From 16 to 19 July, the 5th Meeting of the Seas will make Tenerife a global benchmark for territories making a stand for the seas and their ecosystems. Chefs such as Ángel León (Aponiente***), Quique Dacosta (Rest. Quique Dacosta***), Albert Adrià (Enigma*), Andoni L. Aduriz (Mugaritz**), Rui Paula (Casa de Chá da Boa Nova**, Portugal), Chilean Lorna Muñoz (Rest. Travesía, Chiloe) and Italian Luigi Pomata (Rest. Luigi Pomata, Cagliari, Sardinia) will be on the programme alongside scientists such as Carlos Duarte, a leading world expert in many areas of oceanography, biology and marine environmentalism; Alexandra Cousteau, the third generation of a family which pioneered the protection of oceans and life underwater; Minna Epps, Head of the Ocean team with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and one of the world's leading experts in marine biodiversity, and Ralph Chami, former assistant director at the International Monetary Fund and co-founder of Blue Green Future and Rebalance Earth.   

Science and the sea

The congress, this year with the slogan ‘Conservation' and Tenerife's "Cabildo" government as its main sponsor, will visit a number of locations on the island to analyse the challenges of ocean conservation in the wake of the historical protection agreement struck in March with the UN in the shape of the 'High Seas Treaty'. 

Conservation of the oceans and of food from the sea will be just some of the themed discussed at this year's event, which will also touch on the protection of cetaceans, tunny fish, gastronomy tourism, sustainable fishing models, marine environmentalism and gastronomy in connection with salting processes, smoked produce and marinades.

Economics and nature

The stage in Tenerife will also be taken by US financial economist Ralph Chami, who one day decided to swap his professional career as assistant director at the International Monetary Fund for a focus on natural capital, putting in his time with two of the greatest risks facing humanity at the present time: climate change and the loss of biodiversity. Convinced that the economy must assist nature, he has thrown himself into work to make it profitable for businesses to invest in it. He believes that the survival of whales is not only important from the perspective of maintaining those species, but that it is much more important because they play a vital role in the marine ecosystem, and therefore in the sustainability of the planet. Chami's studies conclude that each live animal generates benefits to the tune of two million euros.

The scientific director of Meeting of the Seas, Carlos Duarte, a marine biologist and a leading international oceanographer, is now engrossed in Project 2050, an international survey drawing up the essential roadmap of vital action for the planet's marine life to retrieve its abundance by the year 2050. 

Global Marine Programme

Swiss scientist Minna Epps is one of the world's most prominent marine biodiversity specialists, and also a leading conservationist. This marine biologist is currently director of the Ocean team at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, where she oversees the operations and development of the programme by seeking new strategic partnerships. She is very much engaged in the Global Ocean Agenda, participating in various management groups, boards and high-level networks.

Another speaker at the event will be Eline Van Onselen, a Dutch marine environmentalist now working for the North Sea Foundation, specifically on The Rich North Sea programme. Van Onselen is involved in the implementation of open-sea pilot projects, and works with scientific institutes and other stakeholders working with nature at offshore wind farms. Her work focuses on offshore wind farms, homing in on both risks and opportunities.

Jesús M. Arrieta is another scientist who will be speaking at the congress. He holds a Ph.D from the University of Groningen, and has conducted research into diversity and the function of marine microbes at a number of institutions. His talk will dwell on microbial ecology, the role of microbes in the functioning of the biosphere, and climate regulation.