Summary Report of the Regional Planning Workshop for the South Atlantic - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Summary Report of the
Regional Planning Workshop
for the South Atlantic
________________________________________________
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
25-27 November 2019
Disclaimer
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this report do not imply
the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal
status of any country, territory, city or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its
frontiers or boundaries.
Photo credit
Cover: Aerial view. Praia Vermelha. Brazilian Navy War College, Urca, Rio de Janeiro.
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Background.................................................................................................................... 4
2. Unique Characteristics of the South and Equatorial Atlantic .................................... 5
3. Aims and Objectives ..................................................................................................... 7
4. Conduct of the Workshop ............................................................................................. 8
5. Major Results ................................................................................................................. 9
Working Group I: A Clean Ocean whereby sources of pollution are identified, quantified
and reduced and pollutants removed from the ocean. ................................................... 10
Working Group II: A Healthy and Resilient Ocean whereby marine ecosystems are
mapped and protected, multiple impacts, including climate change, are measured and
reduced, and provision of ocean ecosystem services is maintained .............................. 13
Working Group III: A Predicted Ocean whereby society has the capacity to understand
current and future ocean conditions, forecast their change and impact on human
wellbeing and livelihoods ............................................................................................... 16
Working Group IV: A Safe Ocean whereby human communities are protected from
ocean hazards and where the safety of operations at sea and on the coast is ensured.21
Working Group V: A Sustainably Harvested and Productive Ocean ensuring the
provision of food supply and alternative livelihoods ....................................................... 24
Working Group VI: A Transparent and Accessible Ocean whereby all nations,
stakeholders and citizens have access to ocean data and information, technologies and
have the capacities to inform their decisions.................................................................. 26
Working Group VII: Communication Strategies on the relevance of the ocean: an Ocean
valued by all ................................................................................................................... 29
6. The Decade Societal Outcomes and related Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) and Targets ......................................................................................................... 35
7. Closing remarks .......................................................................................................... 38
Annex 1 - List of Participants ......................................................................................... 40
Annex 2 - Agenda of the South Atlantic Planning Workshop for the UN Decade of
Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 ............................................. 61
31. Background
At the seventy-second session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), within
Part XI of the Omnibus Resolution for Oceans and the Law of the Sea (A/RES/72/73)
relating to “Marine science”, the UNGA decided (paragraph 292) to proclaim, in December
2017:
the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development for the 10-year
period beginning on 1 January 2021, within existing structures and available resources,
and called upon the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to prepare an
implementation plan for the Decade in consultation with Member States, specialized
agencies, funds, programmes and bodies of the United Nations, as well as other
intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and relevant
stakeholders.1
The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
hereafter referred as “the Decade” as used as shorthand, offers a once-in-a-life-time
opportunity for all ocean stakeholders to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and
ensure ocean science can fully support countries in achieving the sustainable
development of ocean. Under the framework of the Decade, scientists and stakeholders
from all relevant sectors will be convened to generate scientific knowledge, underpin
infrastructure and partnerships, and bridge the science-policy interface to support a well-
functioning, productive, resilient and sustainable ocean - the Ocean We Need for the
Future We Want.
The Decade Roadmap provides an initial guide for the steps and processes needed to
develop the Implementation Plan of the Decade, and also formulates a preliminary set of
globally defined objectives and research and development (R&D) Priority Areas. Global
and regional consultative workshops were acknowledged as essential mechanisms to
achieve the objectives and to engage various communities through a multi-stakeholder
process and structured dialogues. The first Global Planning Meeting (GPM) took place in
Copenhagen, Denmark, 13-15 May 2019, and brought key stakeholders with an interest in
the Decade to the same level of information, encouraged them to take ownership of the
Decade, further developed its scope, identifying collaborations.
Following the first Global Planning Meeting, various regional workshops occurred, such
as: Pacific Community (Noumea, New Caledonia, 23-25 July, 2019) North Pacific and
Western Pacific Marginal Seas (Tokyo, Japan, 31 July - 2 August 2019), and South-East
Pacific Workshop (Guayaquil, Ecuador, 24-26 September, 2019).
This Regional South Atlantic Planning Workshop was organized by the Ministry of
Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications of Brazil (MCTIC) and the Brazilian
Navy (DHN), with support of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), IOC
Secretariat, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Fundação Grupo Boticário,
Praticagem do Brasil (CONAPRA), European Commission, and All-Atlantic Ocean
1 IOC/EC-LI/2 Annex 3, Paris, 18 June 2018, INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION (of UNESCO) Fifty-first Session of the Executive Council UNESCO, Paris, 3–6 July
2018 Item 4.1 of the Revised Provisional Agenda, REVISED ROADMAP FOR THE UN DECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
4Research Alliance (represented by the projects All AtlaNtic Cooperation on Ocean
Research and innovation – AANChOR, and Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance - AORA). It
was held at the premises of the Brazilian Navy War College (Escola de Guerra Naval –
EGN), located in Urca, Rio de Janeiro and has counted on the attendance of 123 people,
from 22 countries and four International Organizations.
2. Unique Characteristics of the South and Equatorial Atlantic
Issues relating to the oceans are vital for life on Earth. Understanding the structure, the
oceanographic processes, and their interactions with the atmosphere, biosphere and the
mainland are required for the development of coastal countries 2. The sea is a very
important source of food, employment, energy, leisure and ecological services for coastal
nations. Nevertheless, the resources of the sea should be used in a rational and
sustainable manner based on scientific and technological knowledge. The development of
maritime awareness in populations bordering the South Atlantic Ocean involves a range of
activities that cannot be conducted in a rhetorical or playful manner.
