Expo 2012: Creative Maritime Activities

Expo2012_main

Sub-theme 3: Creative Maritime Activities

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. ”

Jacques Yves Cousteau, French oceanographer, explorer, ecologist (1910 – 1997)

Oceans: Making Life Possible, Enriching Human Existence

One needs only to look back on human history to understand the immense value of oceans for humans. Oceans of the Earth form a vast network that has connected humans around the world together. Cultures have been created and flourished around oceans and coasts. Oceans have influenced human civilization and outlook. Their imprints are found in the arts, literature, and science.

They have not only provided basic and necessary services for humanity, but they have enriched human living and made it a more enjoyable one.

Indeed, the beautifully multifaceted impact oceans have had on humans gives layers to the irreparable loss human well-being will suffer if immediate action is not taken to preserve them.

“These natural assets are our food supply, a source of employment and livelihood, a medium for transportation, and a living web that links and influences social, cultural and economic behavior in our everyday lives. Our coastal and marine resources are more than natural commodities. They are part of our history, and a safeguard to economic prosperity and peaceful and harmonious co-existence for present and future generations.”

(Putrajaya Declaration of Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia,
adopted at the East Asian Seas Congress 2003, Putrajaya, December 12th, 2003)

Oceans and Creative Maritime Activities: We Are What We Are, Because of Them

To get this message across, EXPO Yeosu 2012 will highlight for its visitors the different ways in which oceans have been a source of creativity for humans, breaking them down into five domains: as a cradle of culture and the arts; a medium of cultural exchange; a generator of creative activities; a source of food and entertainment; and as a catalyst for port cities.

All this to say that when we risk the health of oceans, what we risk has an effect more far-reaching and profound than meets the eye. It affects not only how long humans can continue to live on Earth but how well and how deeply.