UNOC3 Side Event launches strategic partnership for Ocean Research and Capacity Building
A significant step forward in international marine science cooperation was achieved on June 12 as Portuguese-speaking African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) committed to establishing Centers of Excellence in Marine Sciences. The initiative, presented during the official UNOC3 side event “Strengthening Marine Science and Capacity Building through the Establishment of Centers of Excellence in Portuguese-Speaking African SIDS,” was led by Cabo Verde’s Ministry of the Sea and Instituto do Mar (IMar) with support from the AIR Centre.
The comprehensive partnership brings together four island nations—Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste—alongside UNESCO’s SIDS Section and Germany’s GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The collaboration aims to leverage existing scientific knowledge, regional infrastructure, and international cooperation to address critical oceanic challenges facing these vulnerable island communities.
The session gathered distinguished participation from key government officials and scientific leaders, underscoring the initiative’s strategic importance. Ministers from three African nations participated: H.E. Jorge Santos, Minister of Sea of Cabo Verde; H.E. Nilda Borges da Mata, Minister of Environment, Youth, Sustainable Tourism of São Tomé and Príncipe; and H.E. Viriato Soares Cassamá, Minister of Environment, Biodiversity, and Climate Action of Guinea-Bissau.
International organizations were represented by Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanography Commission (IOC) and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, and Professor Dr. Katja Matthes, Director of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. The AIR Centre’s Executive Director Miguel Miranda and Yara Rodrigues, Board Member of Instituto do Mar – IMar (Cabo Verde), also participated in the discussions.
The initiative focuses on five strategic areas critical to building sustainable marine science capacity: strategic partnerships for blue science and innovation, youth capacity building with a dedicated focus on gender equality, evidence-based decision making for marine management, enhanced access to marine data and technologies, and fostering community innovation alongside regional cooperation.
The Centers of Excellence are designed to empower these communities with the knowledge, tools, and expertise needed to protect their marine environments while developing sustainable blue economies.
This represents a significant milestone in South-South cooperation, combining regional expertise with international scientific support to address some of the most pressing oceanic challenges facing island nations in the Atlantic and beyond.
ONWARD Webinar 10 – On the trail of a frog killer: tracking amphibian chytridiomycosis by using lateral-flow technology
On January 19, 2023, 2-3 PM UTC, we are honoured to have Dr. Michael Dillon (University of Plymouth) on our ONWARD Webinar Series. Michael will lecture on On the trail of a frog killer: tracking amphibian chytridiomycosis by using lateral-flow technology. The waterborne fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is responsible for the biggest documented loss of nature from a single disease. It causes chytridiomycosis, a catastrophic disease of amphibians responsible for pushing over 501 species of amphibian towards extinction. Rapid identification of the disease and biosecurity are essential to prevent further spread, but current laboratory-based tests are laborious, costly and ill-suited to field testing in resource limited settings. Here, we describe the generation of a point-of-care diagnostic device specific to Bd and the related salamander pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal).
Surveys on the use of national public marine data – An OECD initiative, in partnership with DGPM, FCT and GOOS.
Bio-GO-SHIP: Expanding biological ocean observations for plankton ecosystem science and monitoring to the global scale
On December 9th, 2022, 1-2 PM UTC we will have the Marine Biodiversity Networking Friday on Bio-GO-SHIP: Expanding biological ocean observations for plankton ecosystem science and monitoring to the global scale. Global-scale Ocean observing programs such as JGOFS, WOCE, and GO-SHIP have been operational since the late 1970s and have provided invaluable insights into changes in ocean heat content, oxygen loss, ventilation, and penetration of anthropogenic carbon. However, there has been no such global-scale monitoring of the upper ocean plankton community and metabolism, which are fundamental in driving important biogeochemical cycles.