The Marine Life 2030 UN Ocean Decade Programme is involved in a series of events at the 2024 UN Ocean Decade Conference.
The 2024 Ocean Decade Conference will officially occur in Barcelona from 10 – 12 April 2024 at the Barcelona International Convention Centre (CCIB).
Between the afternoon of the 10 April and the morning of the 12 April, the event will cover the full range of Ocean Decade Challenges (structured on four main programmatic sessions), bringing together the global Ocean Decade community and partners to celebrate, evaluate progress, and set joint priorities on the roadmap to 2030.
A series of satellite events will occur over five days before and on the sidelines of the Conference. On-site satellite events will take place at the main venue and will be open to all registered participants in the conference. Additionally, from 8 to 9 April, several off-site satellite events open to the public will take place in different alternative locations in Barcelona. These events will provide additional forums for discussion, networking and knowledge sharing.
The Marine Life 2030 UN Ocean Decade endorsed programme is involved in several events. Check them below and join us in person.
Main Programme
In-person sessions only for registered participants at the UNODC
Barcelona International Convention Centre – CCIB
🌊Plenary Session 1: Science and Solutions for a Clean, Healthy and Resilient Ocean
Parallel Session: Challenge 2 Protect and Restore Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Session 1- Science and Solutions for a Clean, Health and Resilient Ocean will focus on Challenges 1, 2 and 5 – Marine Pollution, Ecosystems and Ocean-Climate Nexus. Following, the Challenge 2 Parallel session (16:30-18:00 CET) will be hosted in two break-out rooms, focusing on Challenge 2. These discussions will focus on a deeper exploration of Challenge 2 featuring a diverse panel of experts, including scientists, policymakers, and societal stakeholders. This discussion will draw from the insights shared in the plenary but also into the more specialized findings presented in the WPs.
🗓 Wednesday, April 10th. 15:00 to 18:00 CET
📍 Challenge 2 Parallel Sessions 1.3 Atlantic Ocean Room (Area 06) & Session 1.4. Baltic Sea Room (122/123)
✉️ Aileen Tan: aileen@usm.my; Frank Muller-Karger: carib@usf.edu
Satellite events on-site
In-person events only for registered participants at the UNODC
Barcelona International Convention Centre – CCIB
🌊 How will UN Ocean Decade programmes on biological observations address the Vision 2030 recommendations for Challenge 2: Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity?
This workshop aims to bring together the communities contributing to two major UN Ocean Decade (UNOD) programmes addressing biological and biodiversity observations in the ocean and coastal waters: the Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON) and Marine Life 2030 (ML2030). While the UNOD is now developing a broad (and growing) portfolio of projects that are grouped under broader thematic programmes, there has so far been little scope for interaction and collaboration between programmes. This joint event will explore recommendations of the Challenge 2 White paper, supporting common solutions for collective impact.
Host: Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO).
Co-hosts: AIR Centre, Scripps, USF, INVEMAR, Universiti Sains Malaysia, EMBRC.
🗓 Wednesday, April 10th. 13:15 to 14:45 CET
📍Caribbean Sea Room (124+125)
✉️Sophie Seeyave: ssve@pml.ac.uk
🗣️ Marine Life 2030 Panel Presentation: Frank Muller-Karger.
🌊 Ocean insights: Marine ecosystem modelling and new technologies for tomorrow´s climate decisions
Climate change challenges how marine ecosystems are managed and conserved. Addressing this challenge requires scientific innovation, transformational advances, and collaborative approaches to support effective management and policy-making. Join the FAO and NOAA in presenting the FAO-FishMIP (Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Model Intercomparison Project) technical paper on marine ecosystem modelling applications and NOAA’s ASTER^3 (Advanced Sampling Technology for Extinction Risk Reduction and Recovery) as Ocean Decade Actions. This workshop will highlight international collaboration and engage discussion on the latest scientific developments to conserve and restore ecosystems, assess and reduce ecological and socio-economic risks, and to inform climate-smart solutions.
Hosts: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
🗓 Thursday, April 11th. 13:15 to 14:45 CET
📍 Mediterranean Sea Room (129+130)
✉️ Tarûb Bahri: tarub.bahri@fao.org; Camilla Novaglio: camilla.novaglio@fao.org; Lindsey Stadler: Lindsey.Stadler@noaa.gov.
