Map of the Week – European Atlas of the Seas Ambassadors
The European Atlas of the Seas is available in the 24 official European Union languages. For each language, the Atlas has an ambassador who explained, during a communication campaign which ran from September 2020 to September 2021, why the ocean is important to her/him and why we should all care for the ocean and seas. Ambassadors include European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius, Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Charlina Vitcheva, European Commission Policy Officer Māris Stuļğis, representatives of public authorities in different European Union Member States, directors of institutes and of the Atlas’ partner aquarium Nausicaá, scientists, coordinators of NGOs, a surfer, a skipper, a diver and a Michelin Star Chef! Explore the Map of the Week by clicking on the Ambassadors’ icons to see who they are and click on the banner to read their quotes about the ocean and seas. Note that the ambassadors are mapped according to countries in which the language they represent is spoken. The European Atlas of the Seas is very grateful to all of its Ambassadors for their support to the campaign, for sharing their experience with all of us and for increasing Ocean Literacy across Europe in the 24 languages!
What about you? Why is the ocean important to you? How are you connected to the ocean? Ocean Literacy is about understanding how the ocean influences us and how we influence the ocean. Do you know what the 7 principles of Ocean Literacy are? [1] Read about them in the list below:
- The Earth has one big ocean with many features.
- The ocean and life in the ocean shape the features of Earth.
- The ocean is a major influence on weather and climate.
- The ocean makes Earth habitable.
- The ocean supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems.
- The ocean and humans are inextricably interconnected.
- The ocean is largely unexplored.
Would you like to learn more about the ocean and how to get involved in Ocean Literacy activities? Take part in the events organized by the EU4Ocean Coalition and join its communities, the EU4Ocean Platform, the Youth4Ocean Forum and the Network of European Blue Schools! You can see who the members of the communities are in the European Atlas of the Seas EU4Ocean map! Here are some actions everyone can participate in this month:
- Listen to the new podcast series “If Oceans Could Speak”;
- Take part in the Ocean Literacy Festival in the Black Sea;
- Discover amazing facts about the ocean and submit your pledge for the ocean on the #MakeEUBlue campaign website!
The data in this map are provided by the EMODnet Secretariat.
[1] https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/OceanLiteracyGuide_V3_2020-8x11-1.pdf