At the beginning of the year we launched our project: 'Turning the Tide: Systems thinking for a sustainable ocean'. This collaborative project is focused on championing a systems thinking approach to issues affecting the marine and coastal environment, through bringing together the marine and coastal science community in the UK. We are doing this through a series of collaborative events and activities including online webinars and forums, article publication and workshop delivery. 

We are pleased to announce that our Turning the Tide project has now been officially endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade, as it is aligned with their mission and goals. We hope to reach a wider audience through this endorsement and maximise the impact of the project. 

We have now completed the first theme of the project, Bridging the gap between land and sea, and are moving onto our next theme of Blue Carbon. This theme will explore the role of the ocean in climate mitigation and adaptation, including the importance of habitats such as saltmarsh, seagrass and mangroves.

Sign up to our first events for this theme, and keep an eye out for future events: 

• Blue Carbon: The role of coastal ecosystems in climate change mitigation
• Coastal wetland restoration: Exploring carbon sequestration and accounting

How can I get involved?

We have a Marine & Coastal Science Community for members involved in this sector who will help to shape our activities on this project throughout the year. The Community is free to join and open to all professional members of the IES. Find out more here and please get in touch to join.

If you are interested in staying up to date with the project or collaborating with us on activities, we've put together a dedicated mailing list which you can sign up to here and you can also join our LinkedIn group. 

Finally, if you have ideas for a topic you would like explored please don't hesitate to get in touch.