Xiamen holds ocean literacy, blue citizens online workshop
The online Workshop on Ocean Literacy and Blue Citizens took place on Nov 20 via video link – in the coastal city of Xiamen, in East China's Fujian province – with guests and various national and international representatives calling for action to improve people's knowledge about the sea and their ocean literacy.
The seminar was organized by the APEC Marine Sustainable Development Center – a unit of APEC, the intergovernmental forum for 21 Pacific Rim nations – the Third Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Xiamen Marine International Cooperation Center.
It was co-organized by the Xiamen Little Seagull Educational Center for Nature and Ecology and the Beijing Entrepreneur Environmental Protection Foundation.
Gathered at the event were over 100 experts from APEC regions – including China, Japan, Thailand and the US. There were also representatives from international organizations – including the World Economic Forum, the Global Environmental Institute, the World Wild Fund for Nature and Wild Aid – and others from research institutes and universities, as well as practitioners in the fields of marine protection and nature education.
Chen Bin, deputy director of the Third Institute of Oceanography, MNR, urged all participants to make full use of the platform of the APEC Marine Sustainable Development Center, to promote the "Blue Citizen Program" and to help enhance ocean literacy generally.
Experts from APEC regions shared their best practices and prospects for ocean literacy and marine education.
The event's keynote speech covered many topics: the introduction of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and possible cooperation under this framework, as well as thoughts and practices of the "Blue Citizens Program" and excellent examples of marine protection, among other things
The Workshop on Ocean Literacy and Blue Citizens takes place online via video link in Xiamen on Nov 20. [Photo/WeChat account of Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Ocean Development]