The South Atlantic occupies a significant place in terms of scientific, economic,
environmental and strategic interest. However, the area has historically been among the
least studied of the planet, especially with regard to ocean chemistry, ecology, biodiversity
and the potential for a sustainable exploitation of natural resources. Habitats, species,
ecosystems, sources, sinks and internal cycling of carbon, micronutrients and
contaminants are not well known, and studies are mainly restricted to the margins of
continents. On these margins, marine species and ecosystems have been depleted and
fishing resources have been overexploited. Mining of offshore oil and gas has economic
potential but holds environmental risks of great impact. More study is needed of cobalt-rich
ferromanganese crusts, polymetallic nodules and sulphide deposits associated with
seamounts, ridges and the abyssal plains as future sources of minerals essential to
technological development. The same is true for potentially valuable products that could
be derived from organisms living in these environments, through biotechnology. It is vital
that we use these resources sustainably to conserve oceanic environments for the future,
but our ability to do so is limited by our inadequate understanding about main ecosystem
processes in this basin.3
2
IOC/INF-1291 - Technical Report on Scoping of Operational Oceanography
http://www.jodc.go.jp/jodcweb/info/ioc_doc/INF/218780e.pdf
3
South-South Framework for Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the South and Tropical Atlantic and Southern
Oceans, South Africa's Department of Science and Technology and Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology,
Innovations and Communications, 2017.
5The area of the South Atlantic is of 40.270.000 km2, corresponding to 11.1 % of the
total ocean area, with a volume of 160.000.000 km3, or 12% of the total ocean volume. It
has an average depth of 3.973 m with a maximum of 8.240 m. 4
The South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone (abbreviations: ZPCAS or
ZOPACAS), also called the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic was
created in 1986 through resolution A/RES/41/11 of the UNGA, with the aim of promoting
cooperation and the maintenance of peace and security in the South Atlantic region. It is
composed by 24 member states. The Eastern Coast or South American countries that
integrate ZOPACAS are Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. The Western Coast or African
countries which compose ZOPACAS are Angola, Benin, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Congo,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,
Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Togo.
The countries of the whole region face socio-economic challenges that require sound
science to overcome. Excessive inputs of diverse material from anthropogenic sources are
widespread in coastal marine ecosystems. Domestic sewage discharge, solid residues,
including plastic, and agricultural waste, for example, lead to the degradation of the
environmental quality, loss of habitats and biodiversity, and jeopardize ecosystem
services.
The effects of extreme weather conditions on coastal populations are exacerbated by
climate-driven sea level rise and the loss of ecological buffers to coastal flooding. Flooding
and subsequent runoff events increase the risk of public exposure to waterborne
pathogens and chemical contaminants, degrade the health of coastal marine and
estuarine ecosystems, and impair the ability of ecosystems to support goods and services.
The South Atlantic Ocean is unique in that it is the only region in the world in which an
eastern (the Benguela) and a western (the Agulhas) boundary system interact. The region
south of Africa plays a significant role in the establishment of oceanic teleconnections: the
salty Agulhas leakage reaches the northern hemisphere via a number of pathways, and
models suggest that changes occurring in the oceans surrounding South Africa alter the
global meridional overturning circulation (MOC). On the south-western basin of the Atlantic
Ocean, the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence is another area of strong mesoscale variability in
which water mass transformations occur. In this region, there is also exchange of heat and
freshwater between the subtropical Atlantic Ocean and the northern branch of the
Antarctic Circumpolar Current.5
The section of the Atlantic that bridges South and North is also important for
understanding the Earth system. A specific example is the Tropical Atlantic sea surface
4
Eakins, B.W. and G.F. Sharman, Volumes of the World's Oceans from ETOPO1, NOAA National Geophysical Data
Center, Boulder, CO, 2010.
5
South-South Framework for Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the South and Tropical Atlantic and Southern
Oceans, South Africa's Department of Science and Technology and Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology,
Innovations and Communications, 2017
6temperature dipole, a cross-equatorial sea surface temperature pattern that appears
dominant on decadal timescales and is one of the key features in the Tropical Atlantic
Ocean. Its variability has a direct impact on climate (through the displacement of the
Intertropical Convergence Zone northwards or southwards) and on continental regions,
such as north-eastern Brazil and the neighbouring Western Africa (Sahel) region, as well
as on the formation of cyclones in the North Atlantic. The Agulhas Current, which flows
westward around the southern coast of South Africa, contributes strongly to the upper limb
of the MOC northward flow in the Atlantic Ocean.6
To overcome the need for knowledge concerning the South Atlantic, international
cooperation efforts are fundamental. The All Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance is a science
diplomacy work, with a view of integrating research activities among countries bordering
the Atlantic Ocean, in order to deepen scientific knowledge related to marine ecosystems;
the relationship between oceans and climate change; the production of food from the sea;
and also about energy systems from the oceans. The cooperation also seeks to
understand the dynamics of the Atlantic Ocean with the interconnected Circulation
Systems such as the Arctic and Antarctica.
This Alliance establishes a close dialogue with the Decade of the Oceans and can do
much in order to contribute to the construction of a holistic, systemic, egalitarian and
socially focused approach to the development of ocean science oriented towards
solutions.
The South Atlantic Workshop received a strong support from the Alliance during all
phases of its organization and counted with an expressive presence of specialists who
integrate this basin oriented multinational cooperation.
3. Aims and Objectives
The purpose of this workshop was to promote dialogue between scientists, policy
makers, decision makers, civil society organizations and ocean companies for the
identification and development of engaged approaches to solutions for the sustainability of
the oceans. It was conceived as a consultation tool to communicate the purposes and
expected results of the Decade to all stakeholders and, in addition, to provide an
opportunity to engage with them. It is worth mentioning that the participants were not
representatives of the governments of the member states.
