Regional workshop – Western Tropical Atlantic – UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development 2021- 2030: Regional Workshop for the Western Tropical Atlantic

April 28th and 29th, 2020. Organized and transmitted by UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) Program of the Virtual Meeting in Mexico City The main objective of this Regional Consultation is to facilitate dialogue and discussion for experts and stakeholders to define the scientific priorities for the Western Tropical Atlantic region for the UN Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 and to engage and identify new and broader stakeholders and partnerships. This meeting is part of point 13 of the Work Plan of the Pro Tempore Presidency of Mexico at the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) “Sustainable Management of the Oceans”, which aims to identify the main regional and sub-regional needs to contribute to the countering of the effects of climate change and promote the blue economy.

Opening / Welcome

• High authorities appreciated the participation of experts, decision makers and representatives of civil society, stressing the importance of this dialogue in view of the Decade of Ocean Sciences (2021-2030), which aims to have a Plan of Action on ocean management that will allow science to be used to have clean, resilient, safe, productive, transparent and accessible oceans. To this end, they stressed the importance of coordinating inter and transdisciplinary efforts to achieve the goals set out in Agenda 2030.
• On behalf of the Mexican Government, the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Martha Delgado, sent a message to the audience thanking all the people who for two days would be refining the Regional Action Plan for the decade. She highlighted that the workshop was promoted by the Mexican Government in coordination with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), within the framework of the 2020 Pro Tempore Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which includes among its 14 work areas the Sustainable Management of the Oceans, a regional priority, mainly for the Caribbean nations that make up the community.

Working Group 1: A clean ocean where sources of pollution are identified, quantified and reduced and pollutants are removed from the ocean

• Experts pointed out the pressing need for science focused on creating well-being in nations, with an introspective approach, focused on local needs, inclusive, participatory, with a gender perspective, that includes youth, that includes private sector, and promotes partnerships.
• As an introduction, the existing international instruments that consider the protection of oceans such as the Cartagena Convention and the main Summits on International Environmental Law were recalled. In addition, it was highlighted that an ocean that is not clean not only affects the environment, but also tourism, fishing activity and underwater ecosystems, making it necessary to take action to clean up the oceans.
• The dumping of nitrogen (610 tons) and phosphorus (100,000 tons) and its adverse effects such as the increasing production of sargassum that has invaded the beaches of the Greater Caribbean in recent years were highlighted. Finally, they pointed out that the cleaning up of the oceans must be accompanied by the promotion of blue and circular economy in order to promote sustainability.

Working Group 2: A healthy and resilient ocean in which marine ecosystems are mapped and protected, multiple impacts including climate change are measured and reduced, and ocean ecosystem delivery is maintained.

• The Wild Caribbean is the most diverse and complex sub-region in terms of marine resources and ecosystems. In addition, the effects of environmental degradation affect the economy, tourism, fisheries, mining, hydrocarbons and services. The lack of information has led to the deprivation of decision makers on environmental issues, hence the need to build bridges between academia and Governments and to promote the exchange of information on the matter.
• As a result of the accelerated climate change in recent years, natural phenomena have occurred with greater frequency and intensity. Therefore, priority will be given to research on deep oceans, promoting academic cooperation among higher education institutions. That needs a more active participation by the private sector as it is one of the actors most affected by the impacts of climate change and also one of the main responsible of environmental deterioration.

Working Group 3: A predicted ocean whereby society has the capacity to understand current and future ocean conditions, forecast their change and impact on human wellbeing and livelihoods

• The need to further explore and understand the deep ocean was highlighted, since due to its vast volume it is not properly observed or fully understood.
• The importance of carrying out a more complete scientific analysis of the ocean, including physical and chemical issues, as well as biological investigations that allow more reliable explanations of its current condition and the changes we are experiencing were discussed.
• It was also pointed out that it is particularly important that global models that concentrate information obtained from oceans take into account small islands.
• The need to promote dialogue between scientists, policy-makers, decision-makers, civil society organizations and ocean companies for the identification and development of engaged approaches to solutions for the sustainability of the oceans.

Working Group 4: A safe ocean whereby human communities are protected from ocean hazards and where the safety of operations at sea and on the coast is ensured.

• The need for solving ocean problems such as hurricanes, storm surges, tsunamis, harmful algal blooms (such as sargassum) or coastal erosion was highlighted, which are devastating for coastal communities and small island States, as they cause economic problems and the loss of human lives.
• Research aimed at reducing ocean problems through adaptation, mitigation and assessment of social and physical limitations will be promoted. It will help to better identify natural changes that are caused by humans.
• The importance of education and training on these issues was also highlighted, since knowledge by the population helps us to reduce consequences of ocean hazards.

• The need for a transparent ocean that facilitates access to privileged information that is useful for decision-making was addressed.
• Emphasis was placed on the need to create initiatives in the Greater Caribbean region, based on those that already exist so as not to start from scratch.
• The importance of establishing research alliances for decision-making involving scientists, governments, companies, academies and young people was discussed.
• The need for open data, better knowledge of the environment, standardization of good practices and information to society was highlighted.
• Finally, the importance of taking into account the basic needs of indigenous communities was highlighted, and it was emphasized that not all are equal.

Panel on cross-cutting issues

• Transparent ocean: it is one that can not only be exploited, described and understood, but also one where open data allows everyone to benefit from information and help sustainable development.
• The challenge is to establish information exchange protocols, the data of which can be located, accessible, interoperable and reusable.
• The strengthening of public-private alliances between different sectors involved.
• The importance of involving the social sciences was also highlighted, through interdisciplinary work on oceanographic issues that historical and archaeological research can contribute, in order to avoid maritime accidents. Likewise, the association of accidents with weather events was discussed.