision-Making for All.Challenge 9 aims to ensure comprehensive capacity development and equitable access to data, information, knowledge, technology, and participatory decision-making across all aspects of ocean science and for all stakeholders. It is based on the understanding that everyone has something to contribute through shared knowledge, resources, ideas, or partnerships. Challenge 9 therefore is focused on equity and justice in access to capacity, resources, and decision making. By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge 9 will be reached when: Technical, transdisciplinary, and transversal skills required by scientists, resource users, educators, communicators, managers, and policymakers, to deliver the Decade’s challenges, are strengthened and evenly distributed with an emphasis on least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and other under-represented groups. Funding mechanisms, multi-directional partnerships, multi-directional partnerships, infrastructure, and technology required to deliver the Decade’s challenges across regions and communities are enhanced and evenly distributed with emphasis on promoting access to LDCs and SIDS and on promoting greater cooperation between regions. Users and stakeholders from currently under-represented groups (i.e., women; ECOPs; Indigenous communities; LDCs and SIDS; people with disabilities; and others) are well-represented and participatory in ocean science, communication, management, decision making, and policy within the Decade framework. Wider promotion of ethically-driven actions and access to open-source software, ocean data, knowledge, and information among different users of the ocean has been achieved, and language barriers/restrictions have been mediated, including sharing knowledge in forms that are well articulated by non-scientific audiences. Recognition for Indigenous and local knowledge and traditional beliefs that promote conservation receives backing by the Decade and is integrated into all the Decade challenges. Success will include fulfilment of the following critical capacity development needs: skills enhancement; representation and meaningful participation; equitable funding; infrastructure; technology; access to data and information; publishing of research findings; better representation of scientists and knowledge from LDCs, SIDS and other under-represented groups in international publications and decision-making bodies and procedures; and promotion of the use of multiple languages in ocean science communication.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 8: Create a digital representation of the ocean.Ocean Decade Challenge 8 of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (the ‘Ocean Decade’) seeks to create an adaptive and dynamic digital representation of the ocean to make the ocean accessible to a broader community, to enhance decision-making and to support sustainable ocean management. While creating a comprehensive digital representation of the Ocean is the ultimate objective of Decade Challenge 8, the focus in this White Paper is on delivering concrete outcomes and the transformational change needed to create the enabling environment and initial digital content, by 2030, that will allow us to fully deliver on the ambitions of Challenge 8 on the longer term. An Implementation Plan (IP) for the Ocean Decade’s Data and Information Strategy is currently under development by the Data Strategy Implementation Group (DSIG). This IP will outline how data systems participating in the Ocean Decade can co-create a distributed, robust, and collaborative ‘digital ecosystem’ that leverages open, scalable, easily implementable, and responsive technologies and management solutions. An interoperable, distributed data and information sharing system must be both deployed and maintained to allow the realization of Challenge 8, addressing specific challenges such as data interoperability, accessibility, and inclusivity. Additionally, potential issues related to data privacy, cybersecurity, and equitable access to technological infrastructure should be addressed to ensure the comprehensive development of the strategic ambition. In developing the Strategic Ambition for Challenge 8, we consider the data and information needs and priorities identified by the other Decade Challenges and their working groups, as our primary users (and contributors), representing as they do the key sustainability challenges for the Decade, and encompassing all relevant stakeholders. Guided by the Decade’s ambition to ‘leave no one behind’ we recognize that this challenge must deliver outputs that are relevant and useful for the global ocean science community, and in fact by extension the widest possible range of users and stakeholders, including the eight billion people on this planet, who should be able to access and use what is delivered by the Decade in ways adapted to their needs and capacities, if so desired. By 2030, the Strategic Ambition for Ocean Decade Challenge 8 is to have in place the enabling environment for the creation of and access to an increasing number of digital representations and twin applications of the Ocean as well as the underpinning data and information needed to develop them, delivering at minimum 10 societally relevant 0global base-layers accessible via a global online Digital Atlas, complemented by a minimum of 10 local use cases (prioritizing SIDS and LDCs) to address challenges in using and contributing to the Decade’s distributed digital ecosystem and to demonstrate and stress test its relevance, effectiveness and inclusiveness.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 7: Sustainably Expand the Global Ocean Observing System.The strategic ambition is to develop an operational, comprehensive, and resourced system that delivers priority observations and information to guide mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change, sustains ocean health within a sustainable blue economy, and facilitates informed decision-making for science, business and society. Such a system is envisioned to be co-designed, fit-for-purpose, multidisciplinary, geographically expanded, responsive, and sustainable in time, delivering ocean observations to all nations and users, prioritising societal needs. Transforming ocean observations into accessible information will require integration across disciplines, across national observing systems, along the value chain, and across stakeholders. Innovative technology approaches and a diversified set of actors and approaches will be required for success. The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) of IOC UNESCO can provide the implementation framework for Challenge 7 and the UN Ocean Decade provides the opportunity and vehicle for transformation. Five recommendations have been identified to fulfil the strategic ambition of Ocean Decade Challenge 7. Act now on known observational needs. Upgrade and expand ocean observing capacity in poorly-observed