ONE OCEAN HUB

Issue 3/2024

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ONE OCEAN HUB

Newsletter

How can transdisciplinary research and human rights-based approaches deliver “the ocean we want”? Join us as we share learnings at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference

For a long time, processes for determining the use, access to and governance of the ocean and its resources in various parts of the world have been predominantly driven by Western and natural science approaches that largely excluded other ways of knowing about the ocean.

Over the past five years, we have engaged in inter-disciplinary research – co-produced with partners in Ghana, Namibia, and South Africa, in order to co-produce knowledge, approaches and methods for sustainable, inclusive and holistic ocean governance.

Our research, that is co-produced with Indigenous and local knowledge holders and communities, including women and children, natural scientists, social scientists, lawyers, civil-society partners, government and decision-makers at different scales and levels, highlights the need to promote equity, social justice, and human rights in ocean governance approaches. 

We are capturing all our learnings in the Transdisciplinary Toolbox we are developing as a Decade Implementing Partner to support a whole “new generation” of ocean research, policy, conservation, and management experts who will consider human rights, equity and inclusiveness as the “bread and butter” of their transformative work.

We look forward to establishing new partnerships with philanthropic partners and other ocean governance players to advance human rights-based approaches to global, regional and national marine conservation and blue economy strategies and plans.

We hope to meet you at our Satellite event (9 April) at the 2024 Ocean Decade conference.

Read more about the Hub’s presence at the Ocean Decade conference and our legacy plans here

Sincerely,

Philile Mbatha
Deputy Director, One Ocean Hub

Turning the tide with the science we need for the ocean we want

Hub engagement and events at the 2024 Ocean Decade conference

The Hub team has several reasons to await with anticipation the 2024 Ocean Decade conference in Barcelona. Alongside delivering two satellite events and a poster session, the Hub researchers will also team up with new partners and colleagues from the UN Ocean Literacy Dialogues to co-create activities that will engage participants in thinking about and caring for the ocean in transformative ways. These activities will contribute to breaking disciplinary siloes and academic barriers, and to promoting transdisciplinary research that is inclusive of the voices and ways of knowing the ocean of coastal communities.

By Milica Prokic

Impact story: Changing understandings and engagements with ocean-dependent communities – Empatheatre

Empatheatre will perform a piece entitled Indlela Yokuphila (The Soul’s Journey) at the Hub’s Satellite event in the lead up to the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona on 9 April 2024. The animation, along with other animated films and plays Empatheatre has created, has been used as evidence in court cases in South Africa. These judicial decisions mark the first time that an animation has been used as a proxy for the intangible cultural heritage related to the ocean.

Read about the impact Empatheatre has made here

Read our other impact stories here >>

MAKING WAVES

Hub research included in UN Special Rapporteur’s report on right to food, fisheries and climate change

The 2024 report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, focused on fisheries and the right to food in the context of climate change (A/HRC/55/49), with a focus on the advancement of the human rights of small-scale fishers and Indigenous Peoples. The report relies on several occasions on three Hub submissions.

By Elisa Morgera

Hub evidence integrated in the UN Special Rapporteur’s report on the Human Right to Science

The UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Alexandra Xanthaki, has published a report on the human right to science (A/HRC/55/44), which clarifies how the human rights approach needs to apply to all actors involved in scientific research, funding and cooperation. The Rapporteur has cited four times a submission from the One Ocean Hub on access to scientific progress, which underscored the specific challenges of applying the human rights approach to ocean science, as well as transferable learnings on fair research partnerships for sustainable development.

By Elisa Morgera

Calling attention to the role of recreational fisheries in low- and-middle-income countries at the World Fisheries Congress

Hub researchers organised a workshop on Recreational Fisheries Governance in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) at the World Fisheries Congress in Seattle (US) in March 2024. Early-career researchers Alexander Winkler and Chris Bova (Rhodes University, South Africa), as well as Kieran Hyder (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, UK) and Warren Potts (Rhodes University, South Africa) reflect on the workshop in this blog post, and explain the importance of shedding light on the multifaceted perspectives of recreational fisheries governance in LMICs, in order to maximise social benefits from recreational fisheries, while ensuring sustainable environmental integrity through compliance with locally formulated regulations.

By: Alexander Winkler and Chris Bova

Reflections on the processes, challenges and deep learning from the Hurinin Project

This blog post reflects on the One Ocean Hub’s ‘Hurinin Project’ in Namibia, which is an Indigenous youth-led, art-based research project on ocean cultural heritage. Specifically, the blog post reflects on the key insights which emerged from the research process, some of the challenges that were experienced, and the way forward.

