Civil society organisations are becoming key players in ocean conservation – and the scientific community is demanding that they finally take centre stage in European policy. An international team led by ICM-CSIC warns that major global marine protection programmes remain overly focused on technological solutions and top-down approaches, leaving out hundreds of small associations that have been working in the field for years.
From the Bottom Up: The New Path to Ocean Governance
"Technological solutions are essential, but they alone will not bring about the cultural and social transformation needed to reverse the ocean and climate crises," says researcher Josep Lluís Pelegrí, author of the paper 'Collaborative bottom-up Trust Missions: A perspective on long-term strategies with and for people and Nature'. "We need to invest decisively in bottom-up strategies that start with citizens and recognise and reinforce the work of small and medium-sized civil associations and NGOs that have been working on the front line for years with minimal resources."
The researchers advocate the creation of Trust Missions - programmes that guarantee stable logistical and financial support to local organisations, enabling them to expand ocean literacy, community mobilisation and environmental advocacy projects.
“If we really want to foster a society committed to ocean health, national governments and supranational entities such as the European Union must find innovative ways to offer stable and lasting support to civil organisations that are already actively working in the field,” stresses Patrícia Pinto, a researcher at CCMAR.
Francisco Leitão also emphasises that “The Ocean Decade has not yet managed to mobilise resources for these organisations, representing a huge missed opportunity to engage the public.” He adds: "Strengthening ocean literacy has been used to empower fishers, stakeholders and society to understand the impact of climate change and global threats on fisheries and marine life, and the involvement of social sciences is essential for marine scientists to interact and engage with these stakeholders. A multidisciplinary approach, which is at the core of TransOcean and this article, is needed to engage society in a quest to better address future local and global sustainability goals.”
Jorge Palma highlights the transformative role of education: "Marine literacy is fundamental and, above all, a powerful tool for biodiversity conservation, as it equips society with the essential knowledge needed to act appropriately and consciously for the benefit of the ocean and its biodiversity."
For civil society organisations, this proposal represents a decisive opportunity: more resources, more autonomy and a recognised place in ocean governance. In the words of Natalia Bojanić, ‘This approach offers a promising way to deepen citizen participation in ocean governance,’ with a direct impact on coastal communities. David Whyte reinforces the urgency to act: "The European Union must drive structural changes to ensure that its funding effectively reaches citizens already committed to developing a more harmonious relationship with the ocean, making them central actors in the protection of aquatic ecosystems and the development of a true blue economy."
The TransOcean group, part of the EuroMarine network, brought together researchers from various fields for this joint appeal. As Josep Lluís Pelegrí states: "The writing process itself was a collaborative and pluralistic exercise, in which we sought to reflect the diversity of experiences and perspectives across Europe."
The final message is clear: without structured citizen participation, there will be no recovery of the oceans. For civil society organisations, this is the time to claim leadership — and to demand that European policies recognise the value of their daily work on the ground.