areas such as polar regions, island nations and territories, coastal areas of developing nations, coastal systems that are rapidly changing, and the under-observed deep ocean. Thematic priorities for ocean observing by 2030 should focus on key climate risk and adaptation needs, extreme events, coastal services for ocean management, ocean carbon, marine pollution, biogeochemistry, and biodiversity. Adopt new economic thinking. Establish new and sustained financing mechanisms for global ocean observing, including resourcing for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Use economic models for ocean investment to diversify and accelerate investment in ocean observing and infrastructure from new actors. Partnerships are key. Increase national, regional and global coordination, focusing on co-design and partnerships. Improved coordination that uses the GOOS framework to ensure standards, best practices for a sustainably expanded GOOS. Diversify partnerships across sectors (economic, public, private, and philanthropic) and embrace the abilities and needs of the different stakeholders to co-design, co-develop, and co-deliver observations that translate into the information required by these sectors. Technology and innovation will be a pillar. Integrate and harmonise observations across observing platforms (in situ, satellite, emerging networks). Develop innovative in situ, autonomous and cost-effective technologies to maximise reach, ensuring standardisation and best practices. Technology barriers still need to be lowered to ensure everyone has equitable access to observing technology and has the ability to use these assets. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools will provide user-ready information from integrated observations to democratise information for users. Expanded, capable, and diversified workforce. Expand and diversify the workforce of skilled and trained ocean professionals. Training and capacity development will be critical across the observing ‘ecosystem’ outlined in the Framework for Ocean Observing (FOO), from data collection to data analysis and modelling, and for data use and application.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 6: Increase Community Resilience to Ocean Hazards.By 2030, successful achievement of Ocean Decade Challenge No. 6 will require demonstrating substantial advancements within the global community towards enhancing their resilience to coastal and ocean hazards. This includes implementing two crucial elements: (1) establishing comprehensive 'people-centered' early warning systems capable of addressing multiple hazards, and (2) devising adaptation strategies that specifically target risks associated with the ocean, including those linked to climate change. These endeavours will play a pivotal role in guiding sustainable practices in ocean planning. Success will also hinge on addressing critical gaps in scientific understanding and knowledge across important components such as risk assessment and risk reduction, in addition to putting in place robust institutional mechanisms for implanting novel solutions that contribute to coastal resilience. Some key elements to be addressed in this context include: (i) gathering and generating observational and modelling datasets relevant to risk assessment, including downscaled climate scenarios for coastal regions, within robust data-sharing frameworks; (ii) promoting interdisciplinary and international research and innovation to tackle challenges comprehensively, with a focus on methodologies like Digital Twin approaches; (iii) improving standards for risk communication at both national and international levels; (iv) fostering partnerships at various scales involving local communities, public and private disaster risk reduction entities, governmental bodies, and academic institutions; (v) building capacity in research and communication to cultivate a shared understanding of coastal resilience strategies; and (vi) enhancing resilient infrastructure and promoting sustainable resource management along coastlines. It is imperative to establish partnerships with existing international UN programs dedicated to disaster risk reduction and coastal resilience. Strengthening connections with UN Decade Actions through Decade Coordination Offices and Decade Collaboration Centers is of utmost importance for effective coordination and collaboration. Based on the above strategic ambition it is also suggested that the formulation of the Ocean Decade Challenge could be modified as follows: Increase community resilience to ocean and coastal risks
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 1: Understand And Beat Marine Pollution.By 2030, the success of Ocean Decade Challenge No.1 ‘Understand and Beat Marine Pollution’ will be demonstrated by the generation of scientifically sound data enabling a holistic understanding of the extent and impact of pollution across the land-ocean continuum, thereby supporting the achievement of a cleaner and healthier ocean where all ecosystems and their inhabitants thrive free from the impacts of marine pollution, allowing for their full functioning and service provision. This success will be based on completion of a comprehensive review of all available evidence about marine pollution, including an analysis of data gaps and the development and implementation of strategies for filling those gaps, as well as a comprehensive analysis of solutions for addressing and preventing the negative effects of marine pollution. Achieving this success will require knitting together existing and new data sets using AI and other technologies, identifying priority pollutants and areas for action, and providing globally consistent monitoring, data collection, storage and sharing protocols. Success will further be demonstrated through the establishment of new connections and partnerships among users across the public - private spectrum that lead to the funding, development and implementation of new technologies and projects aimed at monitoring, controlling, reducing, and/or mitigating marine pollution from any source, including the creation and sustainability of a global network of strategically positioned sentinel stations and regional laboratory hubs for sustained, long-term monitoring of marine pollution. Success will include fulfilment of the following critical knowledge gaps: • a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the impacts of priority pollutants (e.g., pollutants found or expected to emerge in high concentrations, or with high toxicity, or with significant adverse effects on biota or human health) across the land to ocean continuum; • a better understanding of the sources, sinks, fate and impacts of all pollutants, including the pollutants of emerging concern; • improved knowledge on the distribution and impacts of marine pollution, particularly in the Global South and deep ocean waters, which currently represent the largest geographical gaps. and the following priority datasets gaps: • long-term time series of marine pollutants; • baseline and toxicity data of pollutants across the land-ocean continuum; • data on the impacts of the co-occurrence of multiple pollutants; • data on the effects of climate change on the toxicity, bioavailability and impacts of multiple co-existent pollutants. • It will include development of: • a global network of strategically positioned sentinel stations for continuous, long-term monitoring; • cost-effective, real-time monitoring systems and technologies for tracking pollutant sources, distribution, and transfers across the land-ocean continuum; • a global network of regional laboratory hubs focused on generating high-quality data, promoting capacity building and facilitating technology transfer; • training programs on harmonized protocols for the acquisition, reporting and recording of quality-controlled data on marine pollution; • environmentally robust new technologies and processes for the control and mitigation of marine pollution.