Ocean Powered: Collaboration, Equity, and Action for a Shared Future

“Science alone won’t save the ocean. We need access, opportunity, and a culture of lifting each other up.” Niru Dorrian

Marine mammals sparked my passion for ocean science at a young age, but they quickly led me to something larger in my professional career: the urgency of addressing biodiversity loss, climate action, and the pressing need to make marine science more equitable and inclusive. What began as a childhood inspiration evolved into a life of purpose and vocation. My story is not just about species conservation. It’s about uplifting people working to protect the ocean, supporting them, creating access, and making sure they are not left behind. A resilient ocean depends on a resilient and supported community of people working together to safeguard it.

The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development offers more than a vision. Running from 2021 to 2030, the Ocean Decade represents a global effort to generate the science we need for the ocean we want. Now, five years in, it is shifting from ambition to action. It connects people and projects that might otherwise remain isolated and works to ensure that ocean science delivers real, inclusive impact. For me, its greatest strength lies in how it brings together diverse voices, shifts power, and accelerates progress through shared goals. We need collective commitment, practical collaboration, and the courage to centre equity in every decision.

This global effort is closely aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 14: Life Below Water, which calls for the conservation and sustainable use of our ocean and marine resources. It also supports SDG 13: Climate Action, by advancing science-based solutions that help address the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and coastal communities. Just as importantly, it contributes to SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, by encouraging collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and regions. By supporting knowledge exchange, inclusive innovation, and equitable access to marine science, the Ocean Decade is helping turn these global goals into meaningful action at local, national, and international levels.

From Curiosity to Purpose

From a young age, I didn’t just admire marine life; I felt a responsibility towards it. I began fundraising for marine conservation charities at around 10 years old. Marine mammals, in particular, shaped that direction. Their intelligence, altruism, complex social structures, and role in ecosystem health gave me a sense of purpose, even before I knew what a marine science career would entail.

That sense of purpose has never left. Over two decades, it has guided my professional work in marine conservation, offshore ecological project management, science-based environmental strategy, and the adoption of innovative monitoring technologies. Whether responding to a marine mammal stranding event, writing protected species risk and impact assessments, or helping shape global policy, my drive has always been to protect marine life and empower those working to do the same.

One experience that shaped everything was my first time as an intern at The Marine Mammal Center in California. It is an incredible facility and charity, supported by hundreds of dedicated volunteers in animal care, research, and education. I worked hands-on with stranded, sick, and injured marine mammals, including elephant seals, harbour seals, and a harbour porpoise, while shadowing experienced marine mammal veterinarians and scientists. Their skill, care, and unwavering commitment left a lasting impression on me. It was during this time that I began to understand the vital connection between animal, human, and environmental health. I was surrounded by people who truly inspired me, and that formative experience gave me a clear sense of the kind of professional I wanted to become. It ignited my passion for marine mammal health and became the springboard for future opportunities in research, rescue, and conservation worldwide.

Field Lessons, Real Impact

My career began with dolphin research and rescue programmes before progressing into baseline ecological assessments and the implementation of mitigation and monitoring measures to protect marine life during industrial activities such as marine construction projects and geophysical exploration surveys. That hands-on fieldwork later evolved into managing and designing complex ecological survey and monitoring programmes. Those early experiences, particularly in responding to real-time emergencies, revealed something fundamental: science is not theoretical. It is lived, immediate, and often deeply personal.

The realities I’ve seen in the field have been both confronting, harrowing and motivating. After witnessing ghost gear entangling and injuring marine fauna, I launched rescue response programs within the environmental monitoring frameworks I was leading. These initiatives were not formally required, but arose from a recognised need in the field. By educating and engaging offshore industry operators and by building trust and motivation across project teams, I secured their support and participation. What began as a personal initiative became a coordinated and sustained effort, resulting in successful disentanglement responses, data collection, and long-term stewardship. Crucially, this work inspired others. Colleagues who sought my support on separate projects went on to replicate and adapt similar programmes, contributing to a growing culture of proactive, field-based marine protection.

After seeing designated seabird sanctuaries on remote, protected islands polluted by debris, I launched cleanup operations, with project crews once again encouraged to participate. Many of those individuals, once unaware of their potential impact, became active contributors to environmental protection.

The lessons I learned at sea and in the field now help shape long-term, nature-positive practices that align with the shared goals of the UN SDGs and the UN Ocean Decade in all that I do.

Creating Opportunities for Others

Collaboration has shaped every stage of my journey. Meaningful progress depends on removing silos and creating space for shared knowledge, cross-sector partnerships, and inclusive dialogue. Gaps in access and representation are not only matters of fairness. They reflect untapped potential to strengthen science, inform policy, and build solutions that are both effective and equitable.

The motivation to tackle those gaps took root early in my career and continues today through contributions to the UN Ocean Decade. In 2024, the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) appointed me as its UN Ocean Decade Ambassador. My work has supported over 15 endorsed Decade Actions, advancing the Ocean Decade and reinforcing that progress must be driven by need and inclusion, in alignment with SDG 14 and reflects the principle that progress must be grounded in both need and inclusion.

My recent efforts have centred on developing funded training programmes, global partnerships, professional development bursaries, mentoring networks, and technical resources to support early-career professionals and students. A particular focus has been placed on improving equitable access to funding tools across the Global North and South. Without this, many skilled and passionate individuals remain excluded from opportunities they are ready to contribute to. Addressing this imbalance is essential for achieving lasting, just, and sustainable ocean solutions.

