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Applications are open for the EJN Virtual Media Workshop on the 30×30 Target and Marine Protected Areas 2025. Click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
Opportunity Details
As part of EJN's Ocean Media Initiative, they are pleased to announce two virtual media workshops for journalists in coastal countries globally seeking to deepen their knowledge of the 30×30 target, to improve their reporting on solutions being implemented to reach the target and equip their audiences with the information they need to hold governments accountable to their commitments.
The workshop will cover topics such as:
How MPAs are designated using marine spatial planning
The stages of establishing an MPA and the different levels of protection
Participatory approaches in implementing and monitoring MPAs
Cultural landscape approaches and the role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in marine conservation
MPAs and the High Seas Treaty
Debates on the effectiveness of protected areas for conservation
Technologies such as satellites, remote sensing, eDNA and artificial intelligence for the effective management of MPAs.
National and international policy negotiations and instruments to achieve the 30 x 30 target
Best practices in accountability, data and solutions journalism to enhance reporting on this issue
Approaches to improve audience engagement with marine conservation issues
The sessions will be structured as part-presentation and part-discussion. Journalists will learn from researchers, policymakers, civil society organizations and local communities working on marine conservation and the 30x30 target.
The final agenda of the workshop will be shared with selected participants in February 2025.
They plan to accept approximately 60 participants for the two workshops, with approximately 30 in each. Successful applicants will be notified in February.
The workshops will take place virtually on Zoom over three days in March 2025, with 3 hours of training sessions each day. The workshop for journalists in Asia and the Pacific will be held from 9am-12pm Bangkok time, while the other will be held from 10am-1pm New York time for those in the Americas, Europe and Africa. Participants will be automatically placed into the workshop that best aligns with their location. While we strive to choose a time that works for as many time zones as we can, it is possible the timing of the workshop will be early in the morning or late at night for certain applicants. Please take this into consideration when applying.
To ensure these workshops are accessible, EJN will offer a limited number of communications stipends to those with an unstable internet connection in remote areas.
Participants who attend all sessions will receive a certificate of completion from EJN.
Participants who attend all three days of the workshop will also be eligible to apply for a story grant to produce journalistic work following the workshop, which will be awarded to 16 journalists.
Journalists who participate in the workshop will:
Gain a better understanding of the 30x30 target;
Gain a better understanding of marine conservation strategies, including Marine Protected Areas and other area-based conservation mechanisms, regulations to reduce illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, newly developed tools like the 30x30 Progress Tracker and more.
Understand best practices and journalistic techniques for covering the progress toward 30x30, including how to use accountability journalism to monitor actions taken by governments and other decision-making entities;
Learn about equitable marine conservation and the extent to which biodiversity conservation efforts recognize and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities over their traditional territories;
Become more familiar with national and international policies and commitments related to marine conservation and the implementation of the 30x30 target.
Information on story grants: EJN seeks to award 16 grants to journalists to support in-depth reporting on the commitments made by governments related to 30x30 as well as initiatives that could help countries reach it. Applications from workshop participants will receive priority consideration.
The grant can fund travel costs, reporter stipends, multimedia elements and more. Besides funding, grantees will receive 1-1 editorial mentorship from an experienced journalist and training on how to repackage their reporting for social media to reach a wider audience.
Apply for EJN Virtual Media Workshop on the 30×30 Target and Marine Protected Areas