Actions addressing youths and marine science for “ambassadorship” are increasingly implemented via dedicated programs at the European and global level within the relevant policy frameworks, as a way for fostering the exchange of knowledge and cross-fertilizing practices among the Countries and basins. These programs are conceived to address the future generations of scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and citizens, and to promote the awareness and shared responsibility on the sustainable use of marine resources in an authentic and credible way, through the empowerment of young researchers and professionals, communicators, or activists. Thus, such ambassadors are well-positioned to act as agents of change, improving the dimension of Ocean Ethics related to inclusive governance, especially necessary for an equal, just, and sustainable management of multi-actor and transboundary socio-environmental contexts. Pivoting on the Young Ambassadors' Program developed in the framework of the BlueMed Research and Innovation (R&I) Initiative for blue jobs and growth in the Mediterranean area as case practice, the article aimed to propose some reflections about the long-term perspective of such experiences. Outlining an emerging physiognomy of the “One Ocean Ambassadors,” it discusses their potential to build the next generation of responsible scientists, citizens, and decision-makers and to embed ethical principles in research-based marine governance. In addition, it addresses process-related elements, such as balancing advocacy and ethics and reflecting on the role of science communication. To further consolidate this practice, this article finally seeks to incorporate the intercultural aspects to connect the local to the global dimension toward a sustainable and value-based ocean governance.

To reach the global aspiration of 17 ambitious SDGs, local realities must be integrated. Often, models are developed based on quantitative statistical data sources from databases on environmental indicators or economics to assess how a given SDG can be achieved. This process however removes the local realities from the equation. How can you best include stakeholders in this mathematical modelling processes distanced from their local realities, though, and ensure higher probability of future compliance with top-down global decisions that may have local consequences once implemented? When researching stakeholder involvement and their ability to form public policy, their opinions often get reported as a single assessment, like counting the fish in the ocean once and stating that as a permanent result. Too seldom do stakeholders get invited back and given the opportunity to validate results and allow researchers to adjust their models based on on-the-ground validation or change requests. We tested the full integration of stakeholders in the modelling process of environmental topics in six different case areas across Europe, with each area holding six sectoral and one inter-sectoral workshops. In these workshops, the scope of the issues relevant to the stakeholders was driven by first the sectoral priorities of the given sector, followed by a merging of issues. In this process, we were able to identify what the commonalities between different sectors were and where synergies lay in terms of governance paths. These results were then returned to the stakeholders in a mixed session where they were able to come with feedback and advice on the results researchers presented, so that the models reflected more closely the perceptions of the regional actors. We present these methods and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of using this deep-integration method to integrate qualitative data from stakeholder inclusion in a quantitative model.

SW Messinia, Greece, is an interlinked coastal-inland area in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Extensive olive tree plantations and tourism are the main human activities in the area, both of which depend on groundwater resources to cover their irrigation and supply needs. The same groundwater sources are also the main freshwater sources for the Gialova lagoon, a coastal wetland with high ecological and commercial value. The combined effect of human interventions and climatic conditions over a period of 60 years has led to increased saline conditions in the wetland since the 1960s, and unless freshwater inputs are enhanced by restoring hydrologic connectivity between the wetland and the surrounding freshwater bodies, salinity in the lagoon is expected to increase even more under drier and warmer conditions predicted to occur in the future (Manzoni et al., 2020). However, surrounding fresh water bodies have high nutrient inputs and unless these are reduced, any increased connectivity could further degrade the sensitive ecosystem of the wetland (Bray et al., submitted). Under the COASTAL EU project, we have developed a System Dynamics model that combines tangible (e.g. runoff, water demand, salinity, population, tourist arrivals) and intangible (such as awareness and willingness to cooperate) attributes of the local social ecological system. This model is used as a basis for discussions with local stakeholders and for promoting social learning by connecting local concerns with lagoon management. These connections are considered essential for achieving the transition towards collaborative integrated agricultural practices that will enable the restoration of lagoon connectivity accounting for changing climatic conditions (increased temperature, reduced precipitation).

<p>The EUs Water Framework Directive, was adopted on October 2000, and it has been the basis for water management in all the EU countries since then (EU-WFD, 2000). According to the EUs-WFD, the use of groundwater bodies can be considered as sustaibale only when the portion of the overall recharge not needed by the ecology is abstracted (EU-WFD, 2000). Nonetheless, there are still cases where the implementation of the EUs-WFD faces challenges, and there is a need to better communicate the above message to water users. But how can we achieve this at a local scale?</p><p>In this work, we present the example of SW Messinia, Greece, an interlinked coastal-inland area in the Eastern Mediterranean region. In this case study, the water supply for all water uses (agriculture, tourism, domestic use) depends on groundwater resources which are also the main freshwater provider to a coastal wetland with high ecological and commercial value (Birds directive 2009/147/EC; Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC). Due to man-made interventions over the last 70 years, the wetland has passed the tipping point of being brackish (Maneas et al., 2019), and at present it is characterized as saline with hypersaline conditions for nearly 30% of the year (Manzoni et al., 2020). Unless freshwater inputs are enhanced by restoring hydrologic connectivity between the wetland and the surrounding freshwater bodies, salinity in the lagoon is expected to increase even more under future drier and warmer conditions (Manzoni et al., 2020). But how can we balance between societal and ecological groundwater needs, and how future decision making can get a broader acceptance by the society?</p><p>Under COASTAL EU project (COASTAL, 2019), we use System Dynamic (SD) models for communicating with local stakeholders towards improving land-sea interactions. In this work, we present a model which describes how inland groundwater abstraction has impacts to the wetland’s salinity. The model is used as a basis for a discussion with stakeholders and the co-creation of sustainable decision making with broader acceptance.</p><div>Literature<br><div> <p>EU WFD, 2000. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/index_en.html (Accessed on 20-01-2021).</p> <p>Birds Directive 2009/147/EC (2009). The European Union Birds Directive. Available online at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=<br>CELEX:32009L0147 (accessed November 2, 2020) .</p> <p>Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC (1992). The European Union Habitats Directive. Available online at: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/<br>habitatsdirective/index_en.htm (accessed September 2, 2019).</p> <p>Maneas, G., Makopoulou, E., Bousbouras, D., Berg, H., and Manzoni, S. (2019). Anthropogenic changes in a Mediterranean coastal wetland during the last century-the case of Gialova Lagoon, Messinia, Greece. Water 11:350. doi: 10.3390/w11020350 </p> <p>Manzoni, S., Maneas, G., Scaini, A., Psiloglou, B. E., Destouni, G., and Lyon, S. W. (2020). Understanding coastal wetland conditions and futures by closing their hydrologic balance: the case of Gialova Lagoon, Greece. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 24, 3557–3571. doi: 10.5194/hess-24-3557-2020</p> <p>Maneas G, Bousbouras D, Norrby V and Berg H (2020). Status and Distribution of Waterbirds in a Natura 2000 Area: The Case of Gialova Lagoon, Messinia, Greece. Front. Ecol. Evol. 8:501548. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2020.501548</p> <p>COASTAL [Collaborative Land-Sea Integration Platform] (2019). European Union’s H2020 Research and Innovation Programme Under Grant Agreement No. 773782. Available online at: https://h2020-coastal.eu/ (accessed 03 February, 2019).</p> </div> </div>

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