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Building a Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions (GEOS)​

Pioneering collaborative pathways for ocean-based climate solutions​

The Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions (GEOS) is a transformative initiative by Ocean Visions, proudly endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. GEOS aims to accelerate collaboration across diverse sectors and geographies, fostering a globally distributed community dedicated to delivering innovative, effective, and durable solutions to the ocean-climate crisis. The GEOS program advances Ocean Visions’ mission by building and strengthening inclusive partnerships to further the development of ocean-based climate solutions internationally.

Ocean-Climate Innovation Hubs

Supporting the co-design and launch of Ocean-Climate Innovation Hubs is at the heart of GEOS's work. These Hubs are intended to serve as regional and local catalysts for the advancement of ocean-climate solutions. They are founded on the principle that effective and equitable development and implementation of ocean-climate solutions will require a global community of actors collaborating across diverse geographies, sectors, and disciplines.

Ocean-Climate Innovation Hubs aim to:

  • Boost Transboundary and Transdisciplinary Scientific Collaboration: Hubs will seek to facilitate partnerships and strengthen networks among scientists in targeted regions and connect them with capacity and expertise to advance cutting-edge research, development, and demonstration of ocean-climate solutions.
  • Accelerate Science-Based Entrepreneurship: Hubs will organize support for startups and entrepreneurs to transform innovative ocean-climate solutions into viable businesses.
  • Increase Understanding and Support for Ocean-Based Climate Solutions: Hubs will work to enhance awareness and knowledge among key audiences about the critical importance, potential, and feasibility of ocean-climate solutions, and foster broader public and institutional support.
  • Create an Enabling Environment: Hubs will advocate for supportive policies and regulatory frameworks to ensure that innovation in ocean-climate solutions can thrive and expand responsibly.
  • Foster Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Hubs will engage diverse representation and participation in the ocean-climate solutions field, grounding work to advance solutions in equity and climate justice.

GEOS Ocean-Climate Innovation Hubs​

Hub de Innovación Oceánica Centroamérica y el Caribe (Central America and the Caribbean (CA+C) Ocean Innovation Hub)

Location: San José, Costa Rica

Marilyn Valverde-Salas – Founder and Principal Consultant, Mar y Comercio and Blue Economy Coaltion for Ocean-Climate Solutions

The CA+C Ocean Innovation Hub is a coalition of Blue Economy Stakeholders in Central America and the Caribbean, endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development. Its goal is to catalyze sustainable development by bringing together public and private sectors, communities, innovators and academics to build resilience and address climate change through innovative ocean-based solutions. The Hub seeks to position the region as a leader in ocean resilience and technological development with good practices, modern marine industries and resilient coastal communities. We invite people and organizations interested in blue economy solutions and decarbonization to be part of the Hub.

Ocean Innovation Hub Colombia


Location: Bogotá, Colombia

Catalina Reyes– Founder and Principal Consultant

The Colombia Ocean-Climate Innovation Hub is a joint effort dedicated to restoring the ocean and tackling the challenges presented by climate change by leveraging the potential of innovative approaches in a unique bi-oceanic and culturally diverse country. It fosters a collaborative environment between private, public, and academic sectors to deliver disruptive solutions and accelerate technology development, investments and networks addressing ocean challenges through effective solutions such as carbon removals and restorative aquaculture. It also serves as a national leader in ocean literacy and leads urgent discussions that converge around how oceans must be a strong driver of sustainable development

Ghana Ocean Climate Innovation Hub

Location: Accra, Ghana

Peter Teye Busumprah – Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Ghana

The primary objective of the Ghana Ocean Climate Innovation Hub is to identify and collaborate with relevant stakeholders for implementing nature and ocean-based solutions for climate remediation in Ghana and West Africa. Specifically, we are focusing on Ghana as a pivotal location for this initiative. The stakeholders encompass scientists, entrepreneurs, government agencies, civil society groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia, and community organizations actively engaged in nature-based solutions activities for climate remediation in Africa. The Hub is aimed at compiling, developing, and implementing nature and ocean-based carbon removal techniques for climate action

Hafbjörg – Samtök um bættaheilsuhafsins (Hafbjörg – Network focused on improving ocean health in Iceland)


Location:
Reykjavik, Iceland

Íris Mýrdal

Hafbjörg is a network of institutions and companies dedicated to advancing ocean solutions in Iceland, leveraging the country’s long history of sustainable fisheries management, technologically advanced fisheries, and innovation and development in the maritime sector. This network aims to raise public and institutional awareness regarding the stressors on the ocean and the potential for the ocean to be a key part of the solution. The network will organize events in Iceland focused on various topics related to ocean solutions, with the goal of increasing public interest in addressing ocean-related challenges. Additionally, it will showcase the accomplishments of Iceland-based ocean solutionists and produce and disseminate content and data related to their developments.

