The world’s oceans are under threat from a range of pressures. Climate change is one major threat, which is likely to lead to a range of impacts on ocean ecosystems and people.  Before addressing these threats, we need to know more about the health of the world’s oceans, against a range of dimensions.

At this event, Professor Ben Halpern will discuss how the health of the oceans can be comprehensively assessed, to inform decisions about how to anticipate and deal with climate change, prioritise conservation action and manage our marine resources.

This talk will be followed by a panel discussion on ways forward to improve the health of the oceans, barriers to success, and how to overcome them, with experts working on addressing the challenges of sustainable ocean management, in the fisheries, livelihoods, conservation and marine energy sectors.

The lecture will be followed by a reception in the foyer of the Sir Alexander Fleming Building

Keynote speaker

Ben Halpern focuses his research at the interface between marine ecology and conservation planning.  He has led several key synthetic research projects that have advanced our understanding of the state of the world’s oceans and the potential for marine reserves to improve ocean condition. Dr. Halpern is Chair in Marine Conservation at Imperial College London and Professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. He also serves as the Director of the Center for Marine Assessment and Planning (CMAP) at UC Santa Barbara.  

Panellists

Dr Essam Yassin Mohammed, International Institute for Environment and Developement

Dr David Agnew, Marine Stewardship Council

Dr Heather Koldewey, Zoological Society of London

Stuart Bradley, Energy Technologies Institute