Today, the ocean health is under threat as a result of many pressures imposed by human activities on marine ecosystems, e.g. maritime transport, mass tourism, over-fishing and aquaculture development, eutrophication from agriculture, etc, etc. It is expected that climate change and Blue Growth will further aggravate the situation – if changes do not take place in the way the ocean’s health is internalised into socio-economic development. Addressing these pressures, and shifting current practices and development models to more sustainable ones, require a shift in attitudes and behaviour from all concerned – economic sectors with direct pressures on marine ecosystems, sectors directly or indirectly connected to these up to final consumers, decision makers in charge of the development and implementation of the overall policy framework, actual and future citizens electing policy makers, etc. It is assumed that: (a) enhanced Ocean Literacy – i.e. a better understanding of the links between human (my own) activities and the ocean to be in a position to make informed decisions accounting for impacts, on, and opportunities from, the ocean – is a key component of changing development models and behaviour; and,(b) Ocean Literacy is for all sectors of society that need, individually and collectively,to make change happen.
How can we support Ocean Literacy for all? How to develop ocean literacy (with which pre-conditions) so it is effective in supporting changes in perception, attitude and behaviour towards more sustainable management of the ocean? How to assess the impacts/effectiveness of Ocean Literacy initiatives so as to gain better understanding and experience on “what works” – and be able to share and demonstrate the importance of Ocean Literacy?
These are questions that guided ResponSEAble in investigating Ocean Literacy challenges and solutions. Recognising the importance of a collective shift in attitude and behaviour, ResponSEAble addressed different segments of society – children and citizens, but also business & professionals, media, policy makers…. Its overall objective was to investigate and enhance ocean literacy in Europe, supporting the co-development of Ocean Literacy tools/products targeting different audiences, while identfying policy recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of ocean literacy initiatives.
