Marine conservation delegates from around the world join BioEcoOcean to co-create the Blueprint for Integrated Ocean Science

On 13 October 2024, the BioEcoOcean project organized a successful Focus Group session on “Co-Creating a Blueprint for Integrated Ocean Science: Fostering Collaboration for a Sustainable Future''. The full-day event was held as part of the 7th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC7) which takes place in Cape Town, South Africa, on 13-17 October 2024.

Fourteen delegates in marine conservation from across Africa, Asia, North America and Europe came together to share their unique perspectives on how to maximize the value of our ocean observations, and this way co-create the Blueprint for Integrated Ocean Science - our project’s flagship product which we expect to finalize and launch publicly by the end of 2027.

During a couple of hours of discussions in plenary and breakout groups, we took a deep dive into discussing the challenges of working within and across the different elements of the ocean observing value chain. By sharing their unique experiences from various case studies ranging from shark conservation efforts in the Maldives to monitoring Marine Protected Areas in the UK, we gained important insights into key obstacles preventing better coordination and communication in the marine conservation community. The discussions and recommendations provided by the Focus Group members will now be used to shape the next iteration of the Blueprint.

The Focus Group was organized by Project Coordinator Lina Mtwana Nordlund (Uppsala University, Sweden) and Artur Palacz (IO PAN, Poland) who are also scheduled to present their research at the 7IMCC Conference later this week.