What’s your name and job title?
Pamela Buchan, Research Fellow
What does your role entail and why is it important for oceans and coastlines?
I'm a researcher who specialises in interdisciplinary marine sciences.
I bring together different ways of thinking about how people connect with and interact with the marine environment, from individual experiences and emotional connection, right through to marine governance and how people can participate in decisions we make about how we use the ocean.
The research I do contributes to understanding about how to motivate people to care for the sea and to develop systems of ocean governance that are fair and just.
What advice would you give someone wanting to start a career like yours?
I've not had one career and my current research focus has come about from the different things I've done in my life, such as public engagement with science, volunteer management, marine biology, and politics.
Whilst there is no one way to become an interdisciplinary marine researcher, I would suggest that an important factor is being able to understand different view points and values.
This is helped by saying yes to things outside of the familiar, meeting people from different sectors and situations, and really listening to different perspectives.
It also helps if you have a clear goal and are open to the different winding paths that might get you there.
What skills are important for your job?
Being interested in everything and eager to learn from and connect with other people.
What do you enjoy most about your work? And what do you dislike?
I love the sea so I love my work and being able to make a contribution to marine sustainability. I am less keen on how difficult it is to secure steady funding in academia when you are working to pursue your own research.
If you can, it would be great to hear about a project or case study you were involved in that helped our coastlines?
Motion for the Ocean (The Local Government Ocean Recovery Declaration)
This ongoing campaign emerged as an idea to create a vehicle for marine citizenship and fill a gap in marine governance by introducing marine issues to local government in the UK. The project has been delivered as a collaboration with the Local Government Coastal Special Interest Group and the Ocean Conservation Trust, but nobody really owns it, it's more of a movement.
We developed a model motion, which is an example set of pledges that local councils can debate upon and hopefully pass into council policy. The pledges include things like embedding marine sustainability into council processes and decisions, promoting marine citizenship opportunities and growing ocean literacy, acting as a leader for ocean advocacy locally, and supporting children to have access to the marine environment.
As an elected Councillor at the time, I proposed the first Motion for the Ocean at Plymouth City Council in 2021. Since then we've had 29 councils make declarations, representing nearly 4 million people. In 2024 we've begun to have international recognition of the Motion and interest in adapting it for government in other countries.
The Motion is important because it is raising awareness of the responsibility we all have for the marine environment, whether we are by the sea or inland. It also highlights how important it is to have access to the water and have positive ocean experiences to grow that sense of responsibility. It does this at the local government level where decisions are closer and more visible to people, making it easier for them to get involved.
We are learning all the time as part of this campaign. Things like how the devolved nations and other countries govern the marine environment, which authorities are involved, and how people can participate in decision-making. One size does not fit all, but the principle of the Motion can be adapted to different government and governance situations. We also have learnt how much support decision-makers need in addressing issues in the marine context. This is not only about translating science and evidence, but also understanding the policy-making context and working together on the solution.
Where can people learn more about you?
Socials:
Sincere thanks to Pamela for taking the time to answer my questions.
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