By combining and leveraging the expertise of its partners across disciplines and institutions, the Center for Ocean Solutions partners are committed to doing more than "develop" solutions; we will work closely with decision makers to see those solutions implemented.

Our substantive areas of focus will include the protection of marine systems and ecosystem services, land-ocean interactions, and the effects of global climate change on marine systems. Within this context we will launch several long-term initiatives in which center researchers will partner with other organizations to catalyze lasting solutions to the major challenges facing our oceans. We 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.

The center's work will be driven by a rigorous priority-setting process. Beginning in early 2008, we will consult a broad range or scientists and policymakers to identify the most pressing ocean challenges where new knowledge or better communication of existing research findings could "move the needle" on an issue and help produce lasting solutions. Then, from among the highest priorities, we will select those opportunities where harnessing the combined expertise among our partners is most valuable.

Pacific Ocean Initiative

Comprising half the world's ocean area, and one-third of the earth’s surface, the Pacific Ocean is the largest single geographic feature on our planet. This vast region hosts complex ecosystems and ocean-based economies that produce a wealth of resources for local and global consumption, yet is not being sustainably managed. To address this enormous challenge, the Center for Ocean Solutions has launched the Pacific Ocean Initiative.

An Ocean in Crisis
The Pacific Ocean hosts much of the world’s marine and terrestrial biodiversity. The ecosystems of the Pacific islands alone support more rare, endangered, and threatened species than anywhere else on earth. But today, up to 50 percent of the total biodiversity the Pacific region is at risk, in large part because of over-harvesting of resources and runoff from the land that impacts all segments of the sea, from shallow corals, mangroves, and sea grasses to previously inaccessible deep-sea beds. Rapidly declining populations of large tuna, sharks, and turtles signal the progressive depletion of the Pacific’s top predators, affecting economies, local livelihoods, and food security across the globe. Climate change is exacerbating these threats and increasing the vulnerability of coastal and marine ecosystems and resources.

The Need: A Scientific Consensus Statement on Threats to the Pacific Ocean
As part of its Pacific Ocean Initiative, the Center for Ocean Solutions—in collaboration with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Marine Programme is bringing together leading scientists from 30+ countries to develop a Scientific Consensus Statement for the Pacific Ocean. A consensus statement is needed that will:

  1. Identify and prioritize key threats to the health and productivity of the Pacific Ocean, many accelerated by climate change, for which there is broad consensus in the scientific community.
  2. Highlight the environmental and socioeconomic impact of these threats.
  3. Show the commonality of problems faced by both Pacific Rim and Pacific Island nations, and the need for regional solutions.
  4. Provide a scientific basis for key leaders and decision makers throughout the Pacific region collectively to call for urgent action at the World Congress in Barcelona in October 2008.
  5. Unite scientists throughout the Pacific region.

The Scientific Consensus Statement will be foremost a summary of the environmental threats that loom largest across the Pacific Ocean and affect marine ecosystems and resources, the people that depend on them, and the economies of coastal nations. These threats will be identified through a broad consensus of leading scientists, who will address issues across ecosystems, economic sectors, and geographic regions. The Statement will draw on published scientific literature, government publications, and other peer-reviewed reports assembled in the Pacific Ocean Library developed by the Center for Ocean Solutions.

The Statement is one of the first steps in the Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge, an ambitious initiative by the IUCN to identify the threats and impacts to the Pacific Ocean and to develop and implement solutions.

Pacific Ocean Library
The Center for Ocean Solutions Pacific Ocean Library is a resource originally created for a group of scientists developing the Pacific Ocean Scientific Consensus Statement.

Features of the Pacific Ocean Library include:

Over the next 2-3 months, we will be seeking permissions to post full-text articles and will continue to upgrade the library's content. We hope that you will email us with any suggestions you have for improving the database.

Click here to enter the Pacific Ocean Library

"THE CENTER WILL BE A TREMENDOUS ASSET TO ALL OF US ENGAGED IN THIS WORK AS WE CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE GREAT CHALLENGES FACING OUR OCEANS, ALONG THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA, IN OUR NEIGHBORING STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD."

 -Mike Chrisman, California State Secretary for Resources
Managed by the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University © Center for Ocean Solutions. All Rights Reserved