To ensure the achievement of this purpose, it is required to specify a set of high-level
scientific and technological advances, in order to achieve the six societal expected
outcomes for the Decade: a clean ocean; a healthy and resilient ocean; a predictable
ocean; a safe ocean; a sustainably harvested and productive ocean; and a transparent
ocean. In this way, we seek to cooperatively produce “The Science We Need for the
Ocean We Want”.
6
South-South Framework for Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the South and Tropical Atlantic and Southern
Oceans, South Africa's Department of Science and Technology and Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology,
Innovations and Communications, 2017
7In a didactic approach, and according to the “Guidance for the global and regional
consultative and planning meetings in the framework of the preparatory phase of the UN
Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development”, regional consultation workshops
are an integral part of the Decade design process to achieve the “principles for the design
of the Implementation Plan of the UN Decade” and to engage various communities
through a multi-stakeholder dialogue. They followed the structure of the Global Planning
Meeting with a focus on regional requirements and priorities as well as contributions to
global activities. Working Groups were organized around the six societal outcomes that
have been defined in the Decade Roadmap document in order to ensure that science
delivered under the Decade is policy relevant. The aims of these workshops are therefore
to:
(i) communicate the purpose and expected results of the Decade to all stakeholders;
(ii) engage and consult the ocean community concerning the implementation plan for
the Decade and more particularly assess the status of regional ocean research vis-à-vis
the requirements of the six societal outcomes as well as regional policy requirements (for
example, identifying priorities in research or in capacity development and training);
(iii) identify the possible contributions of regional bodies to the Decade objectives,
aligning their agenda with the Decade;
(iv) workshop possible themes or topics that may be part of the Decade;
(v) identify potential initiatives to be further developed under the Decade, including
whenever possible scope, objectives, expected results, participation and possible
schedule;
(vi) identify opportunities (but not necessarily commitments) for investment and
resource mobilization for the Decade.
In this Workshop a seventh Working Group was proposed, entitled “Communication
Strategies on the Relevance of the Ocean”.The inclusion of this WG highlights the need to
recognize communication and ocean literacy as key and transversal pillars to attain
success in the Decade implementation. It is essential that researchers improve their
communication skills for other audiences and stakeholders, aplying different tools and
methods. In order to promote science communication and ocean literacy to reach and
sensibilize diverse sectors of society worldwide it is important to be in consonance with the
UNESCO Ocean Literacy Program7.
4. Conduct of the Workshop
As stated before, the Workshop was hosted in the Brazilian Navy War College (Escola
de Guerra Naval – EGN), located at Av. Pasteur, 480 - Urca, Rio de Janeiro and has
counted on the attendance of 123 people, from 22 countries and four International
7
F. Santoro et al. (eds). 2017. Ocean Literacy for All - A toolkit, IOC/UNESCO & UNESCO Venice Office, Paris (IOC
Manuals and Guides, 80 revised in 2018).
8Organizations. This participation included a balanced representation from Government,
Academy, Private Companies, NGOs, Regional Bodies and Communication Sectors.
A Steering Committee worked for one month prior to the Workshop helping to organize
it and to select the participants due to a necessary size limitation of the meeting.
Before the event, an online manifestation of interest was opened two months prior to the
Workshop in order to allow wider opportunity of participation. Further, invitation letters
were sent to personalities considered of special interest to be engaged. It was pursued a
broad range of participation, with special regards to gender and age, geographic coverage,
and sectors representativeness. It is worth to mention the outstanding participation of the
“Youth Ambassadors” of the All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance. The answer to the
survey was very expressive. A total of 306 people applied for participation, from many
countries coastal do the whole Atlantic.
IOC provided support for the attendance of African experts, and the European
Commision, through AANChOR and AORA also supported the participation of experts
linked to the Alliance, and of the Youth Ambassadors. Fundação Grupo Boticário
supported the participation of their pool of experts.
Participants were grouped into seven working groups, corresponding to the six societal
outcomes of the Decade plus a seventh communication working group. They were
allocated on their priority interests expressed upon online registration. The
communications group was established as recognition of the importance of this tool in
identifying user needs, throughout the preparation process and even in conducting the
Decade itself.
Meanwhile, a co-conveners group was formed accordingly for each working group. A
standard questionnaire was also developed around the workshop objectives and sent to all
participants in advance with a view to soliciting their inputs to working group discussions.
Annex 1 contains the complete list of participants, and the whole set of activities that
occurred during the Workshop is listed in Annex 2, including the relation of presentations
of representatives from IOC/UNESCO, the European Commission, the Brazilian
Government, panelists of various fields of expertise and regions from the Atlantic, and the
event sponsors.
The Workshop by principle, and in accordance with IOC recommendation, was fully eco
friendly, plastic-free, and produced a reduced ecological footprint.
5. Major Results
Throughout the three-day Workshop, participants highlighted the unique characteristics
of this region in both its oceanographic environment and significant contribution to the
global social-economic development. In addition to reviewing the relevant results of the 1st
GPM, each working group deliberated region-specific issues or priorities which should be
addressed in order to achieve the six societal outcomes in the UN Decade of Ocean
9Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), and the need to communicate about
the relevance of the ocean.
Working Group I: A Clean Ocean whereby sources of pollution are identified,
quantified and reduced and pollutants removed from the ocean.
The WG I was co-chaired by Vanessa Hatje and Thandiwe Gxaba, and rapported by
Carina Costa de Oliveira, and counted on 14 participants, 10 from South America, 3 from
Africa and 1 from Europe, including Academia (9), NGO (1), Private Sector (1), Regional
Organization (1), and Government (2).
