Sea Seminar: Ocean Literacy – Connecting People to the Ocean

Dr. Rachel Kelly (University of Tasmania)

Ocean literacy reflects societal understanding of the ocean, as well as connections to, and attitudes and behaviours towards, the ocean. Building ocean literacy amongst communities or groups of individuals is an approach to encourage responsible public behaviour towards the ocean and its resources. The ‘goal’ of ocean literacy initiatives is to enable behaviour change towards actions that can ensure ocean sustainability from local to global scales.

This seminar discusses ocean literacy in this context: what it is; how it has evolved; and what progress is being made to enhance connections to the ocean for the benefit of people and the planet.

Dr. Rachel Kelly is a knowledge broker and marine socioecologist. Her background is in marine interdisciplinary research, and she has collaborated widely on applied initiatives in Australia and elsewhere. Today, her focus and passion is ocean literacy – understanding people’s connections to the ocean, and leading teams and initiatives that support these ocean connections and the human dimensions of ocean sustainability.

The Sea Seminar series is a collaboration between the ÅAU profiling area The Sea and SOS. The seminars are organized once a month with a hybrid setup (click here for online participation), and they are open to everyone interested in marine and sustainability issues.