Ocean Voices at the 7th International Marine Conservation Congress

Ocean Voices at the 7th International Marine Conservation Congress which took place in Cape Town, South Africa, from October 13 to 18.

Author: Dr. Marjo Vierros
From left to right: Ms Sheena Talma, Ms. Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy, and Dr. Marjo Vierros
From left to right: Ms Sheena Talma, Ms. Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy, and Dr. Marjo Vierros

 

Ocean Voices members were busy at the 7th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC), which took place in Cape Town, South Africa, from October 13 to 18. The IMCC is organized by the Society for Conservation Biology Marine Program and is held every two years. 

In a busy schedule of ocean-related meetings, IMCC is unique in being the largest interdisciplinary ocean conservation meeting in the world. Their stated goal is to bring together most of the key ocean stakeholder groups to discuss important conservation issues. The participants are not only academic scientists, but also include environmental advocates, educators, practitioners, government officials, representatives from industry, artists, and concerned citizens. This provides for rich discussions that cross disciplines and bring in multiple perspectives. The IMCC’s approach also contributes towards finding solutions to ocean problems that are relevant and effective by drawing from different viewpoints and – often – multiple knowledge systems. With its South African location, IMCC-7 was particularly powerful in highlighting marine conservation work in Africa, be it from a community, scientist or government perspective.

The key Ocean Voices event at the IMCC was a symposium titled “Beyond the status quo: defining and enabling a sustainable deep-ocean blue economy”. The symposium was organized by Ocean Voices Advisory Group member, Dr. Diva Amon. The symposium explored the largely unrestrained expansion of human activities and associated impacts threatening the unique, important and fragile deep ocean. With deep-ocean ecosystems already affected by climate change, fisheries and pollution, and with new threats on the horizon, this is a critical juncture for stewarding Earth’s ocean. Through multiple speakers, the symposium explored what a truly equitable and sustainable deep-sea blue economy would look like in a rapidly changing world. These discussions are important to undertake now, before many deep-sea activities begin in earnest. 

Ms. Sheena Talma, an Ocean Voices fellow alumni and currently a PhD student at University of Oxford, introduced and moderated the session. Dr. Joachim Claudet from CNRS, France, emphasized the importance of including the ocean’s 3rd dimension – depth – in marine conservation targets. Dr. Diva Amon discussed the rapidly expanding human activities in the deep sea, including their sustainability, equity and economic considerations, as well as issues and challenges unique to a blue economy in the deep ocean. Dr. Juliano Palacios Abrantes from the University of British Columbia discussed climate change and fisheries, highlighting how a sustainable blue economy in the deep sea requires addressing shifts in the distribution of internationally shared marine fish stocks. Dr. Marjo Vierros, Head of Science-Policy Research at Ocean Voices, argued that blue economy in the deep sea takes place in the context of human cultural values and activities, and introduced a new project to map intangible cultural heritage in the deep ocean. Dr. Lucy Woodall, University of Oxford, discussed the important role of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) in fostering collaboration across academic disciplines to advance policy and science across a range of issues and processes.

Ultimately, the symposium’s organizers and participants hoped that the symposium, and the work that follows from it, has the potential to lead to scientifically informed, holistic decision-making and management of economic activities in the deep sea. In the long term, this can put us on the path towards a sustained healthy and resilient deep ocean.

Ocean Voices was also active across other symposia, with Sheena Talma and Diva Amon presenting on issues such as high seas biodiversity and connectivity to coasts and people, as well as the need to protect the deep ocean beyond national jurisdiction. In addition, new Ocean Voices fellow, Ms. Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy from Madagascar, provided two presentations, one on Madagascar’s small scale fishing communities as guardians of the ocean, and another one on fostering legal recognition for Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) in the Western Indian Ocean. The topic of LMMAs will also be part of her Ocean Voices fellowship research.

Overall, IMCC-7 more than exceeded its aim in bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders working in marine conservation, and facilitating an exchange of ideas and solutions that were as diverse and creative as the participants themselves. The IMCC succeeded in being a conference that left participants feeling hopeful of the potential for change in how we relate to and manage our common ocean. 

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