Vol. 69 No. Suppl. 1 (2021): Ocean and Coastal Research: The Ocean Decade in the perspective of the Global South (Special Article Collection)

This Special Issue on the Ocean Decade in the Global South was envisioned by the UNESCO Chair on Ocean Sustainability (http://catedraoceano.iea.usp.br/) to take advantage of the Ocean Decade process to unveil the perspectives of vulnerable countries and regions regarding emerging and critical ocean-related issues.

The Chair is in direct alignment with the UNESCO mission and operates in synergy with the overarching objectives of UNESCO’s and IOC’s Medium-Term Strategy. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are also at the core of the Chair objectives. The Ocean Decade is one of the main inspirations of the Chair, which intends to promote integrated and interdisciplinary science for ocean sustainability through knowledge co-production and public dissemination, thus contributing to ocean literacy and social control. It also aims to actively reach out to policymakers, thus contributing to better-informed decision-making. The Chair acts by channeling institutions and ongoing activities and catalyzing partnerships and actions for ocean sustainability. The Chair is also building a multi-stakeholder Ocean Partnership that would contribute to the transition to a sustainable ocean, taking into consideration social, economic, and cultural development. In this way, the Chair contributes to the Ocean Decade through promotion in various manners and at several levels. This Special Issue is one such strategy to connect science, ocean, and society, with a dedicated focus on the countries that lag the ocean science leadership.

The Special Issue on the Ocean Decade on the Global South intended to summarize the key issues requiring focus (status and trends), key science and capacity development needs (gaps, challenges, and opportunities), and/or recommendations (pathways for solutions and cross-cutting priorities) for the science-policy agenda to achieve the Ocean Decade outcomes and face its challenges. It is assumed that recommendations of the published papers will be used by governments, agencies, companies, scientists, and society to set priorities for future action and research towards the sustainable use of the ocean.

The Special Issue is comprised of eleven papers, either collective positioning, reviews, or case reports, covering emerging topics of ocean science, from blue economy, ocean literacy, and gender balance to a safe ocean, and regions, such as Western Africa, the Mediterranean, the Western Tropical Atlantic, and the Caribbean.

This is the Volume 69, Suppl. 1 (2021) of the Ocean and Coastal Research.