Ocean Climate Innovation Hub Kenya


Location:
Mombasa, Kenya

Dr. Mariam Maku Swaleh – Assistant Registrar Research and Grants, Technical University of Mombasa

The Ocean Climate Innovation Hub Kenya aims to become a platform for fostering research and collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs and all ocean-based stakeholders including local communities in Kenya. Its mission is to explore and advance responsible and effective ocean-based climate solutions in Kenya to improve livelihoods and promote international scientific collaboration.

Patagonia Ocean Hub


Location: Puerto Varas, Chile

Anette Krohn

Patagonia Hub is a collaborative initiative focused on restoring ocean health while addressing the challenges posed by climate change through the power of innovation. It serves as a nexus for researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists, policymakers and local industry leaders to develop and deploy innovative ocean climate solutions. It facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration between research institutions and entrepreneurs, technology incubation and networks. Researchers and innovators will design and implement new technologies and business models, as well as diversifying existing industries to contribute to climate solutions such as carbon removals and regenerative aquaculture. Strong emphasis is placed on the creation of ocean-climate startups and the Hub will work as an educational platform, hosting and sponsoring workshops, seminars and training programs, as well as a space for policy and advocacy discussions to accelerate innovation and facilitate field trials for cutting edge ocean-climate technologies

Tanzania Ocean Climate Innovation Hub

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Shamim Wasii Nyanda – Doors of Hope Foundation

This project aims at creating a space for collective knowledge sharing and resilience building for key stakeholders to come together in their mitigation and adaptation efforts. The Hub will foster and facilitate innovation, collaboration, and sustainable practices in addressing the substantial, and growing challenges facing coastal communities in Tanzania (and beyond) as a consequence ofocean-climate change.  This refers to the impacts to ocean and marine ecosystems and services that we anticipate due to anthropogenic climate breakdown, based on the most up-to-date science. This Ocean Climate Innovation Hub aligns with the growing global need for real action around climate change and its impact on coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and economies.

View the livestream of GEOS’ 2024 Ocean Decade Conference Satellite Event, “Strengthening the Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions: A Cross-Regional Dialogue on Ocean-Climate Innovation.

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Ocean-Climate Innovation Fellowships​

The Ocean-Climate Innovation Fellowship Program supports emerging leaders who are accelerating innovation for ocean-climate solutions in Africa and Latin America. It offers a year-long program of funding, coaching, co-designed capacity building, and collaboration opportunities to develop and implement innovative solutions, enhance scientific collaborations, promote entrepreneurship, and foster equity and global connections in addressing ocean and climate challenges.  

The fellowship aims to develop the capabilities of fellows to effectively lead and manage the development of Hubs in Africa and Latin America; foster the development and implementation of innovative solutions for ocean-climate challenges; strengthen the institutional capacities of Hubs; and encourage cross-regional and international collaboration and knowledge exchange.  

This first cohort of fellows drew applications from the leads of several Ocean-Climate Innovation Hubs. We are proud to recognize the following fellows, selected in September 2024:  

Catalina Reyes Vargas 
Mariam Swaleh 
Shamim Nyanda 

Expanding the Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions through the UN Ocean Decade​

In addition to Ocean-Climate Innovation Hubs, GEOS also plays a pivotal role in hosting and amplifying the impact of UN Ocean Decade Projects that are aligned with Ocean Visions’ mission. As the UN Ocean Decade “base” for a diverse set of activities around the world, GEOS fosters collaboration between these projectsand helps to strengthen the emergent global ocean-climate community.

