ABSTRACT
The year 2021 saw the start of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Ocean and coastal ecosystems play crucial roles in supporting our planet and our lives, from regulating climate and protecting shorelines, to providing food and employment. The UN estimates that billions of people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods. The research and development priority outcomes for the Decade of Ocean Science are likely to be achievable, especially when considering the enormous scientific progress made during the 10-year Census of Marine Life programme that showed what can be achieved when scientists are brought together with a common purpose. Pan-national funding schemes such as those driven by the European Union and European Science Foundation have key role to play in facilitating integrated approaches and effective sharing of platforms such as satellites and research vessels. Major international charities or foundations can also contribute to this effort, as the Sloane Foundation did with the Census of Marine Life.
