Ocean scheme to amplify coastal community voices

Excerpt from ed.ac.uk

The Ocean Voices programme aims to promote more sustainable management of the oceans by delivering training, building partnerships and supporting interdisciplinary research.

It is a partnership between the University and the Nippon Foundation, which has committed $700,000 for the first year of the scheme and will support it over the next five years.

Community voices

Up to 25 people from coastal communities around the world will be awarded fellowships as part of the programme, to help increase the diversity of voices involved in international ocean science and policy.

Fellows will be involved in developing policy, the publication of research findings and the wider communication of key developments.

The scheme will also help forge new international partnerships between researchers and policymakers, support research to identify barriers and pathways to ocean conservation and sustainable use, and provide skills training for PhD students and researchers.

We are delighted to announce that we will be supporting Dr. Harriet Harden-Davies, one of the outstanding alumni of our capacity development program, who will be starting “The Nippon Foundation – University of Edinburgh Ocean Voices.” Since 1988, the Nippon Foundation has committed to supporting the development of professionals in ocean and maritime fields. It is our belief that if problems surrounding the oceans, which support human life are left unchecked, they will one day have a serious impact on the survival of the human race. To date, more than 1,500 experts have been trained in 150 countries around the world. We consider our Fellows as part of our family, and we want to keep in touch with them throughout their lives, even after their fellowship has ended. We strongly hope that all future members of the Ocean Voices program will also take advantage of the network of marine research institutes and marine scientists that the Nippon Foundation has supported over the years. It is my hope that we can work together for many years to come in order to ensure we can preserve a healthy ocean for the future generation.