World Oceans Day, June 8, provides an annual moment to draw the WA community’s attention to our extraordinarily diverse marine environment, and to motivate everyone – from school children to leaders in their fields to take specific, meaningful action to keep our big blue backyard healthy, productive, and accessible to all.

Western Aussies, in many ways are an ocean and coastally-oriented community, with a deep, multilayered history of connection to the coast over millennia. Yet much of what the ocean and coast provide to us is invisible and undervalued. Also partially obscured are many profound changes in ocean health, some of which are manifestations of global trends, others local.

Western Australia has made commendable progress in recognising the importance of conserving our distinctive ocean ecosystems and has experienced some of the widespread benefits that flow from conservation action, but there is clearly a long way to go.

We believe there is a significant opportunity to do more to tap the abiding passion that so many Western Australians have for the ocean and coast, and channel that interest and conviction in positive ways to support the next wave of the ocean and coastal conservation priorities.