What is the World Oceans Day?

World Oceans Day was developed after the United Nations named June 8th as World Oceans Day at the Rio De Jeneiro Earth Summit in 1992. The purpose of the day was to raise awareness of the importance of our seas and oceans and a chance to celebrate the role they play in our lives. The United Nations has yet to ratify the 8th June as World Oceans Day and a World-wide campaign to have June 8th officially designated is currently underway.
(visit www.theoceanproject.org for more details).

For the past 13 years organisations around the World celebrate World Oceans Day to mark the occasion holding a variety of events and activities to present the opportunity for people to increase their understanding of the marine environment, and the importance that they play in each of our lives.

Our planet is blue. Seas and oceans cover over 70% of its surface, containing almost 97% of water to be found on our planet. As well as acting as a huge reservoir our seas and oceans are home to a huge diversity of life ranging from the tiny plankton drifting along ocean currents to huge whales that circumnavigate the globe.

Our seas and oceans play a fundamental role in shaping the lives of everybody, providing an important source of food, transporting people and goods around the World and providing income through tourism. Our seas and oceans even play a role in the weather, providing rain which gives us water both to drink and grow our crops.

No matter where we live, who we are or what country we live in, we all share the seas and oceans. Seas and oceans link countries and people of all races. We are all connected by the Blue Planet.

World Oceans Day provides the opportunity for each resident of this planet to:

Celebrate: Whether we live by the sea or not, seas and oceans have provided both ourselves, past generations and future generations with a wealth of resources. Our oceans have also given poets and playwrights inspiration and fed dreams of exploration. World Oceans Day gives the opportunity to rejoice about what the marine environment means for us.

Learn: Our seas and oceans contain hundreds of different species of wildlife in a range of various habitats. World Oceans Day offers and oppurtunity to learn about some of these creatures and their lives as well as how we are all interconnected and how to use our ocean resources in a sustainable manner.

Change Perspective: What does the ocean mean to you? World Oceans Day offers the oppurtunity for people to change their view on what the oceans mean to them and how they can conserve the oceans for future generations.

Change our Ways: We are all connected to the oceans. By changing our ways even by a small amount can play a role in protecting our oceans. 'Think Globally Act Locally'.