Ocean Literacy for Ocean Sustainability: Reflections From Australia

Rachel Kelly, Prue Francis, Rebecca J. Shellock, Stefan Andrews, Benjamin Arthur, Charlotte A. Birkmanis, Harry Breidahl, Lucy Buxton, Jasmine Chambers, Emma Church, Corrine Condie, Freya Croft, Cátia Freitas, Shannon Hurley, Emily Jateff, Brianna Le Busque, Justin Marshall, Allyson O’Brien, Gretta T. Pecl, Laura Torre-Williams, Sophia Volzke and Yolanda Waters
Additional contact information
Rachel Kelly: Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Australia / Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia
Prue Francis: Deakin Marine Research and Innovation Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Australia
Rebecca J. Shellock: Centre for Sustainable Development Reform, University of New South Wales, Australia
Stefan Andrews: Great Southern Reef Foundation, Australia
Benjamin Arthur: Marine National Facility, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia
Charlotte A. Birkmanis: Max Planck Queensland Centre for the Materials Science of Extracellular Matrices, Queensland University of Technology, Australia / UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Australia / Blue Biome Foundation, Australia
Harry Breidahl: Australian Association for Environmental Education, Australia
Lucy Buxton: Ocean Decade Australia, Australia
Jasmine Chambers: Ocean Decade Australia, Australia
Emma Church: Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Australia / Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia
Corrine Condie: CSIRO Environment, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia
Freya Croft: Australian Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Australia
Cátia Freitas: Deakin Marine Research and Innovation Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Australia
Shannon Hurley: The Salty Tribe, Australia
Emily Jateff: Australian National Maritime Museum, Australia
Brianna Le Busque: Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Australia / Uni SA STEM, University of South Australia, Australia
Justin Marshall: Coral Watch, University of Queensland, Australia
Allyson O’Brien: School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
Gretta T. Pecl: Centre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Australia / Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia
Laura Torre-Williams: Gold Coast Newborn Calf Study, Griffith University – Gold Coast, Australia
Sophia Volzke: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia
Yolanda Waters: Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Environment, University of Queensland, Australia

Ocean and Society, 2025, vol. 2

Abstract: Ensuring a sustainable future for the global ocean requires meaningful dialogue and engagement with society. Around the world, efforts to engage and collaborate with society increasingly emphasise ocean literacy as a potential tool for engaging and educating people on ocean issues. A conceptual measure of people’s awareness, attitudes, and behaviours towards the ocean, ocean literacy has been highlighted as a key objective in recent ocean sustainability agreements and initiatives, including the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. In Australia, research and applied interest in ocean literacy is burgeoning. It is therefore timely to take stock and explore recent work that may inform future pathways towards supporting and engaging society in achieving ocean sustainability. Here, we explore examples of ocean literacy research and practice in Australia, to develop prospective thinking on inter/transdisciplinary approaches for advancing ocean literacy under sustainability objectives. In doing so, we anticipate the next steps for progressing ocean literacy in the Australian context, including supporting ocean learning and education, engaging communities at all levels, fostering cross‐sector collaboration on connecting people to the ocean, and building strong and actionable policy and funding frameworks to ensure long‐term impact. We emphasise the need to collaboratively develop a national ocean literacy strategy to guide and structure these efforts and to establish an Australian ocean literacy coalition to facilitate research, cross‐sector collaboration, and implementation in practice.

Keywords: Australia; marine education; marine policy; ocean literacy; ocean sustainability; transdisciplinarity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v2:y:2025:a:9797

DOI: 10.17645/oas.9797

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