About
About Us
Ocean Literacy Research Community (OLRC)
Coalescing, co-designing, and communicating research focused on understanding and transforming humanity’s relationship with the ocean.
What is Ocean Literacy?
Ocean literacy is widely described as the extent to which we understand the ocean’s influence on our lives, and our impact on the ocean. It is about our reciprocal relationship with the ocean, coastal areas, and local waterways; the many intricate connections on which all life depends; and the societal action required to ensure collective well-being. Ocean literacy is an outcome – a society that better understands, values, and cares for the ocean.
What is Ocean Literacy Research ?
Ocean literacy research is an interdisciplinary, cross-sector field of research which explores the diverse dimensions, drivers, influences, and impacts of ocean literacy initiatives. It seeks to understand how these aspects may vary in different social, economic, cultural, political, and geographic contexts and is inclusive of diverse voices, actors, and ways of engaging with the ocean.
- Ocean literacy research enables us to collectively understand what experiences, approaches, and messages help to transform people’s understanding of, connection to, and relationship with the ocean; and what aspects of ocean literacy work are fostering action, driving aspects of behaviour change, and influencing policy;
- Ocean literacy research helps us to better understand what is working, so we can exchange and scale; and likewise, what isn’t working, so we can pivot and reimagine–regionally and globally.
Who is the OLRC?
The ocean literacy research community is a global network of researchers – including natural and social scientists; education, communication, and place-based, community experts; and program evaluators – who are focused on better understanding and scaling enabling conditions that support human-ocean health.
Collaborators
Get involved!
Collaborators
Co-organizers and Lead Organizations/Institutions:
- Diz Glithero, Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition and Dalhousie University
- Emma McKinley, Cardiff University and MarSocSci
- Jen McRuer, Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition and Dalhousie University
Supporting Partner Organizations/Institutions:
- University of Portsmouth
- Instituto do Mar–Universidade Federal de São Paulo
- Ocean Conservation Trust
- Fundação Grupo Boticário
- University of Connecticut; Connecticut SeaGrant
- IOC-UNESCO
- University of Victoria and Ocean Networks Canada
- Simon Fraser University
- ECOP Global Programme
Mission
To coordinate and co-develop an actionable research agenda to ensure ocean literacy initiatives are strengthening society's relationship with the ocean in meaningful and measurable ways.
GOALS
- To collaboratively investigate how diverse knowledges, values, emotional connections, and ways of knowing ocean, coastal and freshwater environments, translate into ocean literacy.
- To conduct Ocean Literacy Research in ways that respect and include the multitude of relationships that exist among places, ecologies, cultures, and languages.
- To co-create an Ocean Literacy Research agenda that is multi-scale and multi-sector, moving away from only including the ‘usual suspects’ and including a diverse range of disciplines.
- To gain a better understanding of the science-policy interface and associated science diplomacy, to position the significance and thus adoption of, Ocean Literacy Research into decision-making.
- To test approaches and develop recommendations to support the use of ocean literacy as a practical policy tool.
Priority Research Areas
Through a 3-part workshop series in 2021–2022, that kicked off at the first Ocean Decade Laboratory (An Inspiring & Engaging Ocean), more than 130 researchers contributed to co-identifying the following Ocean Literacy Research priority areas:
Measuring Ocean Literacy & Impact
Focusing on the design of tools to measure human-ocean relationships to assess the effectiveness of existing initiatives.
Ocean literacy & CLIMATE CHANGE
Considering the current and future impacts of climate change and how this might affect societal relationships with the ocean.
ocean literacy & THE BLUE ECONOMY
Exploring ocean-based livelihoods, careers, and the impacts of ocean-related activities.
Ocean Literacy as a Policy Tool
Better understanding the science-policy interface and associated science diplomacy.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Understanding the complexity and diversity of the relationships between people and the ocean – and the multiplicity of values inherent within.
