On June 8, 2022, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) endorsed nine projects as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Six of those are nestled under the Marine Life 2030 program, including the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN).
The ocean is under threat from climate change, marine pollution, and biodiversity loss — issues that prompted UNESCO to call for an ‘Ocean Decade’ committed to the communication and advancement of conservation science.
OTN will be addressing three specific challenges identified by UNESCO, including the protection and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity, expansion of the global ocean observing system for the delivery of actionable data and information, and equitable access to data and information across all aspects of ocean science.
OTN’s contributions to the Ocean Decade will help advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., conservation and management of ocean and marine resources) that have formed the basis for Dalhousie University’s signature research clusters.
“We’re proud to leverage OTN’s infrastructure and partnerships to contribute to the Ocean Decade,” says OTN’s executive director, Fred Whoriskey.
“Effective conservation policy and sustainable use of the ocean’s biological resources is dependent on scientists’ ability to understand marine ecosystems. By collecting and sharing data on aquatic species and environments, OTN and its collaborators are working towards a healthier and more resilient ocean.”
This endorsement is a testament to the contributions of OTN partner nodes and collaborators across the globe, including the FACT Network, US Animal Telemetry Network, Integrated Marine Observing System – Animal Tracking, European Telemetry Network, and the Acoustic Tracking Array Platform.
To learn more about Marine Life 2030, please visit: https://marinelife2030.org/
Written by Amelia St. John with contributions from OTN staff