All-Atlantic forum focuses on impact-oriented ocean science

The 2023 All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Forum held in Cape Town on 21 and 22 November 2023 saw two new members, Norway and the United Kingdom (UK), join the Alliance, which is working to ensure a healthy ocean for the communities that depend on it.

Co-hosted by South Africa's Department of Science and Innovation and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, the AAORIA Forum built on the success of the 2022 Forum, held in Washington, DC, at which partner countries signed a new declaration stating their recognition of a shared commitment to advancing marine research and building on previous cross-Atlantic collaborations.  The original signatories of the declaration were Argentina, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, the European Union, Morocco, South Africa and the United States of America. 

AAORIA is a science diplomacy effort involving countries from all sides of the Atlantic Ocean.  It aims to enhance marine research and innovation cooperation along and across the Atlantic Ocean to help address climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, ecosystem protection and restoration, and sustainable and inclusive ocean economies.

The Forum took stock of the success and challenges of programmes and initiatives contributing to the implementation of the Galway and Belém Statements, and help to shape Atlantic Ocean research and innovation cooperation in alignment with global commitments such as the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

The Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation and the Belém Statement on Atlantic Research and Innovation Cooperation were signed in Ireland in 2013 and Lisbon in 2017, respectively.

Among other things, the Galway Statement recognises the importance of the Atlantic Ocean to human health and well-being, adapting to climate and other environmental change, building national and regional economies, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.  It also acknowledges that the best available science and ongoing international cooperation in ocean science and observation are necessary to inform decisions affecting the Atlantic Ocean.

The Belém Statement is a joint declaration on cooperation between the European Union, Brazil and South Africa, and reflects a significant move towards a joined up, integrated approach to Atlantic Ocean research and innovation.

Representing Norway as a new member of the Alliance, Mr Eivind Lorentzen, Senior Ocean Policy Adviser at the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, expressed gratitude for the remarkable efforts already made, stating that the Norway was connected to the Atlantic countries because of its shared commitment to healthy and productive oceans, as well as a common understanding that oceans are under stress.

"Knowledge is key to delivering policies that ensure healthy and productive oceans, and AAORIA is a significant provider of such knowledge," noted Lorentzen.

He told the forum that Norway had direct responsibility for a substantial part of the North-East Atlantic, and that Norwegian institutes and agencies were already participating in projects under AAORIA.

"Full Norwegian participation opens opportunities for a deeper and wider engagement, which we wholeheartedly embrace … We will continue to invest in Atlantic-related ocean research through our national programmes and institutions, and through bilateral cooperation such as we enjoy with South Africa and with several of the other AAORIA members," he said.

Norway committed to providing dedicated personnel and to aligning its national and bilateral ocean research and mapping instruments with the AAORIA research and innovation agenda.

Prof. Gideon Henderson, the Chief Scientific Advisor at the UK's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said that, as a former member of the European Union (EU), the UK was a keen supporter of both the Galway and Belém statements.

"We acknowledge the leadership of the EU and other nations in bringing the Alliance together, and now growing and evolving it to include innovation and think about the solutions space," Henderson said.

He added that the UK recognised the importance of science, social science and innovation in solving today's big challenges, which have a significant impact on the oceans, while the oceans play an important role in solving them.

Standing in for Dr Phil Mjwara, the Director-General of South Africa's Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), Mr Imraan Patel, the Deputy Director-General for Research Development and Support at the DSI, welcomed the Alliance's new partners and stated that South Africa was proud of the contribution it had made in facilitating much needed growth in All-Atlantic cooperation and impact, starting with the first All-Atlantic Ocean Research Forum hosted by Brazil in July 2018.

The 2018 Forum brought research players together and gave them an opportunity to look at possible collaborations.  This resulted in several joint research projects, which were generously sponsored by the European Commission.

The All-Atlantic Ocean Youth Ambassadors (AAOYA) programme was launched in Galway, also in 2018, to provide opportunities for young people in member countries to assist in tackling key social challenges and to engage the global community.

Patel commended the partners' strong commitment to facilitating effective involvement, participation and leadership by young people, and expressed confidence that the youth would position themselves at the forefront of conversations shaping the way forward.

The 2023 AAORIA Forum saw further commitment to enhancing solution-based and impact-focused ocean science, particularly for community benefit, and a showcase for successful collaborations.  Discussions emphasised the importance of addressing difficulties at local and regional levels throughout the Atlantic Ocean basin, and of taking intersection with the polar seas into account.

The programme also featured sessions focusing on the All-Atlantic Blue Schools Network Initiative, the Ocean Sciences New Generation of Academics Programme and the establishment of an All-Atlantic plastic hub to work on microplastics.

While work will continue in all areas of the All-Atlantic Declaration, the AAORIA High-Level Board agreed that there should be a focus on two areas of action.

The first is increasing our understanding of the relationship between the Atlantic and the climate, and developing outcome-oriented science for mitigating and adapting to the consequences of climate change, particularly in respect of increasing the resilience of coastal communities.

The second is coordinating Atlantic Ocean observations and improving modelling capacities to support marine ecosystems and biodiversity, among other things.

Ms Sandra Kramer, EU Ambassador to South Africa, said that the Alliance was a good example of a global approach to research and innovation, which enabled the acceleration of scientific progress through the pooling of resources and the nurturing of vibrant innovation ecosystems.

She noted that wider recognition of the oceans' role was due largely to the efforts of the scientific world and communities of scientists such AAORIA.  This was vital for the planet's survival as, "without a healthy ocean, people's very survival as a species is jeopardised".