Future Seas 2030: pathways to sustainability for the UN Ocean Decade and beyond

Abstract

on more than 'just' additional data and knowledge. Moreover, public support for science appears at an all-time low (Kreps and Kriner 2020) and the sciencepolicy gap is growing (Cvitanovic and Hobday 2018). "The ocean we need for the future we want" requires scientists and decision-makers to identify how to facilitate the use of available science and encourage the uptake of behaviours and the implementation of policies-at individual, local and global scales-that will leverage greater environmental benefit. This Future Seas 2030 Special Issue is the product of a large-scale inter and transdisciplinary collaboration that includes ecologists, psychologists, public health and education experts, philosophers, oceanographers, climate modelers, economists, social scientists, engineers, mathematicians, natural resource managers and information and communications technology researchers, as well as governance, ethics, finance and insurance, and law and policy experts from 12 countries and 25 nationalities. A unique and fundamentally important aspect was the involvement and collaboration with Traditional knowledge holders and Indigenous scholars and Elders from 13 First Nations around the world through a Traditional and Indigenous Peoples' Working Group.Collectively, this Special Issue explores possible futures for our oceans by 2030 for a series of 'key' societal challenges, from climate change, food security and biodiversity, through to issues of ocean governance, ocean literacy and the blue economy. Most papers explore a 'business-as-usual' future-what

Reciprocal knowledge exchange between climate-driven species redistribution and invasion ecology

“…Both fields would benefit from further research into potential barriers that may be limiting reciprocal exchange of theories, concepts, frameworks and ideas. Applying principles of co-design (e.g., sharing knowledge through networks and mentorship, providing cross-boundary training and opportunities, and incentivising and celebrating knowledge codesign) (Satterthwaite et al 2022), will facilitate the dissemination and use of available knowledge (Pecl et al 2022), allowing scientists and decisionmakers to develop innovative policies and solutions that optimise environmental benefit (or at the very least, minimise harm).…”

Oceans of plenty? Challenges, advancements, and future directions for the provision of evidence-based fisheries management advice

“…Despite strides in managing the world’s marine resources, several stressors have received renewed attention as potential impediments to sustainable use, including climate change, loss of biological diversity, and socioeconomic inequities. Management bodies worldwide increasingly acknowledge these challenges and are implementing novel approaches to engage stakeholders and citizens in fisheries management (e.g., the inauguration of the United Nation’s ‘Ocean Decade’ in 2021; Pecl et al 2022 ). Moreover, recent advances across scientific disciplines and the expansion of modeling tools suggests there are opportunities for synergism to address these challenges.…”