The concept of a clean ocean as adopted by this WG arose from the 1st Global Planning
Meeting, which defined that: „Clean’ ocean is an ocean where inputs of all
contaminants and pollutants are minimized and do not have adverse effects on
physical, chemical and biological processes, ecosystem functions and ecosystem
services. It is important to know the acceptable level of pollution, set baseline and
threshold values, define ecological boundaries and tolerance levels for an ocean that is
„clean enough.‟ This group highlighted how important it is to define the acceptable level of
all kinds of pollution, set baseline and threshold values to protect biodiversity and
ecological services, and also indicated the scarcity of such values for most of the region.
Requirements for threshold values to be determined
1) Baselines of target macro and micro contaminants;
2) Definition of ecological boundaries;
3) Definition of levels of pollutants that would limit optimal functioning of the
ecosystems;
4) Understand of sources, fate and sinks of major pollutants;
5) Calculate the half-life of pollutants in the marine environment and rates of
degradation.
The most challenging ocean pollutants include:
• atmospheric carbon dioxide; agricultural fertilizers; untreated waste water;
invasive species; organic contaminants and micro- and macro-plastics.
Knowledge gaps and research priorities
Gaps
• SA is one of the least studied oceans in terms of water chemistry and marine
pollution. As such, currently, it‟s difficult to define what “clean” standards mean.
10• Further, the SA is a very heterogeneous region not only in terms of physical and
chemical characteristics, but also regarding the social, economic and
environmental available information.
• In addition to this, there is no Regional Institutional Framework that could bring
together all the States from the region to deal with marine pollution issues.
Research priorities
• assessing the human and environmental risks of ongoing and future types of
ocean pollution;
• generating new ideas to reduce ocean degradation drivers and pressures; and
• strengthening the governance regimes to encourage more sustainable production
and consumption practices.
Key regional issues requiring a focus
1) Knowledge gaps associated to baseline/background, pollution levels of :
• nutrients;
• trace metals;
• organic contaminants;
• radionuclides;
• nanomaterial;
• CO2/acidification and deoxygenation;
which preclude the establishment of integrated coastal and ocean management.
2) Identify sources, fate and toxicology of technological critical elements and emerging
organic contaminants.
3) Design of a strategic environmental assessment/monitoring:
a. Marine Spatial Planning of different types of human activities for coastal and
ocean environments; and
b. Emergency/mitigation response plans (application of different procedures with
different national stakeholders).
4) Evaluation of the impacts of tourism activities (e.g., invasive species, solid waste,
tramping, sound).
Key science needs
1) Provide current status of contamination by the measurement of key potential
contaminants on several spatial and temporal scales;
2) Provide sources inventory for all groups of contaminants;
3) Development of indicators of environmental marine quality for different ecosystems;
4) Identification of the main impact drivers (e.g. mining, fisheries, tourism, aquaculture,
oil industry, maritime transportation, etc) considering their synergic interactions; and
115) Determination of the caring capacity for ecological and biological significant areas
(e.g., Antarctic, Abrolhos, Amazon).
Key capacity development needs
1a) Capacity building in: chemical and data analysis of nutrients, microplastics,
petroleum hydrocarbons (PAHs), legacy (POPs listed in Stockholm Convention) and
emerging organic contaminants (e.g. pharmaceuticals, novel flame retardants, personal
care products, pesticides and inorganic contaminants, methyl-Hg, technology critical
elements);
1b) Capacity building in public and private policy-making regarding pollutants.
2a) Capacity building in ecosystem and human health screening risk assessments;
2b) Capacity building to strengthen the science-policy interface;
3) Mitigation of pollution and restoration of marine ecosystems/habitats (e.g. corals,
seagrass, mangroves);
4a) Readiness to deal with emergencies such as oil spill;
4b) Capacity building on cross-sectors integration between public and private
organizations and across disciplines;
5) Capacity- building on socio-economic evaluation impacts.
Pathways for solutions
1) Expand analytical capabilities and expertise for labs in the SA region of a large
number of pollutants;
2.a) Better coordination, integration, collaboration and networking efforts;
2.b) Develop legislation to protect traditional communities, such as artisanal fisheries
ones, from pollution risks;
3.a) Development of sensors to citizen science and opportunity ships;
3.b) International/Regional legislation with minimum requirements;
4.a) Biotechnology, OMICS (genomics, proteomics and metabolomics), and
bioremediation (e.g. hydrocarbondegrading bacteria);
4.b) International/Regional legislation with minimum requirements for the Strategical
Environmental Assessment;
5.a) International/Regional legislation with minimum requirements for tourism activity;
5.b) Development of public policies to integrate sectors such as tourism and fisheries.
12Cross-cutting priorities
• Partnerships between academia, pollution producers (e.g. such as oil, plastic, metal
and pharmaceutical industries), civil society and decision makers at national and
international levels;
• Philanthropic trust funds;
• International funds;
• Big donors; and
• Oil and mineral resources agencies.
Conclusions
1. Baseline setting and thresholds gaps:
• Baseline levels are still lacking for the large majority of micronutrients and
contaminants for both the South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean;
• The absence of supporting baseline/level of contaminants information precludes
the region to apply an ecosystem approach to evaluate pollution; and
• Most studies that supported the development of thresholds were performed for
northern hemisphere temperate areas, although largely applied to tropical
regions.
2. Types of pollution:
• Domestic sewage is still a large problem for South Atlantic States. The region
needs better/cheaper/smarter technology and effective public policies to address
land-based sources of marine pollution; and
• The anthropogenic impacts of CO2 and plastics on the water chemistry and
marine ecosystems need to be addressed.
3. Interface between social and natural sciences:
• Social, economic and natural sciences must be integrated in order to develop
science based public and private policies.
Working Group II: A Healthy and Resilient Ocean whereby marine ecosystems
are mapped and protected, multiple impacts, including climate change, are
measured and reduced, and provision of ocean ecosystem services is
maintained
The WG II was co-chaired by Pal Buhl Mortensen and Alexander Turra, and
rapported by Mônica Muelbert, and counted on 16 participants, 12 from North and South
America, 2 from Africa, and 2 from Europe, including Academia 11, NGO 2, and
Government 3.
