If you’ve visited oceanwealth.org recently, you may notice a few subtle, but meaningful changes. During the first phase of Mapping Ocean Wealth the primary focus was on the data — identifying existing sources, consulting experts, deriving new models, and creating maps and web tools to explore the results. The new website’s design reflects the objectives of Mapping Ocean Wealth Phase II, which is to highlight the on-the-ground applications of these valuable datasets. To this end, the new Applications section of the websites describes the ways that coastal and marine ecosystem services are, or will, be used to help inform some of the biggest challenges faced in coastal and ocean conservation and management, including prioritizing sites for mangrove restoration, and other restoration projects involving coral and oyster reefs, informing marine spatial planning and the establishment of marine protected areas, and engaging the financial sector in strengthening the blue economy.
We have also updated our geography-specific pages with examples of how Mapping Ocean Wealth projects are being adapted and used at the local scale. Ongoing work, particularly in Australia, Florida, and the Caribbean demonstrates how the Mapping Ocean Wealth approach and outcomes can be enhanced by incorporating fine-scale local knowledge and data.
Pages focused on specific ecosystem services highlight key findings from the work of the MOW team and partners, provide overviews of global models, and summarize regional studies with links to more detailed information. Expandable sections provide background knowledge on the science behind the ecosystem services, and links at the bottom of each page identify some of the key ecosystems that provide each service.
Many of the building blocks of the original site remain the same, including the Research Library, which catalogs the papers and reports behind the site’s data, the downloadable pdf of the Atlas of Ocean Wealth, and of course, the decision-support platforms that make the data accessible and interactive for users, especially the Ocean Wealth Data Explorer and the Oyster Calculator.
We hope our updated site will provide easier navigation to the exciting work being done by our Mapping Ocean Wealth team around the world!
Image credit: © Jennifer Adler