With most Australians living by the coast on a vast island continent, it’s no surprise that we love being in and on the ocean. But understanding our individual and collective impact on the ocean and its role in our lives and wellbeing is an important motivation for us to support ocean conservation efforts.
Ocean literacy is an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean – and it empowers communities to communicate meaningfully about the ocean and make informed decisions about the ocean and its resources.
This need for ocean literacy is increasing in Australia and abroad as our oceans are changing, and researchers are calling for a national strategy to safeguard the ocean and its ecosystems.
In a study published in Oceans and Society researchers from University of Tasmania’s Centre for Marine Socioecology (CMS) and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), with colleagues from across Australia, outline a roadmap to advance ocean literacy for ocean sustainability.
“Most Australians live near the coast, but many are disconnected from what’s happening on and under the water,” said co-lead author, Dr Rachel Kelly, who is a marine socioecologist at IMAS and CMS.
"Improving ocean literacy means connecting people to the ocean and supporting the choices and actions needed to secure a sustainable future for Australia’s oceans."
Dr Kelly said progressing ocean literacy nationally will require cooperative and integrated efforts across sectors.
“We anticipate the next steps for progressing ocean literacy will include supporting ocean learning and education, engaging communities at all levels, fostering cross‐sector collaboration on connecting people to the ocean, and building strong and actionable policy and funding frameworks to ensure long‐term impact,” Dr Kelly said.
“We need to work together to develop a national ocean literacy strategy that will guide and structure these efforts and establish an Australian ocean literacy coalition to facilitate research, cross‐sector collaboration and implementation in practice.”
Co-lead author Dr Prue Francis, a marine scientist from Deakin University, said the Australian coalition will lead collaborative initiatives to raise awareness and inspire action to protect the marine environment.
“Ocean literacy needs to be advanced across diverse parts of society, including in decision‐making, if it is to effectively contribute to ocean sustainability,” Dr Francis said.
“We’re involved in efforts to grow Australian ocean literacy with state and federal-level decision-makers, including the National Marine Science Strategy 2025-2030 which will be released later this year. A key focus needs to be embedding ocean literacy in ocean policies.”
Professor Gretta Pecl AM, co-author, climate change expert and Director of CMS, added: “Australia has almost 14 million square kilometres of marine waters, in three of the world’s four major oceans, and a coastline of more than 30,000 kilometres.”
“Yet, these ecosystems are threatened by human activities and the impacts of climate change. It’s important that we develop diverse approaches for advancing ocean literacy under sustainability objectives.”
Cover image: Credit Jordan Robbins | Ocean Image Bank