13The group discussed the theme allocated for it and identified key needs or actions and
prioritized the 5 most important.
Roadmap for discussions
• Face degradation;
• Support the conservation and protection of ocean ecosystems;
• Promote inter-disciplinary research;
• Elucidate impacts of cumulative stressors on the ocean;
• Provide more complete information to fill gaps;
• Improve the situation and reverse the degradation;
• Improve appreciation of the economic and societal value of ocean ecosystems;
• Stimulate the development of Marine Spatial Planning, Marine Protected Areas, and
other ecosystem-based management approaches;
• Supplement and complete the science base with holistic mapping of the ocean;
• Support the adaptive management approach towards good ocean stewardship.
Identifying the 5 regional issues that require a focus by the Decade
• Multidisciplinary Capacity Building / Expertise Exchange;
• Infrastructure and data sharing;
• Sustainability and resilience to regional political/funds instability;
• Protocols a) sampling, b) data storage, c) data/sample analyses d) data sharing
e) Identification of special areas for conservation;
• Regional fund system (private and public sectors) for maintenance; large differences
between South and North Atlantic and within South Atlantic.
Identifying the key research priorities for the region, by further developing the science
questions that were identified at the First Global Planning Meeting
• What are the combined effects of stressors in marine and coastal ecosystems and
biodiversity at multiple scales?
• How to connect the existing ocean, biodiversity and socio-economic variables for
evaluating ecosystem services and developing area-based management tools?
• Which methodologies and technology innovations are needed to fill existing data and
observation gaps?
• Understand the influence of tele-connections (e.g., between ocean basins and
continents) on the climate and ocean processes.
• Mapping of marine habitats in general, especially seabed (e.g., rhodolite beds,
Amazonia Mouth Corals, seagrass beds, cold water corals).
• Strengthen South-South cooperation in the South Atlantic (crosscutting issue).
14Identifying the specific capacity-building/training/education needs for the region
• Improve the integration of information and data management capacities.
• Improve knowledge transfer (or co-production) among scientists (foster
interdisciplinarity), society and decision-makers, using better communication skills
and professional staff/services.
• Strengthen training programs directed to Marine Spatial Planning, with special
emphasis in the South Atlantic, bringing the topic for educational curricula.
• Improve exchange between South American and West African countries, in order to
learn from each other in joint fora, tackling the continuity problem due to unbalanced
capacity and communication.
• Keep a holistic view, linking land-ocean ecosystems, relating sanitation problems with
unhealthy ocean.
• Support Youth Ambassadors and mentoring programs.
• Build capacity to technical staff (mobility grants).
The participants discussed the existing initiatives / partnerships and new ones to be
mobilized for the Ocean Decade as well as the key pathways for improving information
and solutions to the region. The discussions were done within one group and then in
plenary. Due to time limitation, the plenary did not have appropriate time to review and
agree with the group suggestions. In this way, general considerations are being presented.
Identifying the existing initiatives/partnerships and new ones to be mobilized
Regarding the existing initiatives / partnerships and new ones to be mobilized, the group
did a non-exhaustive and a non-prescriptive list of initiatives, which was considered by
the plenary still not representative of the region. The whole group thus considered that a
comprehensive effort to create, maintain and share an inventory of initiatives in the
region would be needed to foster partnerships in the Decade.
Identifying key pathways for improving information and solutions to the region
Regarding the key pathways for improving information and solutions to the
region, the group presented several suggestions that were summarized as
follows:
• Build capacity to technical staff (mobility grants). Engage and participate in current
international initiatives like the OO‟19 Live Action Plan.
• To accommodate user needs in the specification of databases.
• Sustainability and resilience to regional political/funds instability.
• Enforce and strengthen present initiatives of collaboration and foster new ones.
• Promote and support decadal (mid-long term) programmes to ensure sustainability
15and resilience of regional programmes.
• Innovations in methodologies and technology to fill existing data and observation
gaps.
Plenary final remarks
There is less information for the South Atlantic in relation to North Atlantic, especially
considering the huge influence of Antarctica in South Atlantic.
• Lack of effective integration of datasets.
• How to accommodate user needs in the specification of the databases.
• Lack of regional representation of the ocean observing communities in global
panels (e.g., definition of essential ocean variables).
• Improved pathways of regionalization of EOV classification.
• Political willingness to be improved in order to support science and to develop
technology and innovation in the South Atlantic.
• Capacity building to use science and technology (~asymmetry in capacity in the
region).
• There is a need to understand the influence of the Antarctic continent and ocean
on the South Atlantic.
Working Group III: A Predicted Ocean whereby society has the capacity to
understand current and future ocean conditions, forecast their change and
impact on human wellbeing and livelihoods
The WG III was co-chaired by Karim Hilmi and James Todd, and rapported by Leticia
Cotrim da Cunha, and counted on 26 participants, 18 from North and South America, 6
from Africa, and 2 from Europe, including Academia 10, Private Sector 7, Regional
Organization 5, and Government 4.
The vast volume of the ocean and its complex coastlines are neither adequately
observed nor fully understood. In particular, the deep sea is a frontier of ocean sciences.
Under the Decade, sustained and systematic ocean observations can be expanded to all
ocean basins and depths to document ocean change, initialize ocean system models and
provide critical information for improved ocean understanding. Such information is
increasingly needed by nations and the ocean business community operating within or
beyond national jurisdictions. Improved access to understanding ocean present and future
conditions will be a pre-requisite to the development of sustainable ocean economic
policies and ecosystem-based management and will lead to more efficient shipping,
mitigate storm damage and flooding of coastal cities, sustain healthy fisheries, protect
coral reefs and other key marine ecosystems from degradation, and improve climate
forecasting, amongst a few. The Decade will also build on advances in ocean robotics and
the combination of remote and in situ ocean observations which offer new opportunities
and will reduce operational costs; it will also promote free and open data sharing and
16multi-stakeholder contributions by governments (rich and poor), the private sector and
citizens8.
