Ideas for a bluer world
Activities and initiatives to commemorate the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development.
In just a few centuries, humanity has transformed the world at a speed never seen before in Earth's history. The main global challenge we face today is climate change, caused by just over two centuries of greenhouse gas emissions since the industrial revolution, but it is not the only one. Conserving the seas and oceans and establishing a sustainable link with this environment is another. To advance in this line, the United Nations has declared the period 2021-30 as the Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development. In addition, 2022 is the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, among other commemorations. Within this framework, several spaces and initiatives in Barcelona offer ideas and activities to contribute to the sustainability of the marine environment.
One of the leading Catalan marine research centres is the CSIC's Institute of Marine Sciences. Based in Barceloneta, in front of Somorrostro beach, the institute stands out for its scientific work, but also for its efforts to bring its knowledge closer to society through various programmes, resources, talks every Friday and other activities. If you pass near the institute, come and see the Ancestral Forest by the artist Anna Rierola, an impressive 60-metre mural made up of images of microscopic marine organisms and various nanomaterials that make up that part of the sea we can't see with the naked eye.
The institute also coordinates the citizen science platform Sea Watchers. If you are passionate about the marine environment, dive, fish, do water sports or simply go to the coast from time to time, you can get involved in one of the 15 marine research projects of Sea Watchers by sending images and data of what you see: fishes, corals, jellyfish, crustaceans, seahorses, marine litter... Also in Somorrostro, on the seafront, a municipal facility offers marine environmental education proposals for all audiences, until recently only in summer, but now also during the rest of the year. This is the Centre de la Platja, where at weekends you can enjoy workshops, shows, films, itineraries, storytelling, games and even an escape room.
In the port area, two spaces are responsible for disseminating knowledge and culture of the sea. One of them, L'Aquàrium, brings us closer to marine biodiversity through the various Mediterranean, tropical and other aquariums, the spectacular Oceanarium, the children's zone, other areas and numerous family activities. On the other side of the Rambla de Mar, in the monumental building of the old Drassanes, the Barcelona Maritime Museum offers various exhibitions and activities to discover the sea from all its dimensions: nautical, ecological, historical, cultural, fishing...
In relation to fishing, if you want to adopt more responsible consumption habits, you can find related ideas and activities in initiatives such as El Peix al Plat or Barcelona and the Sea. And another place where you can find out first-hand about local, seasonal fish and seafood species and contribute to more sustainable trade is at any of Barcelona's food markets.
And you will find many more related proposals in this article about the declaration of 2021 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development and the International Year of Glass.