🗣️ Marine Life 2030 Panel Presentation: Claudia Baron-Aguilar (University of South Florida) – Weaving traditional knowledge through technology: Limitations and needs.
Posters
Posters will be displayed at CCIB coffee break areas.
📄 The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON): A community of practice to coordinate marine life observations and advance the goals of the UN Ocean Decade.
🖌️ Joana Soares (AIR Centre)
📄 Tracing a vision for Challenge 2 of the UN Ocean Decade of Science for Sustainable Development: co-design to support conservation, restoration, and equitable development.
🖌️ Frank Muller-Karger (University of South Florida)
Satellite events off-site
🌊 Connecting the world around ocean prediction: A vision for the Decade and beyond
This event aims to catalyze action and facilitate collaborations to effectively respond to evolving ocean conditions, aligning with the “Predicted Ocean” objective of the Ocean Decade. Throughout this event, the OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Center (DCC) will convene stakeholders in ocean forecasting and applications to deliberate on the future of ocean prediction. Panels will delve into OceanPrediction DCC objectives and initiatives, as well as innovations and advancements in ocean forecasting. As an integral part of the Ocean Decade initiative, the OceanPrediction DCC offers a global platform for all stakeholders, fostering dialogue and encouraging innovation in the realm of digital ocean solutions.
Hosts: OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Center, GEO Blue Planet
🗓 Monday, April 8th. 15:00 to 19:00 CET
📍 World Trade Center, Port Vell room
✉️ Enrique Alvarez Fanjul: ealvarez@mercator-ocean.fr
🗣️ Marine Life 2030 Panel Presentation: Frank Muller-Karger (University of South Florida) – Prediction of Marine Biodiversity to support society: thoughts on requirements.
🌊 Ocean Decade MPA Forum: Marine Protected Areas: Progress, obstacles, and solutions
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are the lynchpin of ocean conservation. As we move towards our target of effectively protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, we need to focus more on the “effectively” part of the equation. This forum, hosted by a myriad of organisations working across the globe, will take the form of a hybrid workshop-symposium, and will explore four cross-cutting themes over the two days: (1) What seemingly insurmountable obstacles are we facing?; (2) What best practices have we developed to ensure effective implementation of existing MPAs?; (3) What solutions to obstacles have we found that may be useful to other areas?; and (4) How can we scale up and mutually strengthen our projects, and how can we maintain the momentum of community engagement?
🗓 Monday & Tuesday, April 8-9th. 0900 to 18:00 CET
📍 World Trade Center, Auditorium. Port Hub.
✉️ Alex Hearn: ahearn@usfq.edu.ec
🖊️ Registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-Zex7XEXC8fykvJ7ls4XXLjk-vZr6iLX_pFgYKL2liE/
🗣️ Marine Life 2030 represented by “Somos OceanoS” – Veronica Relano. “Letters to the Sea” will be permanently exhibited during the MPA Ocean Decade Forum. The documentary “The Spirit of Our Sea” will be part of the session on the 8th of April, being streamed at 17:30 CET.
🌊 Advancing a biodiversity-positive offshore renewable energy transition
Due to the growing use of marine space and associated environmental pressures, we need a holistic multi-objective approach to planning and managing our ocean. This includes delivering Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) projects that support both climate and biodiversity goals. To this end, the UN Global Compact, Ørsted and The Nature Conservancy convened a workshop series with a multi-sector group of stakeholders to establish requirements to deliver ORE with net-positive biodiversity impact. This panel will discuss the results of this work, its relevance to Ocean Decade biodiversity objectives and programmes, and how to drive global action on the twin crises for climate and biodiversity.
Hosts: Ørsted and Fugro.
🗓 Tuesday, April 9th. 15:00 to 16:30 CET
📍 Marie Curie, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona. Sea Hub.
✉️ Amy Finlayson: REMME@orsted.com; David Millar: dmillar@fugro.com
🗣️ Marine Life 2030 Panel Discussion: Frank Muller-Karger.
