Download PRESS RELEASE Poseidon goes Politics

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PRESS RELEASE
(Bremen, 02.03.2017)
Poseidon goes Politics - Who or what governs the Oceans?
International conference of experts and public panel discussion with scientists and policy representatives of
the EU from 6 to 8 March in Bremen
The Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) will be hosting an international conference within
the framework of the EU COST project "Ocean Governance for Sustainability" from 6 to 8 March in
Bremen. Around 100 participants from science and politics from 24 countries will be discussing the future
of the oceans at the conference, which will take place in the Haus der Wissenschaft and at ZMT. After the
welcoming addresses - including Kristofer Du Rietz, representative of the EU Commission's Directorate
General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries - the former Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Awni Behnam, will
open the conference on 6 March (starting at 9:00) in the Haus der Wissenschaft. On 7 March, interested
members of the public are invited to join a "Science meets Policy" panel discussion on the topic "Ocean
Governance for Sustainability", taking place in English at the Überseemuseum with representatives of the
EU Parliament, EU Commission, German UNESCO Commission and two civil society organisations Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and Fair Oceans.
Oceans and seas cover around two thirds of the earth's surface. People use them in numerous ways as a source
of food, transport routes or also as a backdrop for creating cultures and myths. But who owns the oceans? Who
takes care of a sustainable use of the oceans' resources and what role do local conditions play regarding
compliance with laws on fishing practices? What influence do societal and individual practices exert and what
role does science play in this context?
Around 100 international scientists from a wide range of disciplines will deal with these and similar questions
during the three-day conference which will be organised within the EU COST network "Ocean Governance for
Sustainability" under the direction of Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge of ZMT.
The main focus will be the six core themes of this European network project: land-sea interaction, land-based
management, deep sea resources, food security and food systems, climate change and ocean acidification, as
well as, fisheries management. The participating researchers will present their latest results in these fields.
Thus, Prof. Dr. Maarten Bavinck from the University of Amsterdam deals with the question: to what extent can
an increased use of maritime resources contribute to the world nutrition, while Dr. Agisilaos Economou from the
Technical University of Athens focusses his research on the challenges related to the management of European
coastal areas. Other speakers establish their research work in the comprehensive theme of governability of
global water worlds and focus on theory formation, structures, as well as, on the significance the research and
policy area "Ocean Governance" will have in future.
"Ocean control in an ecological, economical and socially sustainable way is not only of scientific but also of great
political sensitivity at a time of "post-factual" policy-making. We are talking about the common use of the
oceans and its resources and, thus, about the common use of the largest global transmission system. The
shaping of these international discussions on allocation contributes fundamentally to inclusive, or else to border
drawing forms of international cooperation," says Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Chair of the EU COST Network
"Ocean Governance for Sustainability".
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About the EU COST Project "Ocean Governance for Sustainability"
For several years now, the European Union has been increasingly interested in questions on sustainable ocean
management. Above all, an impression of great conceptual fragmentation and missing connections of local,
regional, national and global approaches becomes apparent. The aim of the four-year EU COST project "Ocean
Governance for Sustainability" is thus to address problems of current legislations and regulations in a
transdisciplinary way in order to adapt existing strategies in research and policy. The integrative approach which
brings together natural, social and human sciences, as well as, international know-how is a specific feature of the
COST projects funded by the European Union. Moreover, the conference fits into the current science year
2016*2017 "Seas and Oceans". The conference in Bremen will be the starting point for the project which was
established in September 2016 in Brussels under the direction of Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge (ZMT). For
more information please refer to www.oceangov.eu
The EU COST conference on "Ocean Governance for Sustainabilty - Challenges, Options and the Role of Science"
is organised by the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research in cooperation with the European program
"Cooperation of Science and Technology (COST)".
When: 6 - 8 March 2017
Where: Haus der Wissenschaft and Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
Official conference programme for download.
Public panel discussion on 7 March at Überseemuseum
Programme for download.
Media representatives are cordially invited to attend the conference. Please register with
[email protected]
Contact persons:
Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge | Workgroup Development and Knowledge Sociology at Leibniz Centre for
Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
E-mail: [email protected] | Phone: +49 (0)421 238 00 -168
Andrea Daschner | Public Relations Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
E-mail: [email protected] | Phone: +49 (0)421 238 00 - 72
The ZMT is a member of