Ocean Matters

Ocean Matters is getting down to business. That’s the business of investing in the ocean, its future as well as the communities that rely on it.

There are lots of existing financial tools that make the world go round, so how can we use them to protect the ocean without reducing it to a number on the balance sheet? Plus, it's coming up to the end of the year so what were the big ocean successes of 2022?

In this episode, Dr Helen Czerski speaks with Karen Sack, Executive Director of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA). ORRAA is a global multi-stakeholder alliance working around the world to drive investments into coastal and ocean resilience and nature.

Ocean Matters is a Fresh Air production for the Bertarelli Foundation. The producer is Izzie Clarke.

There are several stories in this series which explore the connectivity between species, but how often do we consider the connectivity between a species, people, land and culture?

Take the Pacific Salmon, for example. This is just one example of a “culturally significant fish” and are at the heart of indigenous communities in British Columbia.  By understanding the biology of salmon we can better understand the complex interrelationships between fish, people and place. But what is the current state of wild salmon? 

Bizarrely, when it comes to ecology – marine systems and land systems are studied separately. But we need to better understand the “in between”.

Travelling from vast rainforests, all the way to the sandy shores of remote atolls, join oceanographer Helen Czerski as she explores the power of a healthy ecosystem with Yadvinder Mahli, Professor of Ecosystem Science at Oxford University and Director of Oxford’s Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery. What are the processes that keep these important ecosystems in check? And can a healthy island ecosystem improve the state of our ocean?

The more you find out about eels, the more fascinating they become... Even on the scale of the surprises that nature can throw at us. 
 
The European eel starts its life way out in the open ocean, far, far away from land, out in saltwater. It then migrates back thousands of miles towards estuaries, up the estuaries, into the freshwater system. It’s an extraordinary achievement but, as it travels, this is a species that encounters all the water based problems that we humans create. 
 
Join oceanographer and host Helen Czerski as she discovers the eel’s impressive journey, the threats they face, and whether she can find an elusive eel at the banks of Hampton Court in London. With special thanks to Marine and Freshwater Conservation Programme Manager, Dr Matt Gollock at Zoological Society London and Phoebe Shaw Stewart from their monitoring programme. 
 
Follow or subscribe now, for free, wherever you get your podcasts so that you never miss an episode. 

In episode 12, we heard about the changes our ocean has faced in recent years and why it’s important to remain ‘ocean optimists’ in the fight against climate change. One ocean optimist is Sebastian Yancovic Pakarati, who is from an indigenous community – the Rapa Nui - on Easter Island. In 2014 the Rapa Nui lobbied the Chilean government to create a marine protected area in the waters around Easter Island. Four years later their campaign was successful and the MPA is now one of the world’s largest.
 
Sebastian speaks with producer Izzie Clarke about creating positive change, the important role indigenous communities play in ocean conservation, and shares his advice for listeners wanting to make a difference. 
 
Ocean Matters will be taking a short break to bring you season two. In the meantime, do listen and share the series so far. You can also visit the Bertarelli Foundation’s website marine.science, as well as @Marine_Science on Twitter to share your ocean enthusiasm.
 
Ocean Matters is a Fresh Air Production for the Bertarelli Foundation. Follow or subscribe now for free, wherever you get your podcasts, and we’ll be back in spring 2022.