As a global Ocean conservation charity, it’s important to work with others around the world to try to forward our efforts collaboratively.

Nicola Bridge, our Head of Ocean Advocacy and Engagement is part of many different collectives, working groups and committees on behalf of our charity.

Take a look at some of them below.

EMSEA

We are proud to be a UK supporter of the European Marine Science Educators’ Association. EMSEA brings together educators and scientists from across Europe and beyond to share expertise and information, and currently, Nicola Bridge, our Head of Ocean Advocacy and Engagement, is President of the network.

As such, she is directly contributing to Ocean education across Europe, and was part of the team who secured a Horizon 2020 funding bid, entitled Ocean Literacy 4 All, which aims to raise Ocean literacy across Europe.  EMSEA’s role will be to coordinate a network of Blue Schools across Europe – a perfect fit with the Ocean Conservation Trust’s goal of creating an Ocean literate society.

Nicola Bridge president of the EMSEA network

Ocean Literacy Working Group

The Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) has formed an Ocean Literacy Working Group with grateful support from Defra (Department For Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The group brings together experts from across the UK to understand how Ocean Literacy could be used to support Ocean Climate policy in the future.

The working group will support Defra, acting as a sounding board for Ocean Literacy packages ahead of ocean events throughout 2021, such as the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, and beyond. The Working Group will develop Ocean Literacy advice, policy, events, programmes and stewardship opportunities across the UK to play a more significant role during the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021/2030).

The working group hopes to redefine Ocean Literacy, so it offers everyone ways to get involved in marine conservation and see the Ocean’s future as their own. Part of the Group’s first work will be to understand where to best target Ocean Literacy resources within the next decade.

The groups efforts so far…

A review was commissioned by the Ocean Conservation Trust (OCT) to study the link between Ocean literacy and behaviour change with policy recommendations on how this relationship can be improved in the future.

The evidence synthesis review is titled ‘Understanding Ocean Literacy and Ocean Climate-related behaviour change in the UK’. 

The main aim for the work was to see how Ocean literacy can more effectively connect the public with Ocean and Climate and what is missing from its current definition. The OCT is extremely happy to hear this news as we strive to connect people with the Ocean. We inspire our supporters to love the Ocean by offering immersive experiences both on and off the water. We have been building this grass roots campaign for the past two decades and we are happy that the report findings back up our conservation pathway.
We hope this review encourages scientists, NGO’s, governments and teachers to include emotional connection as an Ocean Literacy development tool. It will be an important focus at the beginning of the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021/2030), a decade to work together to support our oceans. Review of Ocean LiteracyDownload

UN Ocean Decade

At the Ocean Conservation Trust, we are passionate that the next decade must catalase action to protect our Ocean’s future.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly announced the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) in December 2017.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone to reverse the cycle of decline in Ocean health and ensure Ocean science can fully support countries in achieving the sustainable development of Ocean.

We endorse the UN statement of: The Ocean We Need for the Future We Want – and at the Ocean Conservation Trust, will play a leading National role in promoting Ocean Literacy throughout the decade.

Our behaviour change and habitat restoration focus ensures that we are in consistent support of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org

We are Ocean Collective

In 2016 Nicola Bridge our Head of Ocean Advocacy and Engagement alongside Stephen King from the Wild Network and Sue Ranger from the Marine Conservation Society came together and created We Are Ocean.

We are Ocean is a collective of organisations, aligned with shared objectives of increasing Ocean Literacy and effective collaboration. In accelerating Ocean Literacy we will live in a society that understands the importance of the ocean to humankind, can talk about the ocean in a meaningful way and are able to make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources.

We come together for events, Ocean hacks, networking and more. Take a look at this film produced and funded by the fantastic Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation all about our work so far.

To get involved or find out more about We Are Ocean, click here.