The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) has launched a new project which aims to bring together the Marine and Coastal Science community in the UK.

In a press release the IES says:

‘This year-long project, ‘Turning the Tide: Systems thinking for a sustainable ocean’, will champion a systems thinking approach to issues affecting the marine and coastal environment. We aim to bring together the marine and coastal science community in the UK through a series of collaborative events and activities including online webinars and forums, article publication and workshop delivery.

We aim to shape the discussions over the next year towards finding a unified voice for the UK’s Marine and Coastal Science community on achieving a sustainable ocean. The year will culminate in the publication of a report on the key findings of the discussions.

We have planned our themes and topics using a systems thinking approach, aligning them with the UN Ocean Decade’s key challenge areas, along with other key topics of interest within the sector:

January – March 2023

• Bridging the gap between land and sea
  • Land use and ocean impacts
  • Examining the land–sea interface
  • Ocean literacy

April – June 2023

• Blue carbon
  • Climate change and the ocean
  • Climate adaptation and protecting biodiversity
  • Carbon credits in the marine environment

July – September 2023

• Blue economy
  • Deep-sea mining and ‘green’ technology
  • Marine net gain and offshore developments
  • Unlocking the sustainable blue economy

October – December 2023

• Marine conservation and restoration
  • Out to sea – Marine Protected Areas in the deep ocean and connecting MPAs
  • Marine pollution
  • Observing, monitoring and restoring marine ecosystems

How to get involved

We have a Marine & Coastal Science Community group for members involved in this sector. The Community is free to join and open to all professional members of the IES. Find out more here and get in touch to join.

If you are interested in staying up to date with the project or collaborating, there is a dedicated mailing list which you can sign up to here.