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Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 4:37 pm
Press Release: Science Media Centre
The third
UN Ocean Conference in France next
month will focus on the conservation and sustainable use of
marine resources.
Member states are
expected to adopt a political declaration, ‘Our
Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action’,
highlighting a need for ‘significant and accessible’
funding.
Next week’s One
Ocean Science Congress (3-6 June) will provide a
scientific foundation for the UN Ocean Conference (9-13
June).
The SMC asked experts about what they
want to see from the UN Ocean Conference, and their plans at
the Science Congress.
Linda Faulkner
(Ngāti Rangi, Whanganui), Natural Sciences Commissioner for
the NZ National Commission for UNESCO and member of the
advisory board for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development,
comments:
“Aotearoa New Zealand is an
island nation that sits within the world’s largest and
deepest ocean basin spanning subtropical to subpolar
latitudes; is home to some of the world’s most unique
biodiversity; is the seabird capital of the world; and is a
marine mammal hotspot. It is also the backdrop to a unique
ancestral past steeped in a relationship with the ocean that
is as vast and varied as Te Moananui-a-Kiwa – the Pacific
Ocean.
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“The NZ National Commission for UNESCO has
been engaging with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development since its inception, looking to
bring a uniquely New Zealand perspective, contribution and
value to the achievement of Sustainable
Development Goal 14.
“As Natural
Sciences Commissioner I’m delighted to be supporting and
co-facilitating a global indigenous dialogue session of
representatives who will be meeting at the UN Oceans
Conference in June to explore the contribution indigenous
knowledge, woven alongside modern science, can make to the
future of the health and wellbeing of our oceans, and
therefore our communities from the local to global scales.
We’ll be focussing on opportunities and actions in the
final five years of the UN Ocean Decade, with a view to
identifying what success looks like, and what legacy we’d
like to see beyond the
Decade.”
Conflict of interest
statement: No conflicts of interest. Linda is also Pou
Whakarae Te Hiringa Taiao – Chief Scientist Māori
Environmental Research at NIWA but is not commenting in that
role.
Simon Thrush, Professor of Marine
Ecology, Institute of Marine Science, University of
Auckland/Waipapa Taumata Rau,
comments:
“Preliminary documentation for
the conference recognises the urgent need to address the
biodiversity and climate crisis, while gaining benefits from
the Ocean. There is one ocean, and we all rely on it. The
ocean is not too big to fail, and it is not too big to
fix.
“These are not new issues, and evidence of
worrying signs in the state of our ocean have been reported
in all marine ecosystems. Critical to the success of action
is recognition of the feedbacks between governance and
ecosystem where the slow speed of management action can
itself drive environmental tipping points.
“The
conference can build on a rising swell of acknowledgement of
the need to change. The G7
2030 Nature Compact (signed by G7 leaders) recognizes
the importance of focus on nature positive actions and calls
for urgent, system-wide change. With over half the world’s
GDP ($US 44,000,000,000) moderately
or highly dependent on nature and its services, this
conference needs to take the next step.”What I hope to see
emerge from the conference is more than a commitment to
change – it’s rapid and transformative action to restore
nature alongside nature-people relationships. Good things
can happen. For example, the BBNJ treaty
(2023) for the High Seas has progressed Marine Protected
Areas beyond national boundaries.
“Transformative
change needs to be just and inclusive and to show a vision
of life-supporting futures for all. An expanded investment
in marine science, especially in biodiversity hot spots and
oceanic regions, is needed to close critical knowledge
gaps.
“In Aotearoa-New Zealand we have
dragged the chain for too long. I hope our nation
transitions into an exemplar of positive actions for our
Exclusive Economic Zone and the high seas – and becomes an
agent of change to assist the large ocean states of the
Pacific and Antarctica.”
Conflicts
of interest: None declared.
Professor
Conrad Pilditch, Director of the Institute of Marine
Sciences at the University of Auckland,
comments:
“The upcoming UN Ocean Congress
in Nice will focus on supporting and implementing Sustainable Development
Goal 14 – the conservation and sustainable use of the
oceans.“This focus is long overdue with many of the
World’s marine ecosystems including in New Zealand
suffering from the impacts of global heating, ocean
acidification, overfishing and pollutants. The ocean
biodiversity and the climate crisis are linked and to
improve ocean health we need to transition to an
ecosystem-based management approach that recognises the
inter-connections and dependencies among the ecological and
social ecosystems. We also need to transition to a true-blue
economy, one where our activities in the ocean enhance
nature and not degrade it.
“My hope for the meeting
outcomes is that we not only have a high level of ambition
with measurable targets and timelines for reducing key
stressors and greatly expanding marine protection, but this
is followed by immediate action.
“It is
a challenging time for ocean governance in the high seas
with international rules-based order shifting and
international cooperation facing challenges. However, there
are reasons for hope with the BBNJ (2023)
bucking the trend with States agreeing on the process for
High Seas marine protected areas. I would also want to see
expanded investment in ocean science to close critical
knowledge gaps and provide a basis for new blue
economies.”
No conflicts of
interest.
Professor Trisia Farrelly,
Senior Research Scientist, Cawthron Institute and
Coordinator of Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective
Plastics Treaty, comments:
“I’m attending
the 2025 UN Ocean Conference with the Scientists’
Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty to champion a
science-based, legally binding global agreement that
addresses plastic pollution across its full life
cycle.
“Our objective is to ensure the treaty is
grounded in independent evidence, protects human and
environmental health, and prioritises justice for frontline,
fence line, and Indigenous communities, including those in
the Pacific who are disproportionately impacted by plastic
pollution.”
No conflicts of
interest.
Dr Cath McLeod, Chief Science
Officer, Cawthron Institute,
comments:
“Cawthron Institute is attending
the 2025 One Ocean Science Congress to share our insights
and strengthen global collaboration on ocean health and
sustainable food systems.
“We’re proud to
represent Aotearoa New Zealand’s leadership in marine
research and innovation at this critical international
forum, with a particular focus on supporting Pacific-led
science and elevating Indigenous knowledge. This is an
important opportunity to build partnerships that support
resilient ecosystems, climate adaptation, and blue economy
growth across our region.”
No conflicts of
interest.
Associate Professor Xavier
Pochon, Molecular Surveillance Team Leader, Cawthron
Institute and Science Leader for Citizens of the Sea,
comments:
“It’s a privilege to represent
Cawthron and Citizens of the Sea
at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference and the One Ocean
Science Congress in France this June to amplify community
voices in global ocean
governance.
“Cawthron Institute
co-founded Citizens of the Sea because we believe people
must be at the heart of ocean protection — from scientists
and fishers to youth and Indigenous leaders — and this is
a vital opportunity to highlight citizen-led action, foster
knowledge exchange, and promote ocean stewardship across all
levels of society.”
No conflicts of
interest.
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