A new global foundation, ‘Ocean us’, was launched last week with a “game-changing plan” to rebuild the world’s depleted oceans. Its message is that conservation alone is not enough to reverse the planetary impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.
The initiative was developed over five years with the conviction that only science, together with an empowered society, can lead this planetary repair, ‘Ocean us’ said in a press statement. The initiative is supported by some of the world’s prominent marine scientists, including marine ecologist Carlos M. Duarte as chief scientist and coral reef specialist Nancy Knowlton. Its advisory board includes experts from other disciplines such as Steven Pinker, Dan Ariely, Diane Damskey, and Douglas Heintzmann.
The release said ‘Ocean us’ was born out of a new spirit of our time, which it calls “radical hope”, to counter the “doomerism” of much of the global discourse on the climate and biodiversity crises. It begins its shift by stopping the current negative spiral of reduction and setting in motion the positive spiral of abundance. This is reflected in the foundation’s logo, which represents the Fibonacci sequence and symbolizes its exponential rebuilding work.
In her message, ‘Ocean us’ founder Linda Neugebauer said: “The present state of the oceans is changing the rules of the game. Conserving what little is left is no longer enough. We now need to be much more ambitious. We must rebuild the diversity and abundance of the ocean that sustains all life on Earth. It is time to recognize that the ocean is our greatest ally in overcoming climate change and biodiversity loss. And it is the responsibility of today’s adults to build the first sustainable generation, with a healthy ocean as its only foundation!”
The vision of ‘Ocean us’ is “ocean completeness”, which goes beyond resilience, the foundation said in its release. It is about restoring biodiversity as the basis for a fully functioning ocean to secure our sustainable future. ‘Ocean us’ is creating a new global data and network infrastructure to guide this planetary repair. The goal is to improve scientific collaboration, coordinate research, conduct meta-analyses and effectively use data to guide and manage the successful restoration of the planet’s ocean ecosystem.
The release said this approach is necessary because ‘Ocean us’ has set an ambitious goal to begin rebuilding all key marine components by 2050. “All” refers to the nine components that keep the ocean functioning. From the outset, the foundation has developed six global projects covering all nine components: restoring coral reefs, blue forests and native oyster reefs; recovering megafauna and fish stocks; and understanding and protecting the deep ocean. By 2030, all these global projects will be implemented, the release said.
Due to the dramatic urgency, the first global project to be launched is Global Coral Restoration, an industrial-scale restoration plan to prevent the currently projected functional extinction of coral habitats. The initial goal is to restore 9 million sq metres of degraded coral reefs worldwide by 2030, approximately nine times the size of the largest project to date.
In the first phase, ‘Ocean us’ is partnering with CORDAP, or Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform, to advance, implement, and scale up science and technology for effective restoration methods that increase coral resistance to temperature extremes. Special attention will be paid to building capacity and empowering local communities and indigenous peoples, the release said.
Given the alarming state of coral reefs today, ‘Ocean us’ has decided to launch a global campaign called “Last Call for Beauty”, starting next month. The goal is to raise awareness, reach more than 500 million people worldwide, and raise €40 million, or about ₹360 crore. The campaign is being carried out in partnership with McCann and counts on the commitment of major companies.
The plan of ‘Ocean us’ also drives new financing vehicles, since the ocean is alarmingly underfunded. The foundation is pioneering “philanthropy 5.0”, a concept that focuses on impact and creates new hybrid funding models, allowing donors to become “owners of impact”. To this end, it will launch the Ocean Impact Fund this year, with the goal of mobilizing up to $1 billion, or ₹8,300 crore, in investments for ocean restoration by 2030.
Funding was initially provided by founder Neugebauer and generous private donors. It has also recently received support and a donation from Prince Hans-Adam II, ruler of Liechtenstein, and LGT, the private banking and asset management group of the Princely House of Liechtenstein. ‘Ocean us’ is a charitable foundation headquartered in Liechtenstein. It plans to open a branch office in Washington, DC, this year.
Source: PR Newswire
