"We must act now to protect our oceans for the future"

“The oceans have enormous potential to provide the resources the world needs, create jobs and promote economic and social development. In order for this to happen, we must manage them sustainably”, says Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

The Prime Minister launched her government’s big conference “Science for Ocean Actions” at the G7 meeting in the summer, and it will be held in Bergen on 20–21 November. The Institute of Marine Research (IMR) is hosting the event.

Good marine management requires knowledge

135 leading marine scientists from 49 countries will attend the conference, and make suggestions to Prime Minister Solberg’s panel on sustainable oceans about what the most urgent priorities are.

“Good marine management is dependent on research and knowledge. The world`s oceans are under pressure, and we need knowledge to take the right decisions”, says the IMR’s Managing Director Sissel Rogne.

The topics that will be discussed at the conference range from mangrove forests to the deep seas, from resistance to antibiotics to the challenges created by climate change. The scientists will discuss both the opportunities and challenges associated with the world’s oceans.

Important contribution

Prime Minister Solberg is now chairing the international High-level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, which brings together the heads of government from 12 coastal states. The conference in Bergen will be an important contribution to the work of the panel.

The panel will utilize the best marine research available in the world, and deliver a final report to the UN by 2020.