1. Knowledge gaps/ scientific questions/ research priorities
• South Atlantic carbon budget/inventory including biogeochemical components (e.g.
organic matter dynamics).
• Knowledge gaps in the ocean-atmosphere-land connections (processes and models,
seasonal to interannual variability) remain.
• Incomplete knowledge of ecosystem dynamics in support of sustainable fisheries.
• Accurate bathymetry needed.
• Use of citizen science (crowd-sourced science) and link it to FAIR principles.
• Assure data quality for measurements (metadata, accuracy, calibration etc).
• Consideration of historical data (scientific cruises, industry, military).
• South Atlantic interaction with Coastal Zone Management.
• Lack of operational modeling centre for the eastern Atlantic.
• More sustained observations for the South Atlantic (surface and deep ocean).
• Ocean – ice sheet dynamics controls on South Atlantic climate.
• Regional solutions for sustained observations (local development of oceanographic
instrumentation, cheaper, easily constructed and calibrated, ready to collect data,
link/connect to citizen science) → capacity development (CD).
• Ongoing projects (EU-funded) will promote CD.
• HABs and extreme events prediction (eastern and western South Atlantic).
• Better integration of already existing platforms (e.g. utilization of industry cruises,
inclusion of other sensors, vessels of opportunity).
2. Existing international initiatives/ programmes/ partnerships, and resources in
this region that could help address these knowledge gaps/science questions
• Seabed2030, GOOS, industry measurement programmes.
• PIRATA (since 1997), GOAmazon from previous Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere
Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) programme.
• SAMOC/SAMBAR.
• OceanPredict.
8 IOC/EC-LI/2 Annex 3, Paris, 18 June 2018, INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION (of UNESCO) Fifty-first Session of the Executive Council UNESCO, Paris, 3–6 July
2018 Item 4.1 of the Revised Provisional Agenda, REVISED ROADMAP FOR THE UN DECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
17• Amazon Coastal Observatory (since 2009).
• ARGO (including Bio- and Deep Argo).
• GO-SHIP.
• SOCAT.
• AtlantOS programme.
• NOAA/AOML Atlantic XBT network.
• oceanbestpractices.org.
• POGO (e.g. training).
• Open MODS → cheaper instruments.
• Oceatlan (Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay).
• IOCCG (International Ocean Colour Coordination Group).
• National/International oceanographic databases (government, military, industry,
fisheries administration offices).
• Calibration/validation data for SWOT (satellite observations).
• Blue Belt initiative (African countries).
• GLOSS.
• GHRSST (Group for High Resolution SST).
• Future Earth Coasts (former LOICZ).
• Copernicus, Mercator.
3. Potential International Initiatives /Programmes/ Networks/ Partnerships, and
resources in the region could be developed, established or explored to address
these knowledge gaps/science questions
• Local/regional/global (with focus towards the South Atlantic) hubs for low cost
instruments.
• Best practices for observations.
• MIPs (model intercomparison projects such as CMIP-6) approach to South Atlantic
Ocean predictions.
• REMO network (last 12 years) 1/24 degree resolution → within OceanPredict. REMO
could launch a MIP-type exercise for operational models in the South Atlantic.
• RAFISMER NETWORK for African Countries.
• Distillation of scientific information ready to use for coastal and fishing communities.
• IOC initiative for central African coastal regions (6 countries).
18• Community/society engagement for observing programmes.
• Engage with communities to address their perceived needs adding value to data.
• AANChOR/AORA projects, Belém/Galway declarations opportunities.
• Collaborative effort for cross-basin measurements (SAMOC/SAMBAR, autonomous
vehicles).
• New platforms such autonomous vehicles, drifters, Argo “exchange” between eastern
and western South Atlantic.
• Early education initiatives involving ocean observing programmes.
4. Four cross-cutting themes in addressing these science questions, and share
the best practice(s) if any:
a. Capacity building and technology transfer
b. Partnerships and financing
c. Access to information, data and knowledge
d. Communication and awareness raising
• Evolve data management strategies to optimize use of observations (c).
• PIRATA project (a,b,c,d) (summer schools, “Atlas-B” tech transfer, sharing costs
among 3 countries, access-free data, children‟s book in press).
• Sea Grant programme (USA/NOAA), Sea Grant extension agents interact with
communities) → Sea Grant could be a model programme (e.g. Korea adopted a
similar programme) (d).
• “Floating university” South Africa‟s “Seamester” - 2 week programme for students
(not necessarily ocean sciences) on board, mainly during SAMOC maintenance
cruises (a).
• International Joint graduation programmes (a).
• ANP (Brazil‟s oil regulating agency) makes sure O&G industry invests money
(fund) in research projects (a, b).
• AtlantOS best practices (oceanbestpractices.org) (a, b, c, d).
• Free data access under GOOS-Brasil (c).
• Training courses for African students, but effort is still needed to adopt best
practices and instruments within the country‟s labs (a).
• Incentive by national research funding agencies to publish and share data (under
“penalties”) (c).
195. Additions/modifications to the current R&D priority areas as formulated in the
Roadmap, and any major marine science for sustainable development that has
not yet been highlighted in the Roadmap and the 1st Global Planning Meeting
• Achieve the objectives through collaboration and stakeholder engagement.
• Land-atmosphere-cryosphere-ocean (Earth System) connections to the GPM
priorities.
• Best practices in data acquisition (metadata, methods, calibration facilities, calibration
cross-check).
