SST’s attendance at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, Spain, (which ran from 10 to 12 April) was a highly rewarding experience that enabled us to contribute to global ocean science and knowledge that supports more focused conservation of coastal and marine habitats and the communities that depend on them.
This premier calendar event in ocean science brought together the Ocean Decade community and partners to celebrate achievements three years into the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
Under the theme “Delivering the science we need for the ocean we want”, a major objective of this academic conference was to reflect on the progress made thus far and to accelerate a collective vision with priorities for the remainder of the Decade.
For SST, the final day of the conference was the highlight, as it acknowledged the human dimension, putting people at the centre of the science for a healthy ocean.
As a real-world example of this focus in action, we gave a well-received presentation on our community-based programme, Operation Clean Spot (OCS).
We were proud to have the opportunity to showcase what Africa is doing on the international stage. SST’s work, and OCS in particular, resonates strongly with one of the core Ocean Decade Challenges, which recognises the need to strengthen societal connections with our oceans – and to inspire communities, individuals, and organisations to become proactive in addressing pollution.
OCS speaks to this challenge by helping to understand and map land- and sea-based sources of pollutants and contaminants, and by assessing their potential impact on ocean ecosystems so we can develop solutions to remove or mitigate them.
What further sets OCS apart from many other science-based methodologies is its focus on how people view and interact with pollution. It is this community- and people-driven approach that will facilitate the future implementation of the OCS model throughout Africa.
It is therefore important for SST to become more involved in the Ocean Decade through the Africa Community of Practice (COP) and the African Ocean Decade Taskforce. SST’s close partner WIOMSA is an active participant of both platforms, so we are excited to explore opportunities to collaborate and support in this regard.
The main conference outcome was the Barcelona Statement, which identifies three sets of priorities:
- Ocean knowledge and science generation to inform management decisions;
- Improved infrastructure including for marine pollution monitoring and ocean observations; and
- Cross-cutting issues such as co-designing initiatives and embracing all knowledge systems.
Ten working groups prepared a set of 10 draft white papers, which correspond with the UN Ocean Decade’s 10 Challenges. The white papers identify future priorities for the Ocean Decade to generate knowledge on science-based solutions to biodiversity conservation, climate change, food security, a sustainable ocean economy, pollution, and natural hazards.
Conference participants discussed these papers, and their inputs will be incorporated into the final versions of the white papers, as well as an outcomes document that includes a synthesis of these, by May this year.
SST is particularly grateful for having been given the opportunity to help bridge the data gap between the Global North and Global South. It is only through the sharing of such knowledge and through establishing new alliances and collaborations that we can hope to secure the future health of our oceans, our communities and our planet.
DOWNLOAD THE BARCELONA STATEMENT | SEE THE CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS HERE
