By Susanne Togeby, AAU Communication and Public Affairs

The ocean covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and plays a crucial role in climate regulation, food supply, global trade, and security policy. The ocean is the theatre of naval conflict between nations, but it is also the setting of innovation and enterprise. And it provides food for more than 3 billion people. Therefore, it is extremely important that we address how we can protect and preserve our oceans now and in the future.

This is what Carolijn van Noort, Associate Professor at the Centre for Blue Governance at Aalborg University, explains. She recently published a book on international collaboration in ocean science and governance. Ocean science refers to the development of scientific knowledge, services, and technology that are valuable and applicable to policy makers, decision makers, and managers. In her book, Carolijn van Noort focuses on how power, politics, and communication affect international practices to develop critical ocean knowledge to manage the ocean sustainable.

Key challenges in ocean science collaboration

Carolijn van Noort mentions two key challenges in international collaboration to create knowledge and solutions for the ocean. The first challenge is the asymmetrical distribution of power and resources among ocean stakeholders. The second major challenge is the very complex reality in which governments need to strategically balance commitments to international collaboration in science, national security, and international trade.

"Power, politics, and communication skills influence international collaboration in ocean science. The challenges arise because different actors often have very different interests, concerns, values, knowledge, resources, and communication competences. Moreover, they might care for different problems. That can make collaboration difficult," explains Carolijn van Noort.

For instance, groups may focus on protecting maritime cultural heritage, while others prioritise economic growth in shipping, fishing or marine tourism. Some groups may be primarily concerned with protecting marine ecosystems, while others focus on ensuring access to seafood or safeguarding critical maritime infrastructure.

This diversity of interests creates a very complex landscape for collaboration, and it is often not technical solutions, but power dynamics, relationships and interactions, that determine which knowledge is considered important and what solutions are implemented.

In her new book, Carolijn van Noort has developed a model illustrating how these various factors interact and influence the possibilities for creating knowledge and shared solutions. The model brings together knowledge of actors with unequal power and resources, policies and conflicts, narratives and emotions in communication, norms, values, and security concerns, as well as the processes and structures that shape international collaboration. Together, these elements provide an overview of how international decisions and actions that benefit the ocean are made -and why they are often so complex.