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The Challenges Facing Our Oceans…and Us
People have long depended on the sea for food and commerce, and looked to it for adventure and recreation. In the 21st century, expanding population, trade and tourism are adding to our reliance on the services the oceans provide. However, fishermen, scientists and policy makers alike recognize that this irreplaceable resource is in trouble. For example, recent national studies warn that unless humans begin interacting with our marine environment in a more sustainable way, seafood populations and critical ecosystems, such as coral reefs, will collapse within 50 years.
The Need for a Crosscutting Organization to Address these Challenges
To reduce these threats to our oceans and estuaries, and avoid their dire consequences, experts are calling on organizations and governments to develop practical solutions by integrating cutting-edge science and technology with economic, social, and political expertise. Such an approach will require not only bringing experts and decision-makers together, but also building public understanding of these issues and producing leaders who can engage in effective problem solving and take the actions necessary to solve the problems.
With these goals in mind, three leading marine science and policy institutions – Stanford University (through its Woods Institute for the Environment and Hopkins Marine Station), the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) – have joined forces to create the Center for Ocean Solutions (COS). With the support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, COS combines Stanford’s expertise in marine biology, oceanography, engineering, economics, law and policy, with the Aquarium’s unparalleled success at public education and outreach, and MBARI’s leadership in deep-sea technology, exploration, and monitoring, as well as marine and coastal economy. Over time, COS also expects to bring on board other leading institutions around the Monterey Bay, adding further depth and breadth to its expertise.
In addition to developing new knowledge to solve ocean challenges, COS researchers and staff will reach out to decision-makers from government, business, and the nonprofit sectors to translate the results of marine science and policy research into action. COS will educate current and future leaders by offering enhanced graduate-level educational and research opportunities. COS will highlight these issues in the media, and sponsor outreach programs to inform and empower action by the general public and local, state, national, and international decision makers.
Solving Our Greatest Ocean Challenges
COS will focus on finding practical and enduring solutions to the greatest challenges facing the oceans. This work will take place through several long-term initiatives in which COS will partner with other institutions to develop and then implement strategies designed to solve major ocean challenges. It will also engage in shorter-term projects to help decision makers address specific problems by providing advice, conducting research, and hosting “uncommon dialogues” to bring together diverse perspectives. COS will host an annual State of the Oceans forum to assess its work and inform decision makers of emerging problems and solutions, and will provide training for leaders in ocean research and policy. .
In keeping with the center’s goal of educating the next generation of leaders, COS will improve graduate-level marine education in the Monterey region by developing workshops and short courses on marine science and policy. It will also sponsor fellowships for postdoctoral scholars and recent law and business school graduates, and host mid-career professionals engaged in research and policy activities. .
The Center for Ocean Solutions is located in the City of Monterey, near the Monterey Bay Aquarium, MBARI, and Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station. The center also will maintain offices on the main Stanford campus. Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment (http://woods.stanford.edu) will manage COS. A search is underway for a permanent director, who will be a Stanford faculty member and will work under the leadership of an advisory council chosen by the partnering institutions.
-Buzz Thompson co-director, Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford
