We will be using analytical chemistry methods and instrumentation in the lab to detect various compounds (Carbamazepine, Sulfamethoxazole, Diclofenac, and etc.) at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in Florida, in collaboration with the University of Florida Environmental Toxicology Lab which specializes in pharmaceutical analysis. The goal is to produce a study of these compounds and other pollutants in Sweetwater and present our findings to the public. Outreach efforts will also encourage environmental education and participation during the project.

The aim of the project is to produce awareness materials on social media for the public to get information on deep-seabed mining in Europe, but also to reach out to high-level European representatives and influencers. This project will also organize scientific discussions at the European level in order to push forward SOA's campaign & petition asking for a 10 year moratorium on deep-seabed mining.

B'ZEOS is a green tech company offering sustainable, home-compostable, and bio-digestible packaging solutions made from seaweed extracts to combat plastic pollution. We are based in Norway but have opened our new lab in Spain (Barcelona) and a branch in Switzerland. B’ZEOS uses kelp since it can provide a sustainable feedstock for biopolymers through both cultivation and harvesting. The manufacturing process of the material does not use harsh chemicals and does not rely on land-based crops. B’ZEOS has been part of an incubator project with Nestle. B’ZEOS has started a second collaboration for the development of the seaweed based packaging solution. We secured funds and are looking for more investments and new industrial collaborations.

Deep Sea Defenders will organize a demonstration outside the Metals Company HQ (the parent company of Nauru Ocean Resources, Inc. and a primary instigator of the “2 year rule” of the ISA) in Vancouver on June 8 (World Oceans Day), and produce a documentary and a social media campaign about deep seabed mining utilizing the content and media attention it generates.

Bocas de Ceniza is the point where the Magdalena River flows into the Caribbean Sea. In this wonderful place, three ecosystems can be appreciated from the same position: beach, river and mangrove. During the last 10 years this region has been seriously affected by pollution and toxic waste thrown into the river by industries. This group developed an educational series, implemented a clean up, and introduced a citizen-science process, encouraging participatns to identify and document usable material and the process in a toolkit. The project will directly benefit the population of Bocas de Cenizas by reducing riverine and marine pollution and through education.

ARC Marine is an eco-engineering company pioneering nature-inclusive design & accelerating reef creation. ARC Marine has developed Reef Cubes, the patented building blocks for the ocean which provide sustainable habitat & nurseries, and spawning grounds whilst performing a useful subsea and/or coastal asset protection role. Reef Cubes are made from 95% recycled materials, do not contain any plastics, and are carbon neutral.

Reef Support is working to create a map of critical coral reefs to inform their restoration. Similar to the "Allen Coral Atlas," they source high resolution satellite imagery, but only for specific sites. Using the images, they can create a baseline measurement of reef size to inform which reefs to focus conservation on and how. This grant supports the development of this map in Indonesia, Kenya, and one of the Dutch Caribbean islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao). They will concurrently develop AI related to coral identification and hope to integrate the two to enable citizen scientists and divers to use and inform the maps.

This project will educate students in Tidung Island (a small island near Jakarta that has been promoted by the local government for domestic tourism) about the SDG 14, and particularly about blue carbon ecosystems. The program starts with classroom lessons about the ocean and the SDG 14, followed by a mangrove and seagrass planting on the island. Students will then be in charge of regularly monitoring the growth of their mangroves and seagrasses.

SOA Ecuador organized a virtual hackathon (#HackathonPorElOceano) for the oceans. It was a national contest between groups of University Students in search of the 2 best solutions to 2 of the biggest problems of the ocean: Plastic Pollution and Unsustainable/IUU fishing. Participants received mentoring from marine science professionals and projects were selected and certified by the esteemed design thinking firm Design for Change.