As Chair and co-founder of the IMarEST Marine Mammal Special Interest Group, my work has also included creating and co-delivering the world’s first marine mammal mitigation conference, as well as leading a collaborative project to assess innovation in marine mammal monitoring. Technologies such as AI-assisted detection, acoustic monitoring, and drone-based systems offer exciting potential but need to be made more visible, accessible, and embedded within conservation policy and funding priorities.

The Cost of Unseen Work

SDG 14: Life Below Water remains the least funded of all the Global Goals. This persistent gap reflects how environmental work is often still viewed as optional or secondary. Nature-based solutions are not a luxury. They are essential to addressing the climate and biodiversity crises we face, and the expertise behind them must be valued accordingly. Ocean science is not a side issue. It is a critical tool in responding to the global challenges we have collectively created.

As a millennial marine scientist, I entered the profession during a time when passion was expected to compensate for pay. Like many in my generation, I built a career through unpaid internships, voluntary roles, and personal sacrifice. Urgency was constant, but support was not. That experience has shaped my long-standing commitment to doing things differently and to giving a voice to those navigating similar paths.

Over the years, I’ve contributed thousands of hours to institutions, associations, and NGOs through fieldwork, rescue efforts, policy consultations, public outreach, science communication, and technical panels. Much of this work happens behind the scenes. It is rarely funded, acknowledged or thanked, yet it forms the foundation of progress across the marine and environmental sectors.

It is time to speak more openly about the cost of this work. If we want committed professionals to stay and lead, their well-being, mental health and long-term sustainability must be prioritised. Structural barriers, many of them financial, continue to limit who can access and remain in this field. The expectation to volunteer indefinitely creates an exclusionary system that risks discouraging and demotivating the next generation. Marine science and conservation must not be careers reserved for those who can afford to work for free.

This is not a rejection of voluntary work. Those experiences have played a vital role in my development and in the success of the organisations I support. But the balance must shift. The value of environmental careers needs to be raised, both in perception and in practice. If we are serious about achieving SDG 14 and restoring ocean health, we must invest in the people behind that mission. Fair pay, inclusive access, and recognition of environmental expertise are not extras; they are essential parts of the solution.

Coming Together to Respond to a Changing Ocean

The threats facing the ocean are intensifying. I have witnessed the effects of climate change firsthand: shifting species distributions, unusual mortality events, habitat degradation, stranded and entangled animals, and an increase in sources of marine pollution driven by human activities.

Technology offers immense potential to support better monitoring and mitigation, and the tools to revolutionise conservation are within reach. However, access to these innovations remains uneven. Many organisations, particularly those based in the Global South or led by early-career professionals, lack the resources to acquire, implement, or scale them. Without a focus on equitable access to science, data, and technology, the gap between those who can respond and those who cannot will only grow wider.

What is needed now is alignment. Science, policy, and industry must come together with greater urgency and shared purpose. We cannot afford to continue working in fragmented timelines. Research must be translated into policy more efficiently, science must be communicated more effectively, and industry must be both empowered and held accountable to act on evidence-based guidance. The ocean cannot wait for perfect conditions. It needs timely, collective action that puts equity, innovation, and responsibility at the centre of how we move forward.

Science with Purpose Starts with Support

We cannot deliver on the SDGs without prioritising equity and collaboration, and these goals demand urgent, people-centred responses grounded in shared responsibility.

Throughout my career, I have experienced the power of genuine collaboration among scientists, policymakers, communities, trusted peers, and industry stakeholders. When silos are broken down and boundaries are crossed, meaningful progress becomes possible. That collective spirit is what we must harness now. Collaboration is not about partnerships on paper. It is about building support networks, amplifying each other’s voices, and celebrating shared achievements without ego. It is about creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and part of something greater than themselves.

The ocean and climate is changing rapidly, and the time to build solutions is short. Where urgency exists, so too does opportunity, but it cannot be met with hesitation or business as usual. There is no time left for slow frameworks, siloed thinking, or performative statements. The challenges are already here: climate disruption, biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and widening inequalities in access to knowledge, tools, and funding. The scale of the work ahead is bigger than any one discipline, institution, or region.

Even in the face of this, I continue to believe in hope. Not the passive kind, but the kind that moves people to act. Hope drives us to believe that better is possible and that each of us has a role to play in making it happen. Progress demands more than good intentions. It requires urgency, commitment, and accountability. It calls for collective responsibility and a willingness to lift others along the way. By embracing the principles of inclusivity, co-creation, and equity, we can unlock the full potential of ocean science to drive meaningful global change.

Only then will we truly see what ocean power can achieve.

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About the Author

Niru Dorrian is an multi award-winning marine mammal specialist, Chartered Marine Scientist, and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and Fellow of the British Ecological Society. He serves as IMarEST’s appointed UN Ocean Decade Ambassador, where he leads and supports endorsed Decade Actions focused on capacity building, inclusion, and marine environmental innovation. Niru has created industry-leading UN Ocean Decade-endorsed Training Programmes, co-founded and chairs the IMarEST Marine Mammal Special Interest Group, and has led various international working groups, research projects, strategic offshore ecology programmes, and founded global partnerships. A champion of ethics, equity, and collaboration, Niru is dedicated to shaping the future of ocean science through actions that connect people, policy, and purpose.

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