• Evolve the concept of data gathering.
6. Information about any willingness, or potential commitment(s) of your
institution and/or your country, to the preparations for and implementation of
the Decade
• A living document is recommended for this subject.
• Regional representatives for best practices.
• National committees for IOC‟s Decade of Ocean Science.
7. Who else, or which institutions / programmes / networks shall be further
engaged into the preparations for and implementation of the UN Decade?
• Port authorities (vessel traffic information system plus collection of oceanographic
data).
• Ships of opportunity (all types, including fishing vessels), Internet of Things.
• Continuous plankton recording systems (autonomous) connected to databases (e.g.
TARA Oceans) (question no. 2).
• World Bank ProBlue to promote more cooperation and equality on data acquisition
and distribution (calls for scientist exchange programmes), involve investment Funds,
banks, foundations to invest in a sustainable and predictable ocean (new sustainable
energies, Blue Economy).
• Engagement with offshore energy companies to support expanded ocean
observation networks.
• Include national energy regulation agencies (for the case of wind- and wave-
generated energies).
• How much would a predictable ocean reduce costs (for adaptation, mitigation,
transport, energy generation etc)?
• Submarine cable industry (biology, additional measurements).
• IMO.
20• Coast Guard, national security.
• Mining agencies.
• International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA).
Working Group IV: A Safe Ocean whereby human communities are protected
from ocean hazards and where the safety of operations at sea and on the
coast is ensured.
The WG IV was co-chaired by Adesina Adegbie and Nickolas de Andrade Roscher,
and rapported by Carlos Leandro da Silva Jr, and counted on 13 participants, 10 from
South America, and 3 from Africa, including Academia 3, NGO 2, Private Sector 2,
Regional Organization 1, and Government 5.
Ocean hazards such as storm surges, chemical or biological pollution, oil spill and
coastline erosion can damage the quality of life of the coastal zone communities. The rush
for coastal recreation and economic expansion in the maritime domain has increased
access to the sea to a multitude of users. Rivers that pass through several cities are the
main vehicle for imperceptible (nano and micro) pollution from industrial and domestic
waste without any treatment which hit the sea changing the quality of water and creating
bioaccumulation in marine life. Climate change impacts will have profound damage to the
oceans with implications for all human societies and most of our activities. The Decade will
promote research aiming the reduction of the impacts of various changes through
adaptation and mitigation, at assessing social and physical vulnerability and help clarify
interactions between natural and man-induced changes. It will also support the
development of integrated meteoceanographic and environmental monitoring systems
throughout the South Atlantic basin, contributing to the knowledge and efficient
management of this region. The use of new technologies through private-public
partnerships can help to quantify and understand phenomena and propose efficient tools
to mitigate some extreme impacts. Community resilience and adaptive capacity, with
elevated education and awareness as regards the use of data collected systematically, will
also contribute to reduce impacts and improve efficiency of early warning systems for
natural and man-made hazards.
Key regional issues requiring a focus by the Decade
• Increasing the maritime culture of the 1. Oceanic and coastal monitoring
population living in the coastal region, 2. Food security
because once knowing the marine
environment is important to protect; 3. Integrated coastal zone management
• Monitoring rivers pollution, especially 4. Safe navigation
those that pass through several cities
5. Marine Spatial Planning
before reaching the ocean carrying all
kind of polluters;
• Systematically survey the areas of
21influence of the following activities:
offshore mining, oil production, urban
pressure in the coastal zone and finally,
monitoring of overfishing of endangered
marine species.
Key science/information needs (linked to the regional identified issues) and
providing pathways to solutions
• Creation of a program for the 1. Data acquisition
dissemination of marine sciences at 2. Fish stock assessment
different levels of education for people
living in the coastal region; 3. Coastal mapping
• Network installation of water quality 4. Fleet monitoring
sensors in rivers that cross industrial 5. Seabed mapping
zones and large urban centers;
• Use of oceanic monitoring technologies
of the chemical, physical and biological
conditions of the areas of influence of
activities with the highest risk of marine
pollution.
Main key capacity development needs (and associated pathways for resolving)
• Data collection equipment with 1. Data processing
electronic sensors requires large 2. Data storage and sharing
investments and demands a lot of time,
so it will initially be necessary 3. Infrastructure
investments in acquisition, installation, 4. Centre of excellence
maintenance and training in the use of
5. Capacity building
data collection equipment of different
types.
• Simultaneously, technology transfer
would be carried out gradually.
Historically developed countries are
producers of oceanographic
information, so data collection programs
could be created to improve knowledge
of the South Atlantic region and data
and results could be systematically
shared with the scientific community of
developing countries.
22Main partnerships needed to achieve the above
• Creation of a coastal and oceanic 1. Numeric modelling
monitoring program in the South Atlantic 2. Private and public sectors
region that would bring together a
network of high-frequency radars, 3. International organizations and NGOs
satellite data and in situ measurements 4. Government cooperation in the South
that could be assimilated into Atlantic region
hydrodynamic models that predict the
5. International funding
drift of: oil, mining waste and plastics in
the oceans.
• The demands of the South Atlantic
Ocean are distinct from other oceans.
Although we do not have certain
concerns such as tsunamis, extreme
events such as hurricanes, typhoons
and oceanic volcanism, we do have
storm surges, oil pollution, mining
waste, domestic and industrial waste
polluting the rivers, as well plastics and
urban pressure in coastal cities. Coastal
and oceanic monitoring programs are
crucial for South Atlantic Ocean turn
safer for the next decade.
