Students given chance to make a difference for Canada's oceans
Fact one: 70 per cent of the world’s oxygen is produced by our oceans.
Fact two: One billion people around the world depend on seafood as their primary source of protein.
Fact three: 85 per cent of the world’s fisheries are either fully exploited, over exploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion.
Fact four: Somebody has to find some solutions that deal with fact three.
So who should be put to task on finding these solutions? A great place to start is with students who are passionate about ocean conservation and are keen to find solutions to the multitude of problems facing our oceans.
Porbeagle Shark being measured © Doug Perrine/WWF
In May 2011 a partnership was formed between WWF and the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University in Halifax (also known as Canada’s Ocean University) thanks to a gift from Donald R. Sobey. It resulted in the Sobey Fund for Oceans. The goal of this partnership is to inspire a new generation of ocean leadership and attract the best and brightest minds across multiple disciplines (from marine biology, law, oceanography, management, journalism and political science) that will create new ways for ocean communities to flourish.
There are several components of this partnership (including scholarships, work placements and student conferences and events) that will help tomorrow’s leaders see beneath the surface of our oceans’ problems and find sustainable solutions.
Whale watching, Nova Scotia © Damian Lidgard/WWF-Canada
SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION
A scholarship competition is now open to potential and current graduate students at Dalhousie University. Two awards of $10,000 each will be available for the 2012-2013 academic year. The deadline for applications is January 31st, 2012.
A student conference is also being planned for March 30-31. This conference will be centered on the goals and objectives of the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) on June 21-22. The goal of UNCSD (also known as Rio+20) is to renew political commitment for sustainable development, assess progress made to date and address new and emerging challenges.
The conference will provide students with an opportunity to critically assess how well previous UNCSD commitments, goals and targets related to coasts, oceans and island states have been met, and to craft recommendations for the Rio+20 delegation.
Dalhousie students aren’t the only ones who can help conserve our world oceans. We all have a role – students of all ages, businesses, moms, dads, and government – every one of us. Coast to coast to coast we can work together to ensure that Canada’s three oceans continue to provide us with air to breathe, food to eat, and healthy oceans rich in biodiversity.