By Elsemi Olwage and Glenn Kasper

Four co-authored papers arise from the Hub’s knowledge integration workshop

Hub researchers from Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, the Caribbean and the UK convened at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, South Africa for a five-day writing workshop (5-9 February 2024) to collaborate on inter-disciplinary papers focussing on high-impact Hub themes: Transdisciplinarity; Culture and art; Socio-legal aspects of small-scale fisheries; Climate vulnerability and National Blue Economy policies. The overall purpose of the writing workshop was to integrate work across the Hub through academic papers and funding proposals. Over the course of the week, Hub researchers co-authored papers, integrating lessons and knowledge across disciplines and national experiences.

By Nina Rivers and Laura Merilainen

Empatheatre wins two Humanities and Social Sciences awards

Hub researcher Dylan McGarry (Rhodes University, South Africa) has won two awards at the 9th National institute of humanities and social science 2024 awards in South Africa. He received an award for ‘Best Digital Humanities for Community Engagement’ with Empatheatre co-creator Mpume Mthombeni for the animated film “Indlela Yokuphila: The Soul’s Journey” . The second award he received was in the ‘Best Exhibition catalogue’ category with co-curator Dr. Boudina McConnachie (Rhodes University, South Africa), for their exhibition “Our Ocean is Sacred You Can’t Mine Heaven”.

By Dylan McGarry

Protecting the ocean for future generations in the Solomon Islands

This blog speaks to the importance of the local ocean knowledge upheld and promoted by youth in the Solomon Islands – the country under whose custodianship is a vast expanse of the ocean space, and which is home to the communities who bear the brunt of the pollution, over-exploitation of ocean resources and climate change. The Ocean Explorers, a unique youth-led and community-based education initiative under the One Ocean Hub, seeks to tackle those challenges for the future of their islands and the ocean.

By Caleb Pollard and Milica Prokic

Other news

Human rights concerns shared about deep-seabed mining
Read Here >>
What next for the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement
Read Here >>
Drawing attention to children’s human rights in the context of development, the effects of climate change on education, and the protection of land Read Here >>
Contributing to guidance on business responsibility to respect human rights in the fisheries sector Read Here >>
Contributing views on future work of the Just Transition Work Programme of the UN Climate Change Convention and the 2024 Bonn Ocean-Climate Dialogue Read Here >>

EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS

Spotlight on early-career researcher Natanah Gusha (Rhodes University, South Africa)

Q: What’s your greatest achievement since you started working for the One Ocean Hub?

A: I have been involved in three main deliverables for the Hub in Namibia. One of these is a paper that has recently been accepted for publication in the Fisheries Management and Ecology journal. With most literature in the country dating back to at least 25 years ago, this work is particularly relevant as there has been high concerns about the decline in fish stock and an unprecedent increase in dependence on the fishery for livelihood support. I am most happy that this is a timely paper that will go beyond the Namibian borders, as it can be widely applicable to many other low- to middle-income countries.

Spotlight on early-career researcher: Rachael Hall (Heriot-Watt University, UK)

Q: How does your work contribute to shaping the One Ocean Hub’s interdisciplinary endeavours?

A: My work provides clear examples of the negative impacts of mangrove deforestation, which can be used to back up the requirement for improved legal protection for these habitats in Ghana. Evidence of the potential for mangrove degradation to affect fisheries and therefore the communities which rely upon them could also be used by other members of the Hub community to integrate the importance of sustainably managing mangrove forests across our areas of work.

Podcast: Part II of the ‘Women of the sea’ episode expands insights on women’s knowledge of the ocean

In the second part of the One Ocean Hub Podcast, Episode 4 ‘Women of the sea’, Knowledge Exchange Associate Milica Prokic continues the conversation on the entanglements of the ocean, ocean research and gender with two South African scholars and activists, Buhle Francis (Rhodes University, South Africa) and Aphiwe Moshani (University of Cape Town, South Africa).

Podcast: Opening up research practices: transdiciplinarity, art-based participatory research methods and social justice

In the new episode of the One Ocean Hub podcast, early-career researcher Elsemi Olwage (University of Namibia) and Kira Erwin (groundWork/Durban University of Technology) talk about their experiences of collaborative research in Namibia and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, of knowledge co-production, art-based participatory methods, and social justice. In this deeply insightful and rich conversation, they focused on the power of the participatory art-based methods and solidarity in engaging with the essential themes such as (post)colonial livelihoods, culture, violent spatial engineering of Apartheid which shaped the coasts of Southern Africa, and with the notions of access, displacement, and racialisation.

