SAMS Strategy: Director Prof Nicholas Owens said there was never a more important time to support marine science research as Scotland develops its Blue Economy, a crucial part of the country’s recovery post-lockdown. A commitment to saving the oceans, Earth’s largest ecosystem, is embedded in the UN Sustainability Goals and, as we approach the UN’s Decade of the Oceans 2021-2030, Prof Owens said society had a responsibility to ensure the ocean was protected for the generations to come.
He said finding the right balance between using and protecting the ocean required a greater understanding of the marine environment than we currently have.
“It falls on the shoulders of the global marine science community to build the essential knowledge, skills and technologies that are missing,” said Prof Owens. “Our strategy shows how we will direct our research, education and partnership working with governments, industry and the public to benefit both society and the natural world. “As the oldest marine research organisation in the United Kingdom we will empower our team of researchers to use their ingenuity in observing, understanding and predicting the changes in our ocean to develop new solutions to the problems of climate change, depletion of marine life, water pollution, waste, and food security. We will encourage them to develop environmentally advanced innovation and commercialisation products to benefit the Blue Economy.”