DIVE IN with Liz and Sylvia is a casual, free-flowing, and educational conversation and encourages ocean and nature enthusiasts of all ages to join.
Kristina Gjerde joins Dive In
Tuesday, April 29th 3pm PT
Kristina Gjerde representing IUCN in her role as Senior High Seas Advisor [Ocean Elders]
From Ocean Elders: “We are so honored and pleased to have Kristina Gjerde join Dive In. She is a long-time advisor to Ocean Elders and is considered one of the foremost experts on the high seas. Protecting the international waters has proven to be extremely difficult and her perspective and experience in this sector can shed some light on the reasons and the possibility of success.
Kristina M. Gjerde, J.D., is Senior High Seas Advisor to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Ocean Team, an adjunct professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California, and an honorary professor at the University of Edinburgh.
For more than 30 years, Kristina has worked on the progressive development of public international law relating to the marine environment. Since 2003, Kristina’s primary focus with IUCN has been promoting a United Nations Agreement to protect, conserve, and sustain ocean life beyond national boundaries. The United Nations Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) was formally adopted on June 19, 2023.
To advance understanding of and support for improved governance of BBNJ, Kristina has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications and co-founded four initiatives: Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative, Sargasso Sea Project, High Seas Alliance, and Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI). She sits on the advisory board of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, and was previously part of the Executive Planning Group for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
A graduate of New York University School of Law, in 2003 Kristina was awarded a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to support her work on high seas governance reform. In 2023, Kristina received the IUCN World Commission on Protected Area’s Fred Packard Award and in 2024 Kristina was honored with the Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy for her instrumental role in the 2023 UN Agreement on Biodiversity beyond national Agreement.
Sylvia, Liz, and Kristina will take questions via Q & A from the attendees.”
Hinano and Frank Murphy join Dive In
Thursday, April 17th 3pm PT
Frank and Hinano Murphy [from Ocean Elders]
From Ocean Elders: “On March 30 and 31, Paris hosted SOS Ocean, an international event bringing together scientists, NGO representatives, and stakeholders to discuss ocean conservation issues. President Emmanuel Macron of France concluded the meeting by presenting the initial guidelines for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), which will be held in Nice from June 9 to 13, 2025. Several Ocean Elders – Dr. Sylvia Earle, HSH Prince Albert II, Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Nainoa Thompson – and Ocean Elders Advisor Kristina Gjerde attended this important event and expect to be present for UNOC 3 to continue to push for the protection of the high seas and a moratorium on deep sea mining.”
SOS Ocean Update
From Ocean Elders: “On March 30 and 31, Paris hosted SOS Ocean, an international event bringing together scientists, NGO representatives, and stakeholders to discuss ocean conservation issues. President Emmanuel Macron of France concluded the meeting by presenting the initial guidelines for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), which will be held in Nice from June 9 to 13, 2025. Several Ocean Elders – Dr. Sylvia Earle, HSH Prince Albert II, Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Nainoa Thompson – and Ocean Elders Advisor Kristina Gjerde attended this important event and expect to be present for UNOC 3 to continue to push for the protection of the high seas and a moratorium on deep sea mining.”
Ocean Elders HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Dr. Sylvia Earle, and Nainoa Thompson pose for a group photo
