A sustainable ocean is critical to the economy and human wellbeing, globally and locally, supporting resilience and recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. Our marine ecosystems support livelihoods, poverty alleviation and food security, as well as mitigating climate change, to name just a few benefits. Integrated governance must address significant pressures (e.g. over‑exploitation of resources, pollution and biodiversity loss) and sustain the ecosystem services that humans depend upon. 

Scotland is a global leader in ambitious policy for societal change and implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably through the National Performance Framework (NPF), the ‘Just Transition’ and the ‘Wellbeing Economy’. 

This programme will facilitate interaction between diverse policy and science stakeholders for these policy agendas in Scotland. We seek an integrated understanding of the role of the ocean, its resources and socio-economic benefits, informing decision-making that addresses SDGs at multiple governance levels. Climate, seafood and connected issues are key areas of Scottish marine science expertise and are key themes and our entry points for examining links to a wide range of SDGs.

Focussing on the themes of Climate Change and Seafood will lead to identification of connections to a wide range of SDGs and policy areas, including energy, production and consumption, natural capital, resource use and the circular economy, supply chain transparency, employment and nutritional health. 

Approaching these through the lenses of (a) the Just Transition and (b) biodiversity and ecosystem function we will integrate social, economic and ecological factors to deepen our understanding of interdependencies, synergies and trade-offs, enabling better integration of ocean considerations into policy and decision-making.