On June 6, we launched an educational proposal together with the Delegation of the European Union in Argentina to immerse oneself in the sea, through an interactive filter available on Instagram that combines technology, science and environmental awareness.
The immersive experience will allow each person to “clean” the sea of plastic waste while, in each gesture in favor of the conservation of marine environments, amazing species of the Patagonian Sea will be discovered. Four of the species that inhabit it will appear to remind us that we are also the Sea: Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina), Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) and Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus). Each of them plays a vital role in the balance of the marine ecosystem and their conservation status offers us valuable clues about the health of the
sea, its threats and resilience.
“Joining efforts between governments, civil society organizations, communities, and the academic and private sectors strengthens ocean governance and allows for the design of solutions that ensure more effective and equitable management of marine resources,” said Andrea Michelson, regional coordinator of the Forum.
“The oceans are a source of natural and economic wealth for the world. They provide us with natural resources, keep our climate stable, and also help drive our economy through activities such as fishing and tourism. To maintain healthy marine ecosystems and ensure their sustainable use, the EU advocates that 30% of the EU sea should be protected. With almost 5,000 kilometers of coastline and a marine resource of indisputable global
importance, Argentina is a key partner of the EU in the task of marine biodiversity. This recognition has led us to cooperate in the “MaRes” project in which the responsibility for marine sustainability is shared by various actors. From the EU we invite everyone to take action to ensure healthy and productive oceans”, Amador Sánchez Rico, Ambassador of the European Union in the Republic of Argentina.
From June 9 to 13, we will participate in the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), the most important meeting for ocean governance that seeks to implement Sustainable Development Goal 14 on the marine environment.
“It is a strategic space to make visible the work model carried out by the Forum, thanks to the commitment and proactive collaboration of the 30 organizations of the Southern Cone that make it up. Our presence at UNOC3 is an opportunity to strengthen alliances, share solutions based on cooperation and ensure that global decisions also reflect the realities
and lessons learned from the territories”, Alejandro Vila, president of the Forum.
We are connected by the same sea
The Patagonian Sea and its areas of influence, shared by Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil, represent one of the last relatively conserved large marine ecosystems in terms of ecological relationships and abundance of species. There, biologists, scientists and specialists work in a network to study, monitor and conserve a biodiversity that is as fascinating as it is fragile.
Marine conservation requires coordinated action at multiple scales. From choosing what we consume and how we manage our waste, to getting involved by supporting initiatives and regulations that promote environmental education, monitoring and open access to information, strengthening public participation in decision-making and guiding us towards a real transition to deplastification, every small gesture counts and leaves a mark -for better or worse- on the oceans. The power of our daily decisions connects us to the great web of interdependencies of which we are a part.
Available from June 6
Filter on Instagram: Bio at @FMarPatagonico
