Resources

Narratives for Oceans and Health

Trips to the beach have been a popular past time around the world for centuries. But it’s more than childhood memories, sunshine and the sea breeze that have been linked to our health and wellbeing. We rely on our seas and oceans to provide food and medication too.

To ensure they can provide for future generations, collaboration is vital to ensuring they are carefully managed and protected.

We have created unique Oceans and Human Health narratives to highlight some of the impacts, knowledge gaps and innovative solutions we’ve uncovered.

Take-home messages: Oceans and Health

  1. Shape opportunities through local context and communities. Although trends are often global, their local impacts, values and ambitions can vary between regions. Involving local communities in decision making can result in more effective actions.
  2. Include health in coastal and marine policy plans. In general, the importance of the environment to public health is understood. But more scientific evidence is needed about the local and global impacts of design, ecological status and use of marine areas on public health.
  3. Use an intersectoral and interdisciplinary approach to benefit health. Policymaking should follow a joined-up approach and involve a wide range of policy representatives to manage demographic changes to public health, water governance, biodiversity, social inequalities and economic development.

What happens next?

The narrative feeds into the Strategic Research Agenda and can be used (with the underlying reports) to support a range of local, regional and international activities linked to Oceans and Human Health.

Local stakeholder discussions on future trends related to ocean and human health.

Project partners involved

Deltares

Deltares

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

Anouk Blauw

Anouk Blauw

Marine Ecologist

Susanne Wuijts

Susanne Wuijts

Hydrologist

Dick Vethaak

Dick Vethaak

Marine Ecotoxicologist

Henk Hilderink

Henk Hilderink

Demographer

Eline Boelee

Eline Boelee

Water, Environment and Health Specialist

Joana Veiga

Joana Veiga

Marine Biologist

Judith Hin

Judith Hin

Health living researcher

Ciska Schets

Ciska Schets

Environmental Microbiologist

Liesbet Dirven-van Breemen

Liesbet Dirven-van Breemen

Ecotoxicologist

Marit de Vries

Marit de Vries

Geographer and urban planner

Fabio Martins Gueth

Fabio Martins Gueth

Water and Health Researcher

Related content

Activities

Future scenarios

Balancing future trends and local ambitions for Seas, Oceans and Human Health

Activities

Innovative Solutions

This project has gathered information about initiatives which aim to enhance the interactions between oceans and human health.

Activities

Strategic Research Agenda

The SOPHIE Strategic Research Agenda is a comprehensive overview of the required research and capacity to develop Oceans and Human Health in Europe.

Resources: Reports

Data Management Plan

The Data Management Plan is a continuously updated ‘living’ document that describes how data generated in the SOPHIE project is handled.