24.3.2 International Cooperation in Science: A Must
to Achieve the SDG 14
The universal nature of science and research and the speed of change and its
expansion, favored by the development of new innovative technologies, offer the
opportunity to work in cooperation with other countries in large projects or participate in large research infrastructures.
Science is a main pillar for sustainable development and also an instrument for
peace (UNESCO 2015). The science dimension of diplomacy has fundamental
significance at a time when science has tremendous power to shape the future of
humanity and when it is no longer appropriate to design science policy in purely
national terms, especially when addressing issues affecting the entire planet such as
the sustainable management of the global ocean commons (Valdés and Crago 2017).
Ocean science seeks to understand complex, multi-scale socioecological systems
and services, which requires observations and multidisciplinary and collaborative
research. Rapid advances in science can best be achieved with an integrated, crosssectoral, and international engaging scientific agenda that connects upstream fundamental research with solution-oriented research (Schmalzbauer and Visbeck 2016).
Science can make valuable contributions to better understand and identify relevant options for SDG implementation. This requires fragmented knowledge communities to come together in order to provide a synthesis of the current state of
scientific knowledge in the context of global sustainability (Schmalzbauer and
Visbeck 2016). An international stewardship may help to prioritize SDGs from a
local and regional perspective in the areas where they are going to be implemented.
As an example of international umbrella in the Mediterranean Sea, the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its General Fisheries
Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) have joined forces with a number of
partners to further strengthen the role of science in the SDG agenda.
When considering the motivations and benefits of international collaboration in
ocean science, the policy and administrative dimensions are important. Ocean
science institutions and marine laboratories play a vital role in support of ocean
research. There are several institutions and initiatives dealing with ocean issues in
the Alboran Sea, at local, national, and regional levels. These existing organizations
(such as FAO Mediterranean projects, GFCM, Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas, United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean
Action Plan, the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM), the IUCN Centre
for Mediterranean Cooperation) involved in ocean science and management face
challenges in relation to coordination to develop their agendas. Some of these
institutions specialize in particular fields and are critical in addressing a variety of
scientific questions in collaboration with universities and research institutions such
as studies of coastal food webs, ecosystem biodiversity, and human impacts on
coastal environments and ecosystems. They also play an important role in training
young scientists from the less developed countries on new methodologies and on the
formation of researchers and technologists with a range of skills, experience, and
24 Sustainable Development and Blue Growth in the Alboran Sea: Enabling Ocean. . .
807
to Achieve the SDG 14
The universal nature of science and research and the speed of change and its
expansion, favored by the development of new innovative technologies, offer the
opportunity to work in cooperation with other countries in large projects or participate in large research infrastructures.
Science is a main pillar for sustainable development and also an instrument for
peace (UNESCO 2015). The science dimension of diplomacy has fundamental
significance at a time when science has tremendous power to shape the future of
humanity and when it is no longer appropriate to design science policy in purely
national terms, especially when addressing issues affecting the entire planet such as
the sustainable management of the global ocean commons (Valdés and Crago 2017).
Ocean science seeks to understand complex, multi-scale socioecological systems
and services, which requires observations and multidisciplinary and collaborative
research. Rapid advances in science can best be achieved with an integrated, crosssectoral, and international engaging scientific agenda that connects upstream fundamental research with solution-oriented research (Schmalzbauer and Visbeck 2016).
Science can make valuable contributions to better understand and identify relevant options for SDG implementation. This requires fragmented knowledge communities to come together in order to provide a synthesis of the current state of
scientific knowledge in the context of global sustainability (Schmalzbauer and
Visbeck 2016). An international stewardship may help to prioritize SDGs from a
local and regional perspective in the areas where they are going to be implemented.
As an example of international umbrella in the Mediterranean Sea, the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its General Fisheries
Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) have joined forces with a number of
partners to further strengthen the role of science in the SDG agenda.
When considering the motivations and benefits of international collaboration in
ocean science, the policy and administrative dimensions are important. Ocean
science institutions and marine laboratories play a vital role in support of ocean
research. There are several institutions and initiatives dealing with ocean issues in
the Alboran Sea, at local, national, and regional levels. These existing organizations
(such as FAO Mediterranean projects, GFCM, Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas, United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean
Action Plan, the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM), the IUCN Centre
for Mediterranean Cooperation) involved in ocean science and management face
challenges in relation to coordination to develop their agendas. Some of these
institutions specialize in particular fields and are critical in addressing a variety of
scientific questions in collaboration with universities and research institutions such
as studies of coastal food webs, ecosystem biodiversity, and human impacts on
coastal environments and ecosystems. They also play an important role in training
young scientists from the less developed countries on new methodologies and on the
formation of researchers and technologists with a range of skills, experience, and
24 Sustainable Development and Blue Growth in the Alboran Sea: Enabling Ocean. . .
807