– Source:Our oceans are in trouble. Catches from many of the world’s fisheries are declining, with some fishing practices destroying enormous areas of the sea bed. Habitat loss through coastal development threatens many coastal ecosystems including estuaries and mangroves, which are vital nurseries for many fish species.
Pollution is another threat, killing animals and damaging habitats. Climate change is also affecting the ocean. Excess carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean is making them more acidic, harming marine animals and plants. The ocean is getting warmer, coral reefs are dying and sea levels are rising.
The ocean is also enjoying the most attention it has ever received. The United Nations declared this the decade of the ocean, a time to produce all the research and policy needed to inform actions and generate funding for global projects to protect and restore the oceans. Sir David Attenborough produced a new documentary called Ocean, and World Ocean Day is celebrated every year.
But how does this translate into action? There is a clear disconnect between what leaders say in public forums such as United Nations conferences and what happens on the water in practice. While awareness has been raised, not enough has been done to create ways for people to take action.
I’ve researched the ocean for 30 years, investigating how to change people’s behaviour towards nature and how they learn about the ocean.
I have identified key research-based interventions that would help mobilise interest and action around saving the world’s seas.
Humans are the cause of the oceans’ problems – but humans are also the only solution. These key areas would help close the gap between understanding the problem and taking action to solve it:
arming people with knowledge about the ocean
community engagement with people most affected by the degradation of the ocean: people living along the coast and in small island countries and Indigenous ocean communities who rely on the oceans for their livelihoods and culture
inspiring people to care for the ocean. Many people are unaware of the role of the ocean in their daily lives. From the air we breathe to the food we eat and the relatively stable climate we have enjoyed, human survival depends on a healthy ocean. Helping people to experience the ocean – in person along the coast, under the waves, in an aquarium or by watching documentary films – can ignite a spark of wonder and care for the ocean.
For most of history, the ocean was regarded as a common resource from which everyone could benefit. Now it needs to be looked at as a common responsibility. We all need to care for it for our very survival.
What needs to be done
Knowledge: Opportunities for everyone to learn about the ocean across formal and informal channels.
Formal education in schools and informal communication efforts must include direct linkages between inland and the ocean. South Africa is one of the few countries in Africa to have a marine science curriculum for senior school learners to study the ocean. But this is not offered in most schools.
Building an ocean literacy network made up of communication experts, educators, the media, aquariums and museums, scientists, science communicators, Indigenous leaders, communities, conservation agencies, non-profit organisations, artists and others would help generate interest and build groups of people who can come up with the best ways to talk about saving the oceans.
Expertise: Enhancing ocean protection requires expertise from multiple disciplines. These include the natural sciences, marine social sciences, behavioural science, education, science communication, social-based marketing and Indigenous knowledge systems.
Working together across different disciplines to develop effective strategies, researchers and communicators can work to ensure that the multiple values and services of the ocean for human well-being are widely understood.
Sharing research with people through effective science communication is a vital step that is often missed. Encouragingly, more and more young scientists are eager to share their work widely.
Deep community engagement: Recognising traditional and Indigenous knowledge, respecting local leadership and hearing community voices are all critical. For example, in the Western Indian Ocean, community led projects support thousands of communities and protect large areas of the coast. They work closely with fishers, empowering them to manage their own ocean resources.
Individual choices matter: It is easy to blame politicians and huge corporations for many of the crises we face, and they both have a massive role to play. However, individuals also have the power to support campaigns that lobby for more marine protected areas. Reducing consumption of unsustainable seafood, single use plastics, electricity and fuel also protects the oceans.
Innovative social research can reveal answers to questions about what people value and need, and find ways to increase motivation, capability, and opportunity for people to behave in ways that ensure a healthy ocean.
Government action: The governments of island nations are at the forefront of the ocean crisis. They are experiencing problems caused by rising sea levels and a warming ocean and are taking action to protect oceans.
Collaboration between government authorities responsible for ocean protection in the rest of the world and non-profit organisations, scientists and community members needs to be strengthened. This will ensure better cooperation and coordinated decision-making and management.
For example, community supported marine protected areas benefit local people and marine life. These benefits range from improved catches from the spillover of fish into adjacent exploited areas to employment opportunities.
Judy Mann-Lang works for Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and is a co-founder of the Marine Protected Areas Day.
By Judy Mann-Lang, Conservation Strategist, Oceanographic Research Institute (South African Association for Marine Biological Research)
