The oceans hold great value and promise for humankind. Not just in the provisioning of fish and other living resources, the oceans also play a role in global climate regulation, nutrient regulation, carbon storage in the form of blue carbon, natural coastal defences through mangroves, and important cultural services like recreation and tourism for local and regional development. Often, the dependence of the most vulnerable sections of the population is disproportionately higher on many of these ecosystem services. While the opportunities are immense, the threats faced by the marine and coastal ecosystems have been acknowledged much later. This webinar brings together scholars and practitioners from the Indian Ocean Region and Portugal and juxtaposes the concerns of the Global North and Global South on a singular platform. The two leading questions for guiding the discussions are –
1. What should constitute a holistic strategy for managing and protecting the marine and coastal ecosystems? 2. What are some of the key interlinkages between SDG 14 (life under land) and other SDGs, and how can synergies be created within such interlinkages for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?
15:30 to 15:50 IST, 11:00 to 11:20 WET Inaugural Session | Opening Presentation by Cláudia Matias, Address by H.E. Carlos Pereira Marques, Address by H.E. Willy Bett, Address by Shombi Sharp
15:50 to 17:10 IST, 11:20 to 12:40 WET Panel Discussion and Q&A Session | Ana Colaço, Divya Datt, Anamitra Anurag Danda, Duarte Bué Alves, Malshini Senaratne, Ashish Chaturvedi
