CO-NEXART

Advancing more effective governance in marine conservation is pivotal to addressing the pressures of climate and global change. Such governance requires approaches that recognise diverse knowledge systems, engage lived experiences fostering emotional connections with the ocean, and critically address power relations. This needs greater inclusion in decision-making and stronger integration of the human dimensions in conservation, with understanding the relational and evolving interactions between people and the ocean (the ocean-climate-people nexus) being central. CO-NEXART responds to these challenges, developing an empirical framework for co-producing ocean-climate literacies that reinforce the nexus and advance transformative governance. The project aims to: explore the transformative role of arts-based co-creative approaches through a systematic review and global survey; design and empirically test a framework combining ethnographic research and co-creative workshops in two contrasting ocean-dependent contexts (Brasil&Portugal), focusing on fisherwomen as knowledge holders and agents of change; and evaluate the framework, identifying barriers and opportunities for broader application. The project is inherently transdisciplinary, bridging marine social sciences, biodiversity conservation, political ecology, ocean literacy research, and visual anthropology. Arts-based approaches function as participatory methods and bridges across value systems, while political ecology and anthropology ensure reflexivity and attention to power relations. Analytical design integrates qualitative and quantitative methods, producing rigorous and practice-oriented evidence. Expected outcomes bridge science, policy, and society, including: an empirical framework for transformative governance; actionable recommendations for practitioners and decision-makers; and creative outputs restoring human-ocean relationships, inspiring societal engagement in line with UN Ocean Decade Challenge 10.