Engaging society to preserve the ocean: An unprecedented event for the media and digital influencers in Brazil

Conexão Oceano (Ocean Connection), an unprecedented gathering of Brazilian media and communication professionals, will address crosscutting issues in ocean science and marine biodiversity, the interactions between the ocean and our daily lives and the fundamental role of communications in raising awareness within society as a whole and among specific communities. The event will be held in Rio de Janeiro’s Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) on 3 September 2019.

The event will focus on the relationship between the ocean and society, and on how communications can engage people to understand this connection and protect marine ecosystems, the first communications-oriented event of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development in Brazil. The workshop will be open to the public and free.

Aimed at communicators, influencers, academics, researchers and society at large, the event aims to raise awareness and engage citizens about the importance of the seas, in the context of the upcoming decade, 2021 to 2030, which has been declared by the United Nations (UN) as the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, or simply the Ocean Decade.

“The idea is to enable massive societal applications of ocean science. To develop much needed breakthroughs in mapping of the ocean, observations, ecosystem knowledge, data and information work, modelling and prediction, disaster risk reduction, ocean literacy and education,” explained Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), who is in charge of coordinating preparations for the Decade of Ocean Science.

Anyone can register for free to attend the event through Museu do Amanhã’s website, within the limit of available places. Conexão Oceano is jointly organized by the Boticário Group Foundation for the Protection of Nature, UNESCO’s IOC, UNESCO in Brazil and Museu do Amanhã.

With a dynamic format, the workshop will feature round tables, a brainstorming brunch and speed talk success stories that demonstrate the impact of the ocean on topics such as entrepreneurship, innovation, sport and entertainment. Among the participants already confirmed for the program are the sailors Isabel Swan and Lars Grael; UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Oskar Metsavaht; journalist Sônia Bridi, specialist in environmental coverage; the economist Vilfredo Schurmann; actress and presenter Maria Paula Fidalgo; journalists Paulina Chamorro and Paula Saldanha; and surfer and businessman Rico de Souza.

“The oceans are part of our daily lives and are extremely important to the economy, science, welfare, environment and health of the population. When we realize that all these activities are related to the seas, we understand the importance of mobilizing to protect and conserve marine ecosystems. In this process, communicators and influencers are strategic actors,” says the Executive Director of the Boticário Group Foundation, Malu Nunes.

To UNESCO Director and Representative Marlova Jovchelovitch Noleto, “the event opens the activities of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which aims to expand international cooperation and promote the preservation of the oceans and the management of natural resources. This is an essential theme for the sustainability of the planet and always relevant to Brazil, a country with a coastline of almost 7,500 kilometers. ”

Conexão Oceano

Date and time: 3 September 2019, from 9 am to 5.30 pm

Venue: Museu do Amanhã (Mauá Square, Rio de Janeiro)

Registration: https://museudoamanha.org.br/pt-br/conexao-oceano

More information about the Decade: http://oceandecade.org

Contact: Vinicius Lindoso (v.lindoso@unesco.org)