OA Alliance Supports Commonwealth Blue Charter Training
The OA Alliance took part in a training course hosted by the Commonwealth Blue Charter Secretariat May 23-27, 2022: Addressing the impacts of ocean acidification through mitigation, monitoring and policy.
Designed for government officials in Commonwealth countries, the course provided an overview of ocean acidification (OA), its impacts, and relevant mitigation, monitoring, and policy approaches. The course was attended by members from the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Groups on Ocean Acidification, Ocean and Climate Change, Ocean Observation, and Coral Reef Protection and Restoration.
This course was structured around the “Path to Action” approach used in the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group on Ocean Acidification’s Policymakers’ Handbook for Addressing the Impacts of Ocean Acidification and provided tools to identify infrastructure, expertise and funding available to address ocean acidification at local and regional levels.
The OA Alliance provided content for Developing an Ocean Acidification Action Plan, particularly outlining how OA Action Plans can support governments and communities by:
Taking inventory of regional/ local knowledge & observations of climate-ocean change.
Outline processes for identifying and prioritizing knowledge gaps.
Engaging relevant actors (government departments/ programs, scientists and academia, local leaders, and stakeholders to better understand concerns and priorities.)
Providing recommendations on science, management, adaptation and resilience building strategies that are most important/applicable for addressing OA in your region.
Outlining responsibilities for implementation (including funding.)
The course was developed by the University of Otago in partnership with New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmosphere, Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, The Pacific Community, the Ocean Foundation and the OA Alliance.
The Handbook is designed for people who make decisions about how we use and protect our oceans. It introduces them to the steps needed to address ocean acidification. It enables them to act as kaitiaki or guardians. This Handbook draws from inputs to the Commonwealth Ocean Acidification Action Group Workshop, which brought together experts from a range of Commonwealth countries.
Only by working together can we tackle the challenge of ocean acidification. Toitū te marae a Tāne-Mahuta Toitū marae a Tangaroa Toitū te tangata. If the land is well and the sea is well, the people will thrive.
— Hon Nanaia Mahuta Minister of Foreign Affairs/ Te Minita o Te Manatū Aorere
