Ocean Literacy Hub - Asia
Credit: Martin Colognoli / Ocean Image Bank
Credit: Fabrice Dudenhofer / Ocean Image Bank
Table of Contents
Background
This regional thematic hub naturally emerged from a need to convene and connect young ocean literacy enthusiasts and experts from Asia together, and brainstorm what is missing and what are the priorities for the region (e.g., national/regional guidebook on ocean literacy, blue curriculum, etc). We believe that this regional ECOP hub will provide a unique opportunity to take stock of current ocean literacy initiatives, organizations and resources available in Asia, explicitly highlight where the gaps are, what can we collectively achieve together, and how can we contribute to mainstreaming ocean literacy across the region.
This regional group is open to ECOPs working on ocean literacy in Asia and this regardless of the sector they belong to (e.g., NGOs, government, academia, primary and secondary schools system, local community leaders and volunteers, etc.). Anyone else interested in or simply curious about ocean literacy is also more than welcome to join us. We strive to bring together and empower a diverse community of early-career ocean literacy champions, experts and enthusiasts from all across Asia, driving action and facilitating peer-to-peer learning by exchanging knowledge, experience, challenges and success stories.
Aims and Objectives
- Develop resource materials and tools, including guides, flyers, webinars, infographics, short videos and interview series (…),
- Conduct in-person workshops in coastal areas, schools, and colleges to motivate both young and adult minds, and enhance their awareness of the current Ocean Decade challenges,
- Collaborate with other regional ocean literacy focal points to strengthen the network and seek joint grants for financial support,
- Promote Blue School curricula, local conservation initiatives and informal education/awareness campaigns across Asia.
Watch the Ocean Literacy Series in Asia
Through this video compilation, explore four innovative ocean literacy projects from across Asia. Travel with us first to Myanmar, where the “Myanmar Ocean Project“ NGO published an educational comic series (“Our Ocean, Our Home“) that weaves together engaging storytelling, scientific facts and stunning artwork by a local artist. We will then visit the Philippines and hear from CURMA (“Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions”) on how they’ve been turning former poachers into protectors of sea turtles. Our third stop will be in India, finding inspiration from “EnviroVision2050“ on their approach to circular economy and citizen science, before disembarking in Malaysia, our final destination, where “Reef Check Malaysia“ recounts how they’ve been empowering local coastal communities and meaningfully engaging them in conservation and management efforts.
Visit the Ocean Literacy Series playlist on the ECOP Programme YouTube channel.
Get in Touch
If you have any questions, inquiries or if you would be willing to help and contribute to our regional hub for ocean literacy in Asia, please do not hesitate to contact us at: ocean.literacy_asia@ecopdecade.org.
Alternatively, you can also reach out directly to ECOP Asia at: asia@ecopdecade.org or send an individual email to any of our current focal points, who are listed in the next section.
Coordinating Team (Focal Points)
Adreeja Chatterjee
Member of Prameya Foundation, India; ECOPs Ocean Literacy Task Team
Adreeja is a marine biologist with experience in ecology and fisheries. She is currently working as a PhD scholar at the University of Cologne, to carry out genetic analyses on the invasive species of gobiid fish across Europe. She has been involved in ocean literacy throughout her career and is highly interested in participating in larger projects. She is especially interested in fuelling the ocean literacy efforts in India to inspire growth and ocean advocacy.
Afiq Durrani
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia
Afiq is an early-career researcher of host-microbiota interactions under ocean acidification conditions. He is currently a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Science and Marine Environment at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia. He is a member of the IOC/UNESCO Group of Export on Ocean Literacy and Ocean Knowledge Action Network (Ocean KAN). He has also played a key role in establishing the first Malaysian Sustainable Ocean Alliance hub and has mobilized plastic upcycling projects in Kuala Nerus, Malaysia.
Frances Camille Rivera
Oceanus Conservation, Philippines
Camille is a marine ecologist and the Co-Founder of Oceanus Conservation, a nonprofit organization aiming to restore the remaining blue carbon habitats in the Philippines. She works with the local government and communities to lobby for a local agreement to protect 250 ha of mangrove forests across the Philippines. She has more than a decade of experience in coastal management and marine conservation, and led various community-based mangrove restoration projects, facilitated alternative livelihood to communities, and engaged more than 7000 young people in ocean literacy. One of their projects is ocean storytelling, where they produce bilingual storybooks about the importance of mangroves and coral reefs. They have distributed 206 books across the Philippines and engaged more than 100 local kids. Through this hub, she will be able to gather like-minded people and learn from different experiences and provide value to both scientific and local knowledge, hopefully improving ocean literacy in the Philippines.
Debarati Sengupta
Estuarine and Coastal Studies Foundation, India
Debarati is a youth ocean leader and very passionate about ocean literacy and marine life. Her background is in Marine Science and her research works are focused on Indian Sundarbans. She is the Ocean Literacy Coordinator of Estuarine and Coastal Studies Foundation (ECSF), India, where she is involved in various coastal research, ocean/climate education, mangrove conservation and community engagement based projects. She conducts both in-person and online education and outreach events to educate young minds (mostly 13 to 21 years old) about climate change and UN Ocean Decade challenges. Her vision is to open a Blue Hub in India/Asia to spread ocean awareness and messages for youth beyond the running decade.
Houraa Daher
Ocean Literacy With All (OLWA). Based in the US/but interested in OL in Lebanon
Houraa has a Bachelor’s degree in Earth Systems Engineering and a PhD in Physical Oceanography. She is currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate studying drought and climate change in the Mediterranean region. She is also a co-lead for the ECOP Ocean Literacy Task Team and for the research component of Ocean Literacy with All (OLWA), where they have been working on OL communication globally. She was motivated to join this regional hub because she is interested in improving the OL resources in Lebanon and the Middle East.
Laura Khatib
Guardians of the Blue, Lebanon
Laura has a background in development economics and sustainable blue economy, and she is passionate about ocean literacy and the ocean in general. She’s been working on developing and spreading ocean literacy in Lebanon with her NGO Guardians of the Blue, as well as organizing underwater cleanups and mitigating the impacts of the lionfish invasion. She works closely with scuba divers and the local fishermen community of Byblos. Her next projects involve producing Lebanese marine documentaries and launching a blue business initiative around lionfish. In the future, she hopes to strengthen ocean literacy capacities in the Middle East!
Shenghui Li
Guangdong Ocean University, China
Shenghui is a lecturer and researcher in the School of Management at Guangdong Ocean University, China. She is a co-chair of the Interdisciplinary Marine Early Career Network (IMECaN), a Steering Group Member of the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) Research Network, an Executive Committee member of the Global Ocean Negative Carbon Emission Endorsed Programme (Global ONCE), a project leader of a provincial ocean literacy program in Guangdong, China, and an active member of the ECOP China node coordinating team.
Resource Materials
Regional Collaborators and Initiatives
Our Ocean Literacy Hub is reviewing the ocean literacy landscape in Asia and taking stock of ocean literacy organizations, initiatives, and projects going on across the region. We welcome new collaborations, ideas and joint activities/projects to collectively develop regional ocean literacy awareness and contribute to an inclusive expansion of the movement in Asia.
If interested or just curious to learn more, please reach out to us at: ocean.literacy_asia@ecopdecade.org
