‘Let’s Put the Ocean First’, UN Secretary-General says in message for World Ocean Day, 8 June 2023, urging all to keep pushing for recovery, conservation, sustainable use of resources. ‘Humanity counts on the ocean. But can the ocean count on us?’

In this spirit Mundus maris has mobilised many, particularly young, people since 2013 to celebrate World Ocean Day. Year after year we organised clean-up days, engaged in open air sports activities, theatre and music performances and more in countries on three continents.

For several years, we also invited participation in Mundus maris Awards contests styled around the UN motto for each year between 2014 and 2020. Wonderful international jury members chose the winners. Some participoants acted on their own, some were coached by teachers strongly dedicated to ocean literacy and personal advancement of their students. To the extent we got to know them, they are all mentioned with great thanks and respect in the edition of The Book of the Marine World – Mundus maris Awards 2014 to 2020 now available online and in print.

This book is dedicated to Dr. Mechthild (Mecki) Kronen, former board member of Mundus maris, who tragically passed away after a grave illness. Until the very end she kept professing how much she loved life, the ocean, the mountains, nature, all the many people she had touched with her presence livng and travelling in different parts of the globe. She had selected most of the very diverse submissions we received now gathered together in this book.

We feel gratified to have benefitted from so much gracious collaboration and interesting contributions. We are particularly grateful that the 2018 UN motto for World Ocean Day «An Ocean Free of Plastic» should now be at the centre of international negotiations for a binding treaty to curb the plight to be finalised no later than end 2024.

Let the book contribute to the resolve of more and more citizens in every corner to put the ocean first, the source of life. You can download the electronic version here (14MB). If you want a printed copy, please contact us as info@mundusmaris.org.