Main key pathways for improving information and solutions to the region
• In addition to the Navy, universities and 1. Training;
research institutes, and private 2. Regional cruises and meetings;
companies with a data collection 3. Communication platforms;
structure at sea should play an 4. What the population expect from public
important role in this process of and private science; and
continually improving coastal and 5. Reliable data collection protocols,
oceanic monitoring over the next consistency, analysis and interpretation.
decade. Of course, organized civil
society should be invited to participate
in monitoring coastal areas using mobile
applications that can collect marine
pollution data in their daily lives (crowd
sourcing).
23Working Group V: A Sustainably Harvested and Productive Ocean ensuring the
provision of food supply and alternative livelihoods
The WG V was co-chaired by Guilherme Dutra and Francisca Pires Delgado, and
rapported by Veronica Kapula and Raíza Andrade, and counted on 16 participants, 9
from South America, 5 from Africa, and 2 from Europe, including Academia 7, NGO 3,
Private Sector 3, Regional Organization 1, and Government 2.
Society now depends on the ocean more than at any time before. It is a vital source of
nourishment, supporting directly the livelihood of about 500 million people, especially in
the poorest nations, and, indirectly, the global population. Ocean economies are among
the most rapidly growing and promising in the world, providing benefits to many sectors of
great economic value, such as fisheries, biotechnologies, energy production, tourism and
transport, and many others. The Decade should create a better understanding of the
interactions and interdependencies of the environmental conditions and processes, the
use of resources and the economy. A major task in context of the development of the
ocean economy will be in documenting the potential impacts from environmental changes
on the established and emerging maritime industries and their ability to generate growth,
especially for LDCs and SIDS. Defining safe and sustainable thresholds for economic
operations in the ocean will help policy-makers and stakeholders in implementing a truly
sustainable Blue Economy. New research should develop and flesh out sustainable blue-
green growth agendas and link it to efforts in ecosystem protection.
Research priorities
1. Joint research on multi-scale (including local communities) stock assessment of
shared fisheries resources and access the status of target fish stocks (integrate
statistics, estimate MSY), also taking into account climate change.
2. Research to identify the key areas (sensitive areas, breeding/feeding/ nursery
sites), considering physical processes, species life histories traits, environmental
connectivity and socio-economic aspects.
3. Multi and transdisciplinary science/information in order to develop regional Marine
Spatial Planning integrating all the Southern Atlantic, providing data both for
areas under national and international jurisdiction.
4. Understanding trade-offs between different uses of the ocean and its resources is
relevant for safe and sustainable Ocean Economy. Develop new technologies to
take better advantages of the ocean potential and to understand the impacts of
the present and potential uses.
24Knowledge gaps
• Poor fisheries information/ management, many IUU fishing;
• Gaps in the knowledge about critical areas for conservation, connectivity in the
regional level;
• South Atlantic countries have different levels of implementation of Marine Spatial
Planning; and
• South Atlantic has significant economy activities affecting the ecosystems and human
populations.
Capacity Development needs
• Create national and regional expertise to carry out research for sustainable
management of oceanic resources and sustainable blue economies. Learning
exchange programs/technology sharing (best practices);
• Capacity building for government officials and stakeholders, including learning
exchanges;
• Promote the instruction of all sectors on the multi and transdisciplinary data
necessary to develop MSP. Learn exchanges (with other countries); and
• Technology exchange across nations and sectors. In this sense, cluster alliances
play an important role.
Key pathways for improving information and solutions to the region
• To have Regional Funding for science and technology of ocean and regional and
international partnerships;
• Encourage and promote Ocean Literacy;
• Informing stakeholders about what are the most critical areas and the importance of
choosing them. The functioning of ecosystems should be known by the population by
the local residents and actors (e.g. fisherman), so they can improve their current
practices in a sustainable way;
• National/local campaigns on the importance of MSP and development of
demonstration projects. Create a database of the South Atlantic, for data storage and
sharing pluridisciplinary science to action approach with innovative communication -
decision making should be inclusive and open to stakeholders (including
local/traditional communities), authorities, and opinion leaders during all the process;
and
• Facilitating the legal pathways to deliver intersectoral cooperation. Blended finance.
25Recommended activities in support of the Decade
• Improve fisheries enforcement in a regional level.
• Support the countries to advance on the national MSP and promote a regional spatial
planning in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Potential Partners
• International organizations: (e.g. IOC, FAO, UNDP, ICCAT);
• Bilateral programs: (e.g. Bilateral program on Monitoring Control and Surveillance
(MCS), Sweden Government); and
• Collaboration networks: Initiative for vulnerability of coastal area in the Central Africa
Region, EAF Programme, Nansen Programme, BCC Scientific Programme,
AquaVitae, Abidjan convention, Fisheries Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic
(FCECA)
Working Group VI: A Transparent and Accessible Ocean whereby all nations,
stakeholders and citizens have access to ocean data and information,
technologies and have the capacities to inform their decisions
The WG VI was co-chaired by Abdoulaye Diagana and Rozane Valente Marins, and
rapported by Patrícia Miranda Menezes, and counted on 14 participants, 8 from South
America, 4 from Africa, and 2 from Europe, including Academia 7, NGO 1, Regional
Organization 3, and Government 3.
The achievement of the above outcomes very much depends on global capacity
building and resource-sharing between countries at different levels of wealth and
development. The enormous need for more ocean information at the scientific,
governmental, private sector, and public levels demands a step-change in ocean
education at all levels. New technology, and the digital revolution are transforming the
ocean sciences; these will be harnessed to deliver data and information to all
stakeholders. Science-policy interface for oceans should be enhanced as well. Open
access to ocean information, increased interactions between the academic and societal
actor communities, and Ocean Literacy for all should capacitate all citizens and
stakeholders to have a more responsible and informed behavior towards the ocean and its
resources. Innovative capacity development schemes between South–South and North–
South ocean actors as well as courses for ocean professionals will be key in raising ocean
awareness and promote better solutions.
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