People of the sea: Voices from the UN Ocean Conference
Fishers, artists, community organizers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and heads of state all gathered in Nice, France for nonstop conversations about the past, present, and future of our shared ocean. As the ocean community catches its breath and charges ahead, I’m sharing some reflections from the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC).
If you witness UNOC from afar, it’s much like the ocean itself at first glance – shades of blue (suits), circulating currents – themes like plastics, marine reserves, deep sea mining – winding, gathering momentum throughout the week, and occasionally crashing onto shore with a momentous announcement. Through gritty persistence and remarkable collaboration, the international stage produced commitments that will genuinely benefit the entire globe. These included an almost-ratified Plastics Treaty and High Seas Treaty, along with new Marine Protected Areas from Latin America to French Polynesia (can’t be bothered to read? here’s a 60-second wrap up of UNOC’s good news).
But how does an idea get to that grand stage? It starts with a person. A community. A ripple effect. I was grateful to be attending UNOC with SeaVoice (a magazine and media platform at the intersection of culture, climate and water) – we were in Nice to elevate the voices of coastal communities. Many of the people living and working most closely to the sea don’t make it to a podium in Port Lympia – and yes, this is unjust and counterproductive, but rather than getting hung up on criticism, there’s actually much to celebrate here. Because the magic of UNOC comes from the people that speak without a script.
Looking beyond the grandiose ocean, you find pockets of personality, where culture intersects nature’s wonder. This salty, inspirational mix is exemplified by coastal communities, the people of the sea. It’s hard not to feel optimistic when Aristide Kamla (of the African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization) is breaking ground in African manatee research, while founding Cameroon’s first dive shop, working to restore the connection between people and their sea. But SeaVoice is focused on letting people tell their own stories, so let me pass the mic to some folks more eloquent than myself…
- Matai Zamuël: WWF Guinanas Youth Ambassador: “I’ve had the privilege of engaging with people from the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and one notion that stuck with me is being ‘heart-wired’ to love the ocean. There’s this intrinsic love you’re brought up with, this instinctive reverence… culture forms the whole relationship with the ocean. It’s not just a resource, but it’s a living ecosystem, and you’re a part of it… you’re not outside of it, not above it, you’re moving through it throughout your life.”
- Julián Alberto Medina Salgado, artisanal fisher and President of the Red de Pescadores Artesanal de Colombia: “Artisanal fishers are the first defense, the first line of the ocean. My relationship with the ocean is everything… it’s my roots, my future, my present, my everything. What the sea feels, I feel too, and what I feel, he feels too.”
- Natalie Fox: surf instructor, yoga teacher, and communications consultant for ocean and sustainability initiatives: “We need the message of peace right now – we’re in such a crucial moment, and the ocean is connecting all of us. It’s really important to remember that we’re not separate from human rights issues – the water brings us together, it doesn’t separate us.”
Ocean Defenders
What works, often, is going against the grain, following intuition, passion, or necessity. I also advocate for a touch of impatience. The world is in the “when push comes to shove” moment right now. We need peace now. We need equitable solutions now. Does it feel ridiculous to write an article about the ocean while drowning in headlines about mass death and destruction? It absolutely does. So, why am I still writing? To Natalie Fox’s point, we must prioritize peace and when addressing the ocean’s health, we must focus first on where it overlaps with human rights and health, like food security, cultural identity, and pollution. Perhaps, the ocean can give us an entry point to addressing such overwhelming issues.
We see this interconnected fight very explicitly with Ocean Defenders, who, as Dr. Nathan Bennett (WWF / IUCN) explains in this interview, are “people, groups, and communities who are working to protect the ocean environment and human rights– they are being marginalized, silenced, criminalized, threatened, and even murdered. We urgently need to address this issue, it’s an all hands on deck approach.”
Even in this often-dangerous work, there is hope and progress. In the Peruvian Pacific Ocean, Mavel Quisipe Arriola leads efforts to clean the Bay of Ancón following the 2022 Repsol oil spill. And in the Western Indian Ocean, Editrudith Lukanga is helping women in the fishing industry get access to life-saving training and weather forecasting information, while Divon Mwamba is working with small-scale fishers as they support both ocean health and food security.
In Stormy Seas, Take Action: Follow Your Love
Action is the antidote to anxiety and despair. Most people on this planet are not marine biologists, or human rights lawyers for that matter. So how do we tackle the most pressing issues of our time, from climate change to wars? With all hands on deck, because we’re all in the same boat. Every single person is capable of affecting positive change, whether it’s by donating a few hours of your talents or a percentage of your profits. Whatever your love is, or whatever cause is closest to your heart – go for it, now!
If your true love happens to be the ocean, please come join us. In the words of UNESCO-IOC’s Francesca Santoro, “You don’t have to be a marine scientist to protect the ocean or to get involved in Ocean Literacy. You can be an artist, journalist, entrepreneur, and you can do your work in an ocean-friendly manner. It depends on you – you find your own way to get involved.”
My head is hopeful thanks to policy progress, but my optimistic heart is thanks to the people of the sea. The world can be scary, the ocean can be deep, but you can find solace by diving into your community – and into the sea, of course.
Other articles by Annie Edwards:
