Posted on 16 October 2017
New term, new NZ marine science resources
- Media release
- EBM in action Improving ecosystem health Marine values Schools, education and communities Tikanga and mātauranga Māori Dynamic Seas Enabling ecosystem-based management Managed Seas Our Seas Tangaroa Valuable Seas Vision Mātauranga National
- 3 Minutes to read
School pupils can now explore a real-world issue facing New Zealand – how to best manage our vast marine resources – thanks to a collaboration between the Sustainable Seas Challenge and Science Learning Hub.
Marine ecosystems are critical to Kiwis’ health and wealth. There is increasing recognition that we need to change the way we manage marine resources if we are to sustainably develop our marine economy while protecting the taonga of our marine environment.
Ecosystem-based management (EBM) – a holistic and inclusive way to manage our marine environments and the competing uses for, demands on, and ways New Zealanders value them – is a way to do things better. Sustainable Seas is developing EBM knowledge and tools will help marine resource managers, Māori, industry and communities to assess the effect that developing an opportunity will have on the marine ecosystem, other marine activities, our values and our cultural connection to the marine environment.
Julie Hall, Director of Sustainable Seas, said: “EBM is a complex concept, and the Science Learning Hub has done a great job of making it accessible. Many iwi and local communities are already engaged with what’s happening in their local marine spaces but for EBM to be successful we need better ways for them and other interested parties to participate in decision-making, so we believe it’s important to share what we’re doing and why. It makes sense to raise awareness with young people – not only is this a big issue affecting their future, they talk to their friends and whānau about what they’re learning.”
Andrea Soanes, the Science Learning Hub’s Project Leader, said: "The Science Learning Hub is excited to be working with Sustainable Seas. It is important to tie real-world issues to the NZ Curriculum, and this work dovetails nicely with modern contextual teaching and learning. This collaboration has obvious benefits both the research and education sectors. We value Sustainable Seas’s recognition of our team’s expertise and the Challenge’s ability to use the collaboration to its full advantage.”
EBM is the first many topics to be based on the Challenge’s cutting-edge research. The resources are freely available at:
Future topics will include coastal and marine tipping points; Kiwis’ social, cultural and spiritual values for the marine environment; mātauranga Māori; ecosystem services; modelling ecosystems; measuring marine biodiversity with eDNA and genetic barcoding techniques; and more.
Notes to editors
Contacts
Sustainable Seas: Robin Wilkinson, [email protected] 04 3860 468
Science Learning Hub: Andrea Soanes, [email protected] 027 3015 803
About the Science Learning Hub
The aim of the Science Learning Hub is to make New Zealand’s science and technology research and development more visible and accessible to New Zealand teachers, school students, and wider communities. The SLH is a national project and is funded through the Government’s Science in Society Strategy. It is managed by the University of Waikato under contract to MBIE.
About the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge
The vision of Sustainable Seas is for Aotearoa to have healthy marine ecosystems that provide value for every New Zealander. It brings together scientists, social scientists, economists, and experts in mātauranga Māori and policy. It is funded by MBIE and hosted by NIWA.
About the National Science Challenges
Sustainable Seas is one of 11 National Science Challenges. These align and focus New Zealand’s research on large and complex issues, bringing together scientists and experts from different organisations and across disciplines to achieve a common goal.