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 5: Unlock Ocean-Based Solutions to Climate Change.By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge number 5 will be marked by a move toward a more sustainable and climate-resilient ocean that aligns with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. Crucially, the success of Challenge 5 is intricately linked to the outcomes of Challenges 1 to 4, which focus on understanding climate-ocean interactions, controlling marine pollution, conserving biodiversity, and ensuring sustainable food production. Success will include fulfillment of critical science and knowledge gaps with respect to climate adaptation and mitigation. Both approaches need to be addressed in parallel. Key mitigation approaches include the development of marine renewable energies, reduction in marine pollution, the development of blue carbon ecosystems, and marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). Adaptation approaches include increased ocean literacy/awareness; co-designed governance and co-operation; improved risk reduction policies; and improved predictive capability of ocean, climate, and weather forecasts. Challenge 5 was reported as one of the most commonly cited Challenges for knowledge uptake in the Decade. However, important gaps still remain in terms of the geographical scope of the actions under this and other challenges.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 4: Develop a Sustainable and Equitable Ocean Economy.This draft White Paper is one of a series of ten White Papers all of which have been authored by an expert Working Group. Accompanied by a synthesis report authored by the Decade Coordination Unit, it will be discussed at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference before being finalised and published. 1.2 Strategic Ambition of Ocean Decade Challenge No. 4 By 2030, success for Ocean Decade Challenge No. 4: Develop a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, will be marked by significant advancements in establishing a knowledge-driven framework for informed decision-making and policy formulation. There will be enhanced collaboration among stakeholders, ensuring diverse community engagement and equitable benefit sharing while acknowledging and prioritising the culture, identity, and rights of IPLC that have historically depended on and thrived alongside ocean resources. Strategic mobilisation of blue finance will support investments in sustainable coastal and marine infrastructure, innovative technologies, and conservation efforts, reinforcing the economic foundation. Key policies and governance frameworks promoting sustainability and equity will be in place, alongside a balanced and reflective approach, laying the groundwork for a resilient and inclusive ocean economy. This success will be underpinned by improved data accessibility and capacity-sharing efforts, fostering a shared understanding and commitment to sustainable ocean use. Success will include fulfilment of the following critical science and knowledge gaps: addressing the interface between knowledge systems, policy implementation, and public-private partnerships to enable informed decision-making, focusing on biodiversity restoration, protection, and sustainable management as foundational elements of a sustainable and equitable ocean economy, and ensuring the inclusion of local and indigenous knowledge alongside environmental sustainability and social equity. The following priority datasets gaps will be targeted: comprehensive and up-to-date data on both human activities and state of the environment supporting informed and equitable decision-making and ensuring stakeholder and rights holder engagement in data capture and knowledge co-production. It will include robust capacity development and sharing as well as knowledge exchange to deepen understanding of ocean-human activity interconnections, emphasising investment in context-specific education, training, and research programs, and the integration of appropriate technology and innovation to support a sustainable, equitable, and resilient ocean economy and ensuring that future generations can benefit from the ocean's diverse resources and opportunities.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 3: Ocean Contributions to Nourishing the World’s Population.This draft White Paper has been prepared as part of the Vision 2030 process of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (hereafter, Ocean Decade). The Vision 2030 process aims to identify tangible measures of success for each of the ten Ocean Decade Challenges by 2030. From a starting point of existing initiatives underway in the Ocean Decade and beyond, and through a lens of priority user needs, the process determines critical gaps in science and knowledge, needs for capacity development, priority datasets, infrastructure, and technology for each Challenge. Focusing investments in science and knowledge to address these needs will help ensure progress towards meeting each critical Challenge by the end of the Ocean Decade in 2030. The results of the process will contribute to the scoping of future Decade Actions, identification of resource mobilisation priorities, and ensure relevance of the Challenges over time. This draft White Paper is one of a series of ten White Papers, all of which have been authored by an expert Working Group and discussed at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference. A synthesis report, authored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO/IOC), will accompany the White Papers. With a substantial portion of people depending on the ocean as a primary source of nutrition and livelihood, a significant challenge comes into focus: How can we ensure that the ocean's resources continue to effectively nourish an expanding global population? The Ocean Decade responds to this critical concern through its Challenge 3: “Sustainably nourish the global population”.
