Science Without Borders

Coral Reefs in the South Pacific: A Webinar with SPREP

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The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation recently hosted a webinar with our partners at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP). SPREP is an organization established by the governments of Pacific Island nations to protect and manage the environment and natural resources of the Pacific. Their 21 member states (including many we studied on the Global Reef Expedition) work together to achieve healthy and resilient ecosystems and support sustainable development for Pacific communities. Our webinar with SPREP allowed us to share our research findings from the South Pacific directly with people who are actively working to conserve coral reefs and coastal marine ecosystems in the region. This is one of the many ways we are sharing our knowledge and findings from the Global Reef Expedition with the countries and communities in which we worked.

During the webinar, we were able to share information about the work the Foundation completed on the Expedition, including our extensive outreach and education initatives, as well as our scientific findings. We highlighted the programs our education team developed over the course of the Expedition, the many outreach events we held, and provided a comprehensive discussion of the results of our research in the South Pacific as well as our work in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

At the end of the presentation, we were able to share our ongoing partnerships and upcoming projects, including our ongoing partnership with the University of Miami to develop a reef resilience model, our partnership with NASA to map the world’s reefs, as well as our numerous education programs such as the Mangrove Education & Restoration Program, Coral Reef Ecology Curriculum, and Science Without Borders® Challenge. Lastly, we shared information about our endorsed UN Ocean Decade Project, Science Without Borders®: Conserving the Tropics, which will use science, outreach, and education to engage local communities to protect their coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows. This project will allow us to build off of our work on the Global Reef Expedition using a co-designed approach to further conservation of tropical coastal marine ecosystems, such as those in the South Pacific.

The webinar was attended by numerous government officials, marine managers, and stakeholders from throughout the South Pacific. Some of the attendees were people we had worked with on the Global Reef Expedition, but many were new and this webinar was a great introduction to the Foundation and our work. There was a great Q&A session at the end where we were able to discuss the findings and share more information about future partnerships.

As we take the work from the Global Reef Expedition to the next level, we are always looking to develop new partnerships to help bring the UN endorsed Science Without Borders® project to communities worldwide. Webinars like this, and partnering with SPREP, are important first steps in the implementation of the Science Without Borders® project and connect us with a network of people who are also working to protect, conserve, and restore ocean health.

United Nations Ocean Decade Endorsed Action — Science Without Borders®: Conserving the Tropics

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We are proud to announce that a project proposed by the Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, Science Without Borders®: Conserving the Tropics, was endorsed by the United Nations as an official Ocean Decade Action. This prestigious endorsement from the Executive Secretary of …

Announcing the winners of the 2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge!

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The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is thrilled to announce the winners of our annual student art competition, the Science Without Borders® Challenge. Now in its tenth year, this international contest engages students in ocean conservation through art, encouraging them to create artwork that inspires people to preserve, protect, and restore the world’s oceans. This year, students were asked to illustrate a ‘Ridge to Reef’ approach to coral reef conservation—and they delivered!

Over 500 primary and secondary school students from nearly 50 countries submitted artwork to the 2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge, sending in beautiful artwork illustrating what people can do to help coral reefs on land and at sea. Artwork in the competition was judged in two categories based on age. The winning entries in each category are beautiful pieces of artwork as well as excellent illustrations of how this ridge-to-reef approach to conservation can be used to preserve, protect, and restore coral reefs.

Riyadh Blue Talk: Tune-in Tomorrow @ 7am ET

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The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is delighted to be participating in the Riyadh Blue Talk tomorrow morning, May 24, 2022.

The “Riyadh Blue Talk” is organized by the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator, the Embassy of Portugal, and the Embassy of Kenya in Riyadh. The event begins at 7am ET and will be live-streamed to allow for virtual participation.

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has been invited to share our knowledge of marine science and conservation, and to present our work to provide science-based solutions to protect and restore ocean health.

Our Chief Scientist, Sam Purkis, will be discussing what measures can be implemented so we can have accessible, affordable, shared data to better support the decision-making process towards ocean sustainability. He will also be participating in a panel discussion on increasing scientific knowledge and developing research capacity to advance ocean conservation initiatives.

Tune in to watch his presentation LIVE @ 8:20 am ET!

Vote for your favorite artwork in the Science Without Borders® Challenge!

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The Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has introduced a new prize in the Science Without Borders® Challenge—and you can help select the winners!

Join us on Facebook to vote for your favorite entries to our annual student art contest. Finalists with the most likes in each category by Monday, May 23rd will receive the new “People’s Choice” award along with a $50 scholarship.

A winner will be chosen from each of the categories, one for younger students 11-14 years old, and another for older students, 15-19 years old. All you have to do to participate is “like” your favorite images in our finalist galleries on Facebook:

ANNOUNCING 2022 SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS® CHALLENGE SEMI-FINALISTS – AGES 15-19

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Thank you to all the students who applied to the 2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge! We received some truly incredible and inspiring artwork again for this year’s theme titled “Ridge to Reef.” Students were asked to illustrate one or more actions that governments, non-profits, park managers, and indigenous communities can take to preserve coral reefs using a ridge to reef approach to conservation.

Overall, we received 510 qualifying pieces of artwork from 49 different countries. In the 15–19 year-old category, we received 211 submissions. The themes and styles of artwork varied greatly. Some students took a more realistic approach when illustrating the ridge to reef actions that they would take to conserve coral reefs, while others used symbolism and artistic metaphors to convey their messages.

Our judges chose 34 incredible pieces of artwork in the 15-19 year-old group to become semi-finalists. These artists span 11 countries around the world including some that contain tropical coral reefs, such as Indonesia, Kuwait, and the Philippines; and countries that do not have any such as United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Without further ado, please meet our 15-19 year old semi-finalists:

One month left to apply for the Science Without Borders® Challenge!

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There is still time to participate in our international student art competition, the Science Without Borders® Challenge! Students must submit their artwork by March 7 for a chance to win up to $500 in prizes. 

This year the Science Without Borders® Challenge theme is “Ridge to Reef.” This type of conservation approach works to conserve coral reefs by addressing issues across the entire watershed, from the top of the land down the streams, through mangrove forests and seagrass beds, and out to the reefs themselves. For this year’s theme, we are asking students to create a piece of art that illustrates one or more ways people can use this conservation approach to protect coral reefs. 

Announcing Our 10th Annual Science Without Borders® Challenge!

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The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is now accepting entries for the 2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge! This annual art contest inspires students from all over the world to be creative while learning about important ocean science and conservation issues. The theme for this year’s competition is “Ridge to Reef,” and scholarships of up to $500 will be awarded to the winning entries.

Scientists estimate that we have already lost more than half of the world’s coral reefs. To ensure the survival of these vital ecosystems, people can help alleviate the threats to coral reefs by putting different management actions into place. Everything is interconnected from the land to the sea, so people often use what is termed a “Ridge to Reef” management approach. What happens on land, affects the aquatic and ocean ecosystems; therefore, all terrestrial, aquatic, and oceanic ecosystems must be studied, including how humans interact with these ecosystems, to understand how to protect coral reefs.

For this year’s contest, we are asking students to create a piece of artwork that illustrates one or more actions that governments, non-profits, park managers, and indigenous communities can take to preserve and conserve coral reefs. The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has compiled information to help students learn about the theme and gain a better understanding of how coral reefs are managed from Ridge to Reef.

To enter the 2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge, follow the Contest Rules, review the Tips for Success, and upload your artwork to our online Submission Form. The Challenge is open to all students who are 11-19 years old and enrolled in primary or secondary school (or the home-school equivalent). Entries must be received by Monday, March 7, to be eligible to win.