Brunei Darussalam marks the successful final few days of Ocean Week Brunei as World Ocean Day is celebrated globally today.
On World Ocean Day, Brunei Darussalam joins hands with other countries in celebrating and advocating for ocean health. From coastal clean-ups in Australia and coral restoration projects in Indonesia to educational campaigns in the United States (US) and marine protected area expansions in the Mediterranean, nations are taking meaningful actions to protect and preserve the oceans.
Ocean Week Brunei featured a series of impactful events designed to raise awareness and drive action towards ocean conservation. Among them were bringing together marine scientists, experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss marine conservation and sustainable solutions for ocean health and the impacts of climate change in ocean sustainability conference, hands-on sessions educating participants on the importance of corals and the threats they face with information particular to Brunei’s ecosystem in marine conservation workshops, creating a future ocean changemaker’s youth forum aiming at empowering the next generation to advocate and take an active role in ocean conservation, connecting ideas, passion, money, and experience for youth to take action and mobilising hundreds of volunteers in beach clean-up campaign to remove plastic and other debris from Brunei beaches, significantly reducing pollution and preserving marine life at Meragang Beach tomorrow.
Several significant achievements were celebrated in Ocean Week Brunei such as the deployment of 100th reef ball during the launch and the largest coral planting in a day with 210 corals planted in a day. New programmes launched and proposed by the LAUT Brunei’s (Looking After Underwater Treasures of Brunei) Ambassador Programme, were the Brunei Reef Ball Wall Project and the Brunei Ocean ARC (Brunei Ocean and Aquatic Research Centre).
Other marine conservation events in Brunei during June also included the launch of ‘Trapped in the Nets: Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing in Borneo Island’ policy paper by Global Awareness and Impact Alliance (GAIA) at Radisson Hotel on Monday.
The Department of Fisheries at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) also hosted a delegation from the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC) to conduct comprehensive marine resources and oceanographic surveys in Brunei’s waters. Looking forward for next year’s Ocean Week Brunei, the momentum generated this week will propel Brunei towards even greater achievements to be taken including the launch of the LAUT Brunei Ambassador Programme in recruiting and training local ambassadors to advocate for ocean sustainability within their communities, implementing marine protection policies in working closely with policymakers to establish and enforce regulations that safeguard marine biodiversity and promote sustainable practices and enhancing public awareness campaigns to continue educate and engage the public.
The success of Ocean Week Brunei underscores the collective commitment to ocean sustainability.
Ocean Week Brunei is an annual event dedicated to promoting ocean sustainability and conservation through education, engagement, and action organised by Poni Divers, Poni Foundation in partnership with the Department of Fisheries at the MPRT, an event as part of the Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition (MYCE) 2024.
Ocean Week Brunei is sponsored by Baiduri Bank, Australian High Commission to Brunei Darussalam, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Gas Carriers Sdn Bhd, Progresif Sdn Bhd, Tyne Solutions, Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd, Armada Properties Sdn Bhd, Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd and Anson International Sdn Bhd. Media partners include Borneo Bulletin, Media Permata, Kristal Media Sdn Bhd, Radio Television Brunei, and Biz Brunei.
The education partner includes Laksamana College of Business and Dive Association Partner, RAID International.
