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OCEAN LEADERS
Leading the transition

to a healthy and inclusive

ocean future

Recognising the need for systemic change, the professionals involved in the
Edinburgh Ocean Leaders programme are charting the way forward for positive

change in the oceans on an international scale.

Launched in March 2020, the University of Edinburgh ments needed data, figures and facts. But actually,
programme supported by the Prince Albert II of Mo- the most important thing is to establish trust, and that
naco Foundation strengthens the new generation of starts with clearly identifying the interests of each par-
ocean change actors, which today includes 32 ocean ty. It takes decades to create a protected area like
leaders from 25 different countries and a variety of the ones at the poles. It's all about building long-term
professional backgrounds (conservation, politics, law, relationships."
finance, research, entrepreneurship, arts, and educa-
tion), harbouring major ambitions for ocean protec- Lucy Holmes, Senior Director of Blue Finance at
tion. At the Yacht Club de Monaco, introduced by WWFUS, advocates systemic change through the
Meriwether Wilson, co-founder and co-director of the development of a new economic discourse whose
programme, the Monaco Ocean Week event brought leverage could be used: "These marvellous ocean
together two Ocean Leaders 2022 panels with stu- ecosystems are the natural capital on which our eco-
dents from the International University of Monaco and nomy is based." It commits to working with all players
professionals from various sectors. in the financial sector to redirect traditional capital
towards sustainable business models and to encou-
BUILDING A SYSTEMIC LOGIC rage the possibility for financial players to invest in
restoring the oceans.
Shirley Binder, Senior Adviser to Panama's Ministry of
the Environment, moderated the meeting, which was Lawyer Javiera Calisto, campaign director for Oceana
designed to promote leadership in the ocean sector Chile, is banking on a systemic and fully democratic
across all sectors, geographical areas, and scales. approach to facilitate change. She gives the example
During the first panel, three leaders were invited to of a salmon farm in Chile which, under the influence
share their views on the responsibility of leaders and of the campaign and following the passing of a law
the possibility of exerting influence on a large scale. requiring all companies to publish data on pollutants,
is now exemplary in terms of transparency.
"As a scientist," says Boris Solovyev, a specialist in
the polar regions and consultant for WWF's Arctic
programme, "I was convinced that to reach an agree-
ment, companies, coastal communities, and govern-