-
Ocean Decade Vision 2030 White Papers – Challenge 2: Protect and Restore Ecosystems and Biodiversity.This draft White Paper has been prepared as part of the Vision 2030 process being undertaken in the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Vision 2030 process aims to achieve a common and tangible measure of success for each of the ten Ocean Decade Challenges by 2030. From a starting point of existing initiatives underway in the Ocean Decade and beyond, and through a lens of priority user needs, the process determines priority datasets, critical gaps in science and knowledge, and needs in capacity development, infrastructure and technology required for each Challenge to ensure that it can be fulfilled by the end of the Ocean Decade in 2030. The results of the process will contribute to the scoping of future Decade Actions, identification of resource mobilization priorities, and ensuring the ongoing relevance of the Challenges over time. The process identifies achievable recommendations that can be implemented in the context of the Decade, or more broadly before 2030 to achieve the identified strategic ambition and indicators that will be used to measure progress. This draft White Paper is one of a series of ten White Papers all of which have been authored by an expert Working Group. Accompanied by a synthesis report authored by the Decade Coordination Unit, this white paper was discussed at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference (Barcelona. Spain). Input received from diverse groups through public consultation and at the Conference was reviewed and incorporated as relevant.
-
Warm conveyor belt activity over the Pacific: modulation by the Madden–Julian Oscillation and impact on tropical–extratropical teleconnectionsWeather and Climate DynamicsResearch in the last few decades has revealed that rapidly ascending airstreams in extratropical cyclones – socalled warm conveyor belts (WCBs) – play an important role in extratropical atmospheric dynamics. However on the subseasonal timescale, the modulation of their occurrence frequency, henceforth referred to as WCB activity, has so far received little attention. Also, it is not yet clear whether WCB activity may affect tropospheric teleconnection patterns, which constitute a source of predictability on this subseasonal timescale. Using reanalysis data, this study analyzes the modulation of WCB activity by the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO). A key finding is that WCB activity increases significantly over the western North Pacific when the convection of the MJO is located over the Indian Ocean. This increased WCB activity, which is stronger during La Niña conditions, is related to enhanced poleward moisture fluxes driven by the circulation of subtropical Rossby gyres associated with the MJO. In contrast, when the convection of the MJO is located over the western North Pacific, WCB activity increases significantly over the eastern North Pacific. This increase stems from a southward shift and eastward extension of the North Pacific jet stream. However, while these mean increases are significant, individual MJO events exhibit substantial variability, with some events even exhibiting anomalously low WCB activity. Individual events of the same MJO phase with anomalously low WCB activity over the North Pacific tend to be followed by the known canonical teleconnection patterns in the Atlantic–European region; i.e., the occurrence frequency of the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is enhanced when convection of the MJO is located over the Indian Ocean and similarly for the negative phase of the NAO when MJO convection is over the western North Pacific. However, the canonical teleconnection patterns are modified when individual events of the same MJO phase are accompanied by anomalously high WCB activity over the North Pacific. In particular, the link between MJO and the negative phase of the NAO weakens considerably. Reanalysis data and experiments with an idealized general circulation model reveal that this is related to anomalous ridge building over western North America favored by enhanced WCB activity. Overall, our study highlights the potential role of WCBs in shaping tropical–extratropical teleconnection patterns and underlines the importance of representing them adequately in numerical weather prediction models in order to fully exploit the sources of predictability emerging from the tropics.
