The Institute of Marine Sciences from the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) has TWO opportunities to work with ocean literacy and governance of socio-biodiversity systems (see project abstracts below).
Opportunity 1: Maretoriums in São Paulo Coast (Profa. Leandra Gonçalves – goncalves.leandra@unifesp.br)
This project’s main objective is to apply the knowledge and reflections that have been built in the “Maretório” Project in the Amazon territory, to evaluate the threats to the ecosystem and socio-biodiversity caused by the current development model in the coastal areas of the coast of São Paulo. Special attention is given to traditional fishing communities, which face challenges similar to those observed in the coastal zone of Pará, such as pressure from urban, tourist and industrial development, threatening marine and coastal biodiversity and traditional ways of life dependent on these ecosystems. This project seeks not only to identify these threats and assess their impacts, but also to promote an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary dialogue between scientific knowledge, local traditional knowledge and territorial management. The methodology involves workshops and meetings for the dialogue of knowledge, focusing on the recognition and appreciation of local tidewaters, legislation applicable to traditional fishing and the visibility of communities and their challenges. Participatory research will be developed to map the socio-biodiversity of the areas studied, identify socio-environmental conflicts and propose coastal management alternatives, with a decolonial perspective. The expected impacts include the expansion of recognition of tidal waves and traditional fishing practices, the training of professionals qualified to work in similar contexts, the contribution to the development of integrated public coastal management policies, and the creation of a replicable management model of coastal areas, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Ocean Decade. By focusing on valuing socio-biodiversity and co-creating sustainable solutions, this project proposes an innovative and inclusive approach to addressing environmental and social challenges in the coastal areas of São Paulo. It aims to protect marine ecosystems and ensure the well-being and continuity of cultural practices of traditional fishing communities, contributing to a fairer and more sustainable future for Brazil’s coastal areas.
Opportunity 2: Ocean Literacy (Prof. Ronaldo Christofoletti – southoceanliteracy@gmail.com)
The world is experiencing a climate and biodiversity crisis, where it is essential to build paths of transformation, highlighting the importance of joint and transformative action from all sectors of society to achieve sustainable development, as established by the 2030 Agenda and the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). In this proposal, a Postdoctoral Researcher will investigate the role of ocean literacy in the Global South as a tool for conflict transformation towards sustainability. The Postdoctoral Researcher will work with data from the Global South Ocean Literacy Network, led by Brazil and involving over 30 countries from the Global South (Central and South America, Africa, Asia). This project aligns with the findings of the OceansPact project (FAPESP Belmont Forum), currently ongoing, which presents study results from 6 countries on pathways for transforming small scale fishing conflicts. This proposal will expand knowledge beyond artisanal fishing and focusing on the role of ocean literacy, as a transformative science that integrates scientific, traditional, and indigenous knowledge, promoting diversity and looking for solutions to current problems through understanding our relationship with the ocean. In this proposal, we aim to understand the priorities, challenges, and potentials for ocean literacy at local, regional and Global South scales, evaluating similarities, peculiarities of each place, and how they align with global planning, identifying pathways to promote ocean literacy in a Global South view.
For the PostDoctoral researchers interested, it is mandatory to be a permanent resident and native of a Least Developed Country (LDC), listed at http://twas.org/least-developed-countries-ldcs. The other 6 eligibility criteria are listed at the item 2.2 and the financial support at the item 3 from the call: https://fapesp.br/16501/call-for-proposals-of-unesco-twasfapesp-postdoctoral-fellowships-for-least-developed-countries-ldc
Eligible candidates should submit the FAPESP CV Model (https://fapesp.br/6351/instructions-for-the-elaboration-of-a-curricular-summary) for the specific opportunity with Prof Leandra Gonçalves (goncalves.leandra@unifesp.br) or Prof Ronaldo Christofoletti (southoceanliteracy@gmail.com), as listed below, by May 15th. Afterward, supervisors will select one candidate per opportunity to follow for the full submission until May 30th.
Each supervisor has until the end of May to select a PostDoctoral researcher from Least Developed Countries and apply for the opportunity. Full details of the call: https://twas.org/opportunity/twas-fapesp-postdoctoral-fellowship-programme-least-developed-countries-ldc
