Can we future-proof our oceans?

Inspiring young students to protect New Zealand waters is central to the mission of the University’s Goat Island Marine Discovery Centre and a new project aimed at growing the Centre’s outreach work.

This new project is the University’s first digital Giving Day, which will take place on 11 June. Funds raised will support important school outreach work at the Centre and in doing so, deepen students’ ocean literacy.

Giving Day is being backed by scientist and philanthropist Dr Beate Schuler, a longtime supporter of the University ’s research programme at The Leigh Marine Laboratory. She has contributed to major research projects, the construction of the marine science vessel Te Kaihōpara, the creation of the Dr Anneliese Schuler Aquaria Laboratory early this year, and now, a generous matched gift, to encourage support from others.

“Education is the magic word!” she says. “Our children will become aware of the damages that can be done by pollution, overfishing and imbalanced bio-equilibriums. With that knowledge, they will hopefully avoid the same mistakes previous generations have made and act more in harmony with nature. Carefulness and caring will become part of their DNA.”

This is a key priority at the Centre, which engages with schools in the North Island to educate and excite students about ocean life. During a day visit, schools are given the chance to explore interactive exhibits including a marine sound corridor, observe live crayfish in the on-site aquarium and snorkel inside the Goat Island Marine Reserve – the oldest of its kind in the country. 

It was this Reserve that first sparked Beate’s passion for marine conservation. On a trip to New Zealand in 2010, she met with Professor John Montgomery, director of the Laboratory at the time. He informed her about the Reserve’s immense success in increasing populations of species such as snapper, seaweed flora and lobster since its establishment in 1975.

“New Zealand and many other countries have overfished their waters and need to find ways to restore the sea flora and to repopulate fish and shellfish,” says Beate. “The simplest of measures, the declaration of the area to be a no-take zone had made a dramatic effect.”

While protected areas like the Reserve are crucial for safeguarding valuable species, they are not enough to ensure New Zealand waters remain healthy for years to come. The ocean’s future depends on both research and education: research to learn more about marine ecosystems and biodiversity, and education to share this research, raise awareness and inspire a passion for conservation in the next generation.

“Marine research is essential to understand the intertwining of flora and fauna and the behaviour of species,” says Beate. “Leigh’s research has contributed enormously to understand these correlations and offers many answers to how we can restore our seas. This restoration is essential as a source for food, but is also vital to reestablish the natural bio-equilibrium. As an example for the latter, we can say that a healthy sea life is also part of the CO2 catchment mechanism.” 

Beate believes we can all contribute to protecting our oceans, whether through informing others about the importance of marine conservation, educating ourselves on new research or asking politicians to prioritise legislation for additional protected areas – and now is the time.

“Because our seas are so much endangered we need to act. Giving Day is an opportunity to reach out to many people, to make them aware of our needs and to support this research.”