The 3rd International Conference on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning will be held on
March 27, 2024
Marine Debris, Sargassum and Marine Spatial Planning in the Eastern Caribbean
with the generous support of The Nippon Foundation
about the programme
The World Maritime University WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute is pleased to implement with the generous support of The Nippon Foundation, The "Closing the Circle" Programme: Exploring challenges and advancing potential solutions to marine debris, sargassum threats and marine spatial planning (MSP) in Small Island Developing States with a particular focus on the Eastern Caribbean region. Read more and download the Programme Brochure here.
The Eastern Caribbean region is host to a number of small island developing states (SIDS) who heavily depend on the ecosystem services from the ocean for their social and economic development. A healthy ocean ecosystem is a prerequisite for two of the most important economic sectors sustaining these countries i.e. tourism and fisheries.
Human derived marine debris is by volume the greatest pollutant of the world's oceans. In the Caribbean, marine debris amounts triple the global average, according to a World Bank Report from 2019. Marine debris has adverse impacts on marine habitats and species, has potential human health implications and causes widespread social and economic problems. Plastic marine debris may persist 500 years or more creating an inter-generational problem of daunting scale that requires interdisciplinary approaches to be solved as well as implementation of new technological innovations.
Additionally, the Eastern Caribbean region has recently faced a mounting problem from vast beach strandings of the normally oceanic seaweed Sargassum. The combination of marine debris and Sargassum seaweed has resulted in a wicked problem causing untold ecological impact and socioeconomic hardship for these SIDS that are highly dependent on tourism. Marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged as a new approach to holistically plan and manage ocean space and resources. It moves away from the traditional sector based management of the ocean to an integrated approach that recognises multiple stakeholder needs as well as the impact of human activities on the marine ecosystem.
Some of the countries in the Eastern Caribbean have taken steps towards development of MSP by carrying out habitat mapping as well as stakeholder consultations.
Focus and outline
4 PhD Candidates,
1 Research Fellow
Research and Capacity building
Onsite
Training
Stakeholder
Collaboration
The Team
Doctor
(Bahamas)
Area of Research
Assessing the Budget We Need for the Ocean We Want: A cost-benefit analysis of marine debris monitoring interventions for beaches in the Wider Caribbean Region.
Doctor
(Grenada)
Area of Research
Using cross-boundary transformative partnerships for knowledge transfer and to bridge the gap between science and policy in combating marine litter
Doctor
(Antigua & Barbuda)
Area of Research
The Problem of Abandoned, Lost and Otherwise Discarded Gear Associated with Small-Scale Fisheries in the Eastern Caribbean: Understanding the Challenges, Defining Solutions
Doctor
(Barbados)
Area of Research
Spatiotemporal analyses of sargassum influx events
Research Fellow
(Trinidad And Tobago)
Area of Research
Marine Spatial Planning in the Eastern Caribbean, including governance and institutional arrangements for national and regional transboundary planning.
Director, WMU-Sasakawa
Global Ocean Institute
Dalhousie University
Assistant Professor (Research/OSGM), Principal Investigator, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Programme and Operations Manager, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Former Head of Research and Co-PI, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Assistant Professor (Research/OSGM), Principal Investigator, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Sustainable Fisheries Management, Ocean Biodiversity and Marine Spatial Planning, PhD Supervisor
Project and Operations Assistant, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Associate Professor (Research/OSGM),
WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, PhD Co-Supervisor,
Carlo-Schmid-Program Fellow
Director, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Head of Research, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Sustainable Fisheries Management, Ocean Biodiversity and Marine Spatial Planning
External Co-Supervisor,
Marine Environmental Protection, Dalhousie University
Associate Research Officer, Programme Principal Investigator, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
Research Associate
Project Engagement and Implementation Officer, WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute
news and DELIVERABLES
The Closing the Circle team is proud to share a video about the Blue Planning in Practice workshop and High-Level Blue Economy Roundtable that were delivered in collaboration with OECS in April 2023 in St. Lucia. The workshop included the OECS Ocean Governance Team (OGT) and the Roundtable was attended by several ministers from OECS member States. The video, jointly produced with OECS, showcases the importance of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and the Blue Economy in the Eastern Caribbean region and the need for collaboration to support on-going work through capacity development training, outreach and research.
The 3rd International Conference on Marine/Maritime Spatial Planning will be held on
The Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission
As part of the Closing the Circle Programme, the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean
Contact Information
Find us here: Fiskehamnsgatan 1
Malmö
Email: goisecretariat@wmu.se
Phone: +46 40 356 351