SOPHIE – Seas, Oceans & Public Health in Europe
Good Practices Category
Good Practices Summary
The development of a ‘research road map’, the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), to gather evidence and inform policies which enhance and protect both human health and the health of the marine environment. The Strategic Research Agenda will compile evidence from the entire SOPHIE research programme and make recommendations for the future of Oceans and Human Health science in Europe.
Mitigation
A Growing body of evidence indicates that the marine environment and human health are inextricably linked. These linkages encompass both risks to health and wellbeing, and a range of potential benefits and opportunities. As a maritime continent, conducting research in this area is important for Europe, its inhabitants, and its Ocean. So the European Commission has funded Seas, Oceans and Public Health in Europe, a research programme which will help protect the ocean, harness its health benefits, and reduce its risks.
Replicability/Knowledge Transfer
The Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) will lay out a clear direction for future research and marking an important milestone in cementing oceans and human health research in Europe. The SRA will present key themes which should be the focus of future research and make recommendations about how to implement, coordinate and communicate oceans and human health research across Europe.
Resources
By bringing together findings from each of SOPHIE’s research activities, as well as input from a dedicated multidisciplinary Expert Group, the SRA will identify priorities for the short, medium, and long term, and align these with government policies. The Expert Group met at two dedicated workshops to discuss Ocean and Human Health priorities from their different points of view, and eventually agree on the key themes for the SRA: a) Nutrition and food from the ocean in a changing world, b) Mental and physical health and well-being at the coast and c) Ocean biotechnology and biodiversity. The SOPHIE Survey and Stakeholder discussions projects helped the partnership develop these themes, deciding which groups should be targeted by the SRA, what their own priorities are and how best to reach them. Partners use findings from the systematic literature mapping , data mapping and the policy review projects to assess the current knowledge and governance landscape, highlighting what is known and identifying where the main gaps exist in relation to these key themes.
Target Audience
Policy Implications
The aim of the SOPHIE Policy Review is to assess the current links, gaps, and opportunities in EU policy approaches, and recommend ways in which these policies could become more integrated. Thanks to the develop of the SRA, SOPHIE is setting the course for scientists to gather evidence and inform policies which enhance and protect both human health and the health of the marine environment. These recommendations will be SOPHIE’s legacy and will advance this field across Europe and the world. By analysing current marine, ecosystem and health management plans, this project is aiming to identify how varied yet overlapping policy areas can be brought together.
Social Dimension
Whilst the ocean can benefit human health and boost wellbeing via activities like recreation and relaxation, it can also pose risks to human health – through factors such as flooding and pollution. This complicated mix of threats and opportunities interact in ways it is not fully understand. Exploring these relationships is the basis for an emerging scientific discipline called “Oceans and Human Health”. Until now the evaluation and management of both marine ecosystems and human health has been undertaken separately – with little or no attempt to create links between them. The project is helping is contributing to build new research capacity for the emerging scientific discipline of Oceans and Human Health.
Innovation Type
GuidelinesInnovation
A Growing body of evidence indicates that the marine environment and human health are inextricably linked. These linkages encompass both risks to health and wellbeing, and a range of potential benefits and opportunities. However, much of this early evidence has been established in the US, under the rubric of the integrative meta-discipline of “Oceans and Human Health” (OHH). Far less is known about these issues in other parts of the world, including the European context which faces its own set of unique challenges and opportunities. In this context, SOPHIE can demonstrate reach across disciplines and communities in Europe and internationally.
Outcome/Barriers
A first step consisted in developing an inventory so as to collect EU and international legislative instruments that have relevance to: a) the marine environment and b) human health and wellbeing. This inventory is a living document which will be updated as this activity progresses, but it already provides an important source of information for other SOPHIE work. It illustrates the complexity within the policy and legislative landscape, and highlights the disconnection between marine environmental management and human health. It also draws attention to the lack of instruments dealing with both areas in an integrated way. The first version of this list (created in November 2018) is publicly available as a PDF document (https://sophie2020.eu/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Policy-review-inventory.pdf)