In 2019, WMU established a three-year "Land-to-Ocean Leadership" PhD Programme, supported by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. The Programme is delivered by the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (GOI). The Programme aims to promote land-to-ocean leadership opportunities in the broader context of implementing the Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development. This initiative recognises that diverse and intense anthropogenic activities are causing enhanced and cumulative impacts on land, water and marine environments.In order to develop governance and sustainable management options that are practically oriented yet responsive to dynamic processes, the Programme aims to foster a better understanding of the interconnected character of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems flowing from source to sea.
The Programme is achieved by fostering multi- and interdisciplinary challenge-led research and capacity building projects. The projects seek to address issues concerning balancing blue-green economic opportunities, the inclusion of social equity, environmental quality considerations in land-to-ocean governance systems, as well as science-based solutions, and the need to take into account fundamental legal and governance concerns.The research entails exploring the potential for joint action between ocean, freshwater and land-based communities, the promotion of innovation in governance, research and socially inclusive regulatory systems at different geographical scales and with multiple stakeholders, in particular, theSmall Island Developing States (SIDS).
