There is no Ocean SBA...

GEO SB-01Oceans and Society: Blue PlanetAn Integrating Oceans Task of GEO

GEO-IX Plenary22-23 November 2012Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil

Albert FischerTrevor Platton behalf of theBlue Planet community

There is no Ocean SBA...but strategic marine targets for GEOSS Implementation (monitoring, analysis and prediction) occur in various Societal Benefit Areas and cross-cutting Tasks, for example (from Former Work Plan (2009-2011):

• Architecture: Virtual Constellations• Architecture: Global Ocean Observation System• Capacity Building: Building Capacity for Operational

Oceanography• Water: Global Water Quality Monitoring• Ecosystems: Regional Networks for Ecosystems• Agriculture: Data Utilization in Fisheries and Aquaculture

Calls for integration of marine monitoring

“What is needed now, that GEOSS will help achieve, is to integrate the outputs from these various marine monitoring and observation efforts into a cohesive ‘system of systems’ which will enable researchers, resource managers and policy makers to rapidly assess what is known about a particular marine region…”

- GEO and Science (2010)Report prepared by the European Space Agency in the framework of the GEO Science and Technology Committee in support of the GEO Task ST-09-01 “Catalyzing Research and Development (R&D) Resources for GEOSS”

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Early harvest to prevent high loss –Loss is reduced to PhP50-100M

Feed 90M people

1] Policy encouraging establishment of mariculture but no implementing rules

2] Massive Fish Kill and millions of loss3] Science research, education and capacity building

4] Citizen Monitoring and Disaster Risk Reduction

5] Sustained Response and long-term adaptation

6] NEW Policy

Republic Act 8550 (The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998) is a legal instrument that encourages and supports the establishment of mariculture facilities in waters of all coastal municipalities .

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2

Php 500M loss

3Community education

On Ocean Remote Sensing

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Frequent community water quality monitoring during heating eventsHouseBill 5202 (Environmental Assessment for Aquaculture Act of 2011) is a legal instrument that requires an Environmental Impact Assessment for the establishment and construction of fish cages and fish pens

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Example: ocean data for food security

• C1: Global ocean information coordination and access

• C2: Monitoring marine and coastal ecosystems

• C3: Global operational ocean forecast network

• C4: Applications to sustainable fishery and aquaculture management

Blue Planet task components

• In-situ and satellite physical, chemical, biological observations

• Analysis and modelling networks

• Links to end-users and stakeholders

• Developing individual and institutional capacity

A wide and diverse community

The added value of Blue Planet…• Provides new platforms to demonstrate importance of

sustained in situ and satellite observations of marine and freshwater environments, and the value of integrating these with models.

• Brings together a wide and diverse community of governmental and academic researchers and provides new platforms for integration of multiple streams of data into products that provide the real value to users (e.g. sustainable fisheries).

• Includes a dynamic, focussed programme in capacity building complemented by a vigorous, global network of former scholars from developing countries.

• Raises awareness of sustained ocean observations at national policy level

• Provides flexible tool for spiral development of systems and infrastructure

• Science without borders, bringing together diverse disciplines

• Potential for integration of earth observations through common approaches, infrastructure, toolkits

• Need all types of data and information to generate societal benefit

The added value of GEO…

Islabela, Brazil 19-21 November 2012

Blue Planet symposium resolved to…

• Continue developing the Task and establish further synergies between the various Task components.

• Develop a White Paper to elaborate contributions of various programs and elements of Blue Planet.

• Publish “Oceans & Society: Blue Planet Symposium” key contributions in the form of a book.

Blue Planet requests Plenary to …• Recognise and promote the important role of ocean

observations in GEOSS, now and post-2015, as a contribution to all SBAs and to global stewardship

• Contribute resources for development, management and coordination the Blue Planet Task

• Maximise continuity and improve collective commitments to key satellite and in-situ observations through national policies.

• Recognise the trans-boundary nature of many ocean-related challenges, engage actively in cooperation and commit to and incentivise data sharing policies.

• Further develop capacity building efforts at national and international levels.

Thank you