Oceans are on the edge. What role can innovation and design play in ocean conservation?
One of the most confronting illustrations of this stark reality is the ongoing bleaching and decline of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. As scientists attest, rising water temperatures, increased nutrient runoff, and oceanic acidification are bleaching coral reefs across the globe, with devastating impacts on marine biodiversity. Elsewhere similar forces are pushing ecosystems out of balance, with a plague of sea urchins decimating plant life in temperate waters.

Join one of the world’s foremost coral reef scientists and a duo of underwater designers who are each in their own way drawing on the potential of emerging research and technology to protect and restore coral reefs for our shared future.

This program was part of Triennial Conversations, which took place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December to mark the opening of NGV Triennial 2020.

Panelists: Professor Madeleine van Oppen, University of Melbourne and Senior Principal Scientist at Australian Institute of Marine Science. Alex Goad, designer and founder of Reef Design Lab. Dr. Pirjo Haikola, designer and researcher, RMIT University. Moderated by Ewan McEoin, Senior Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture.

Watch the talk here: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/multimedia/oceans-on-the-edge/