The First Ocean Decade International Coastal Cities Conference: Better Ocean, Better City

Last summer saw the highest global Sea Surface Temperatures on record which included waters in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park.

Hosted by the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government in collaboration with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO), the first Ocean Decade International Coastal Cities Conference will convene in Qingdao, China, for two days during February 26-27, 2025.

The Conference will gather 150-200 key stakeholders from coastal cities and territories globally to facilitate knowledge exchange, showcase best practices, and foster collaboration and partnerships to address the challenges and opportunities in generating and using ocean science for sustainable development.

This Conference will build upon the momentum and outcomes of the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference which took place during April 10 -12, 2024 as part of the Ocean Decade Week (8-12 April 2024) in Barcelona, Spain.

It will mark a pivotal moment in accelerating action for the newly launched “Cities with the Ocean” Platform and be a major step towards the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference and the planned pre-Conference special event on ‘Ocean Rise and Resilience’.

World renown photographer Ian Hutton who is the curator of the Lord Howe Island Museum, https://ianhutton.info and award winning oil artist Selva Ozelli teamed up to bring a taste of Lord Howe Island Group with their art show titled “Paradise” to this Conference.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-23/lord-howe-island-cloud-forest-rare-ecosystem-species-return/104407260

Lord Howe Island Group (LHIG), an Australian island group in the Tasman Sea east of Port Macquarie, is one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific and an iconic tourist destination. The Lord Howe Island Group was inscribed on the World Heritage Register in 1982 under the United Nations' World Heritage Convention in recognition of its superlative natural phenomena and its rich terrestrial and marine biodiversity as an outstanding example of an island ecosystem developed from submarine volcanic origin containing a unique biota of plants and animals, as well as the world’s most southerly true coral reef. It is an area of spectacular and scenic landscapes encapsulated within a small land area. It provides important breeding grounds for colonies of seabirds as well as a significant natural habitat for the conservation of threatened species.

Last summer saw the highest global Sea Surface Temperatures on record which included waters in the Lord Howe Island Marine Park (LHIMP)¹. When water temperatures are warmer than average, marine “heat stress” builds up over time resulting in coral bleaching.²

Ian captured the raw beauty, of marine life including in the LHIMP, birds and plants of the island with his photography published in over 12 books and field guides on Lord Howe Island. Ian explains "living on Lord Howe Island is like living inside a David Attenborough documentary. From the beginning, I set out to emulate the great naturalist, exploring and documenting the Island’s diverse habitats, marine life, plants, birds, and weather patterns. As there is little I enjoy more than the chance to share my passion for the island and its environment with others, I have led innumerable private tours, day walks, and multi-day trips, Weed Eco Tours, sharing my passions and knowledge of the island’s natural history with visitors to Lord Howe Island. I hope you enjoy a taste of Paradise captured in this art show.” See more of Ian Hutton's work here.

Selva Ozelli is an award winning artist whose paintings have been acknowledged in 19 international art contests and exhibited in over 120 art shows by numerous museums, the United Nations, ministries and NGOs across the world. She has been painting reefs since 2020 for various museums including Lord Howe Island Museum³, CSH Whaling Museum⁴, Havre de Grace Maritime Museum⁵, CUHK Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change⁶ and others⁷ since Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and erosion and are a source for food and new medicines.

Cecilia Lam, Chief Sustainability Officer, Director of Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change and Director of the Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Office at The Chinese University of Hong Kong said “Beneath Hong Kong’s towering skyline lies a hidden treasure—rolling mountains and a vibrant sea. Few realize that our waters host a coral diversity surpassing even the Caribbean. At the Marine Science Laboratory of CUHK, dedicated researchers work tirelessly to restore coral reefs damaged by urbanization and pollution, breathing life back into the ocean’s fragile beauty while pioneering innovative ways to enhance coral resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Since 2013, the Museum of Climate Change (MoCC) has been a pioneer in raising public awareness about the climate crisis, inspiring and empowering citizens to take climate action and embrace a green lifestyle. We fully support the UN’s vision of the Decade of Ocean Science to make the future of the ocean healthy, resilient and sustainable for all.”

Selva explained “my art work in this area was influenced by the efforts of the several institutions I collaborated with and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which has more than 30 offices, such as the Coral Reef Conservation Program and Coral Reef Watch, working to understand and protect coral reefs. NOAA has also developed hundreds of partnerships in support of this work at local, regional, and international scales with groups like the United States Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) and the International Coral Reef Initiative offsite link (ICRI), which work to protect and restore coral reefs in the U.S. and globally.” ⁸

Selva is a member of the Climate Heritage Network, Global Resilience Partnership and an ambassador to Oceanic Global. Her art work has been cataloged by the United Nations, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum and the Berlin University of Art as part of the project titled Climate Summit Art. Art and Political Event, 1972 – 2022. Her three art shows Reef Dwellers, Orcas & Reefs and Healing Waters are endorsed by UNESCO OCEAN DECADE.

1. https://climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_daily/

2. https://coralreefhealth.com/coral-bleaching/

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7YuGrfSTyc

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjQHxuXXiEw

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4TG94lUmE

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KktL6cDWtZs

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3jViGZf8TM

8. https://www.noaa.gov/heritage/stories/from-threat-to-threatened-brief-history-of-coral-reef-research

Source : Selva Ozelli