The Citizen Science We Need for the Ocean We Want
2021: The Beginning of a Pivotal Decade for Ocean Health
At Project AWARE® we recognize that large-scale positive transformation starts with each and every one of us acting locally for global impact. This is why, to work towards a future where the ocean no longer needs protecting, we prioritize addressing the greatest threats facing the ocean through the lens of community action. We develop and inspire community-led efforts to sustainably manage the world’s marine ecosystems.
With a long-running history of working with scuba divers to tackle pressing environmental issues, we have a unique underwater perspective of the decline in ocean health. We see first-hand the pressures that the ocean is facing and their impacts.
In 2020, COVID-19 has shown how human health is intimately connected with our relationship to the natural world. As we embark on a new year, we have an opportunity to strengthen our mission and vision to achieve a balance between nature and humanity.
2021 marks the beginning of what the United Nations hopes will be a pivotal decade for the global ocean. Together with our global community, we are uniquely positioned to support the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science and Decade of Ecosystem Restoration to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health by 2030.
Through expanding the scope of Adopt a Dive Site® and including in the initiative a wide range of underwater citizen science actions in the coming years, we will increase opportunities for the dive community to dive with a purpose and contribute data to advance critically important research.
Ian Campbell, Project AWARE Associate Director of Policy and Campaigns
The ocean challenges in front of us require an all hands on deck approach. Divers can play an important role as citizen scientists because they have the passion, drive, and skillset to document what remains for the larger public out of sight, out of mind. Together with PADI®, we recognize and harness the power of the global dive community to influence and create change.
Adopt a Dive Site locations combined with a vast array of underwater citizen science actions can provide valuable data for both global-scale and local ocean-based solutions to the most pressing environmental issues. Our growing network of Adopt a Dive Site® locations across the globe provides a platform to accelerate community-led efforts and secure science-based conservation measures to protect and restore the ocean at local, national, and international levels.
Your gift this holiday season has the power to expand the impact of Adopt a Dive Site® to help inform policy change beyond building evidence of the extent of the global marine debris crisis. Together, we will shine a light on what’s happening beneath the waves. Under the #EveryDiveaSurveyDive campaign umbrella, we will provide vital information to:
Inform waste management policies
Monitor Marine Protected Areas
Protect Endangered species critical habitat
Support habitat restoration projects
Monitors species population
Monitor climate change indicators
Support best practice operators
Whether divers report rare shark sightings, monitor coral reefs' health, or submit marine debris data, every piece of information, every survey submitted is a key part of helping sustainably manage the world’s marine ecosystems.
Through Adopt a Dive Site®, we will empower divers to dive with a purpose and make every dive a survey dive to tackle local conservation issues on a global scale.
Saving the ocean means saving both marine species and their habitats. It is about actively restoring our seabeds and halting ongoing destructive fishing. It is about achieving a balance between nature and humanity.
The next ten years are critical to achieving a transformative change to save our ocean. Nature is in crisis but through increased community-led actions and a strengthened approach to mobilizing the dive community, we’re ready to create change and make a difference locally and globally.
Danna Moore, Project AWARE Global Operations Director.
With your help today, our goal is to raise $65,000 to reach an incredible milestone: Monitoring 50% more Adopt a Dive Site® locations in support of the 2021-2030 United Nations Decade of Ocean Science.
