Ocean Literacy and Community Engagement in Marine Sustainability

Ocean literacy encompasses the understanding of the ocean’s influence on people and of people’s influence on the ocean, integrating scientific knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and stewardship skills. Community engagement in marine sustainability involves participatory approaches that empower coastal and ocean-dependent populations to contribute knowledge, share values and co-design management measures. Together, these concepts form a nexus in which informed citizens, educators, policymakers, non-governmental organisations and researchers collaborate to address challenges such as habitat degradation, overfishing, pollution and climate impacts. A robust ocean-literate society supports sustainable livelihoods, equitable governance and adaptive strategies at local to global scales. Practical examples include citizen science programmes monitoring marine biodiversity, educational initiatives embedded in school curricula, and community-led governance of coastal resources. Emphasis on equity and cultural relevance ensures that diverse knowledge systems and voices—particularly from under-represented coastal communities—are central to the co-production of knowledge and solutions. This integrative framework underpins the United Nations’ Decade of Ocean Science and informs policy instruments aimed at fostering resilience and long-term stewardship of coastal and marine ecosystems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have underscored the critical role of inclusive science-policy interfaces in achieving sustainable ocean futures. A seminal communication highlighted how collaborative networks of researchers, decision-makers and civil society, operating under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science, can generate actionable evidence for restoring ocean health. This work demonstrated that linking high-resolution oceanographic data with community priorities strengthens policy uptake and fosters shared responsibility for marine stewardship.

Ocean Literacy and Community Engagement in Marine Sustainability publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ocean literacy and community engagement in marine sustainability across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ocean literacy: A multidimensional understanding of the ocean’s processes and its relationship with human society, encompassing knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and stewardship skills.

Community engagement: Participatory processes that involve stakeholders in the design, implementation and evaluation of marine science, policy and management.

Knowledge-deficit approach: A model that assumes provision of information alone will change attitudes or behaviours, often criticised for overlooking values and cultural contexts.

Systematic map: A structured review method that catalogues and analyses the extent, distribution and characteristics of research on a given topic.

References

1. Towards equity and justice in ocean sciences. npj Ocean Sustainability (2023).
2. The nature and use of Ocean Literacy in achieving sustainable ocean futures: A Systematic Map. Ocean & Coastal Management (2024).
3. Fostering ocean literacy through informal marine education programs. Marine Pollution Bulletin (2023).
4. Ocean science research is key for a sustainable future. Nature Communications (2018).
5. The evolution of ocean literacy: A new framework for the United Nations Ocean Decade and beyond. Marine Pollution Bulletin (2022).
6. The Role of Perceptions for Community-Based Marine Resource Management. Frontiers in Marine Science (2016).