GEOS proudly hosts a network of 22UN Ocean Decade-endorsed projects (including six of the above-described Hubs):​

  • 3D Purpose Built Reefs for Marine Restoration (Coast3D Reefs) — Coastruction, Netherlands
  • Arctic Sea Ice Restoration— Arctic Reflections, Netherlands
  • Blue Carbon Assessment for Seagrass and Kelp — Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
  • Blue Economy Coalition for Ocean Climate Solutions (Central America and the Caribbean Ocean Innovation Hub) — Mar y Comercio, Costa Rica
  • Caspian Sea Carbon Dioxide Removal Project — Caspian Environmental Consortium Ltd., Kazakhstan
  • Colombia Ocean-Climate Innovation Hub — Laboratorio De Biologia Molecular Marina Biommar, Colombia
  • Elite Centre of Aquatic Nature-based Solutions — University of Southern Denmark
  • Engineering Resilient Caribbean Coastlines — Smith Warner International, Jamaica
  • Ghana Ocean Climate Innovations Hub (GOCIB) — OceanRock base, Ghana
  • Hinemoana Halo Initiative (H2O) — Conservation International, New Zealand
  • Marine Carbon Sinks in Decarbonization Pathways — CDRmare, Germany
  • Marine Management and Climate — Ministry of Climate and the Environment, Norway
  • Nazaré Artificial Reefs Seaweed Planting Pilot — Hope Zones Foundation, Portugal
  • Patagonia Ocean Hub — Endeavor Patagonia, Chile
  • Rewilding the Oceans with Giant Kelp — Kelp Blue, Namibia
  • SanctuaryReef Food Basket: Empowering Aquafarmers — Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster Initiative (ZaSCI), United Republic of Tanzania
  • Sargasso Sea Project — Sargasso Sea Commission, USA
  • Sea’Ties: Sharing Solutions with Coastal Cities to Tackle Sea-Level Rise — Ocean and Climate Platform, France
  • Solent Seascape Project (SSP) — Blue Marine Foundation, UK

Learn more about GEOS in the UN Decade of Ocean Science

Learn More

GEOS Contact​

For more information, please contact Ocean Visions Director of International Partnerships​

Leonardo Valenzuela Pérez.

Catalina Reyes Vargas

Catalina is a Colombian biologist and microbiologist with expertise in marine affairs. She holds advanced degrees in Public Policy and International Relations. As the Founder and Executive Coordinator of Ocean Hub Colombia, Catalina leads efforts to restore ocean ecosystems and address climate change challenges in Colombia’s unique bi-oceanic and culturally diverse landscape through innovative approaches, and the support of prominent partners like Universidad de los Andes. 

Previously, she served as an International Negotiator for Ocean Affairs and the Trade of Endangered Species at Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. Recognized as one of Latin America’s leading environmental content creators by TikTok and UNEP, her science communication project, @elestuario highlights the critical connection between climate, biodiversity, and the ocean. 

Dr. Mariam Swaleh

Dr. Mariam Swaleh is an environmental chemist specializing in marine science, with a deep connection to the ocean developed in her coastal hometown of Mombasa. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Technical University of Mombasa and leads the Ocean-Climate Innovation Hub Kenya (Ufukwe Marine Centre), driving collaboration among researchers, entrepreneurs, and communities to advance sustainable ocean-climate solutions.  

Dr Swaleh currently serves as Assistant Registrar for Research and Grants at the Technical University of Mombasa, and her work focuses on fostering partnerships, promoting sustainable wastewater treatment, and expanding Kenya’s climate-positive blue economy. Her work aims to improve coastal livelihoods while enhancing international collaboration in ocean science and climate innovation.  

Shamim Nyanda

Shamim is a social scientist and environmental activist, known for her passionate advocacy for climate solutions and dedication to ocean literacy. She is the founder of Doors of Hope Foundation, a youth led organization committed to strengthening communities through sustainable development initiatives. Currently, Shamim leads the Tanzania Ocean Climate Innovation Hub, where she spearheads efforts to accelerate ocean-climate solutions in alliance with key partners like the University of Dar es Salaam.  

In addition to her local work, Shamim serves on the International Youth Advisory Committee to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she plays a key role in shaping international policies and promoting meaningful youth participation in global decision-making processes.