One Ocean Learn launches a new Learning Pathway focusing on transdiciplinarity

A new Learning Pathway, ‘Transdiciplinarity’ is now available on the One Ocean Learn knowledge-translation platform. The Learning Pathway delves into various stages of implementation of transdisciplinary methods, defining, discussing, and differentiating between ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ transdisciplinary. The learning pathway was developed by Hub early-career researcher Mia Strand, (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa and University of Strathclyde, UK) who was recently appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Ocean Nexus, in collaboration with the One Ocean Hub.

PUBLICATIONS

Destructive fishing: An expert-driven definition and exploration of this quasi-concept. Publication authored by McCarthy AH, Steadman D, Richardson H, Murphy J, Benbow S, Brian JI, Brooks H, Costa-Domingo G, Hazin C, McOwen C, Walker J, Willer D, Abdi M, Auster PJ, Bealey R, Bensted-Smith R, Broadburn K, Carvalho G, Collinson T, Erinosho B, Fabinyi M, Febrica S, Forbi WN, Garcia SM, Goad D, Goldsworthy L, Govan H, Heaphy C, Hiddink JG, Hosch G, Kachelriess D, Kinch J, Lancaster AMSN et al. (2024) in Conservation Letters

Read publication here >>

Participation of Indigenous Peoples in Decision Making Over Deep-Seabed Mining Publication authored by Elisa Morgera (2024) in American Journal of International Law – Unbound 118, 93-97.

Read publication here >>

Cadmium exposure experiments on calanoid copepods reveal significant shortfall in water quality criteria for managing coastal marine ecosystems in West Africa. Publication authored by Opoku, M., Koomson, A., Abubakar, F. Miyittah, M., Acheampong, E. (2024) in the Journal of Coastal Conservation 28, 2.

Read publication here >>

International Environmental Law: A Case for Transformative Change through the Lens of Children’s Human Rights. Publication authored by Elisa Morgera (2023) in Environmental Policy and Law 54, 307-319

Read publication here >>

Climate change risk and adaptation for fisher communities in Ghana. Publication authored by Townhill, B., Harrod, O., Painting, S. Acheampong, E. et al. (2023) in Journal of Coastal Conservation 27, 45.

Read publication here >>

Widespread Geographical Disparities in Phytoplankton Ecology Research in the Face of Climate Change: A Review. Publication authored by Adhiambo R, Mensah PK, Acheampong E. (2023) in Water 15(24), 4288.

Read publication here >>

POLICY BRIEFS & RESOURCES

Policy Brief: States’ international obligations at the ocean-climate nexus.
Read Here >>

Policy Brief: Ghanaian Artisanal Fisheries: Adapting to Climate Change.
Read Here >>

UPCOMING EVENTS

2024 Ocean Decade Conference (10-12 April 2024)
Experts’ Workshop on Clarifying Norms in Conservation and Human Rights (10-12 April 2024)
Workshop: “Children’s rights and the right to a healthy environment – intersections and opportunities” (11-12 April 2024)
Strathclyde Engage week event: ‘From the coast to the ocean depths: Co-developing innovative solutions for sustainable development’ (7 May 2024)
One Ocean Hub Closing Conference (20-24 May)
WWF “Science for Nature” concluding webinar (30 May 2024)

SEE EVENT DETAILS HERE >>

FILM

New film: ‘Women in Small-Scale Fisheries in Ghana - the unsung heroines’

The short film ‘Women in Small-Scale Fisheries in Ghana – the unsung heroines’ focuses on the contributions of women in the fisheries sector in Ghana. The film reflects on the workshops that were organised by Hub researchers and local partners in Ghana in 2021-2023. The workshops sought to empower the women to recognize and address their human rights issues relating to their work as fish processors, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy to provide stability in their families. Some of the key achievements of the One Ocean Hub’s Ghana team are discussed in the film.

Read More >>

Watch the Film >>

MAKING HEADLINES

Conversation: 'Drone fishing in South Africa is a danger to sharks and may be unfair to other fishers – study'

Hub early-career researcher Alex Winkler (Rhodes University, South Africa) writes about drone fishing in the Conversation.

'I was deathly afraid of the sea — now I work to protect it'

Hub early-career researcher Loyiso Dunga (University of Cape Town, South Africa) writes about his aims to guard kelp, a crucial resource in the South African waters on Nature.

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One Ocean Hub is an independent programme for collaborative research for development, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). GCRF is a key component in delivering the UK AID strategy and puts UK-led research and the heart of efforts to tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.