Bringing the ocean inland: Hazyview workshop opens the conversation at GSN 2026

On 18 September, the NRF-SAEON Graduate Student Network (GSN) 2026 event hosted a workshop in Hazyview, Mpumalanga, that asked a simple but powerful question: how can ocean and climate science reach people living far from the coast?

The session was the first stakeholder consultation and co-design workshop for the Bringing the Ocean Inland initiative, which builds on the Ocean Actions agenda advanced through Ocean20 South Africa 2025. The initiative explores how ocean and climate science, including El Niño, changing ocean temperatures and rainfall variability, can be turned into practical, locally meaningful information for inland communities. Participants came from the research, conservation, tourism, ocean and terrestrial ecosystem sectors.

How the ocean is already shaping life inland

The discussion began with the ocean and climate issues already affecting inland communities. Participants pointed to shifting weather patterns, droughts that push up food prices and bring disease outbreaks, and goods lost or damaged in transport. They noted that women are more vulnerable because of their livelihoods and gender dynamics.

Several knowledge gaps also emerged:

• How river communities experienced past droughts and floods compared with today.
• How insurers and re-insurers understand a changing climate.
• How the tourism sector, which currently lacks research, could build new markets around local and regional weather and climate information.

What communities need to know

Farmers and communities want information on local impacts, not just regional or national ones, such as what predicted rainfall means for their own river systems or farmlands. Participants asked for local weather data through applications, as well as soil moisture and water quality information and clearer guidance on water rights and irrigation.

Climate change, El Niño and water rights were singled out as hard to understand, as were the environmental effects of farming practices like irrigation. Overly technical material is not absorbed well, and limited access to technology compounds the problem. Participants also wondered what difference traditional, religious and political leaders could make if they had this knowledge at hand.

Getting the message across

The group agreed that communication is most effective when it is accessible, personal and available in local languages. Social media, TikTok, YouTube and relatable influencers were seen as the best routes to young people, and storytelling was valued as a way of communicating science indirectly.

Messages should show how an issue affects the individual and focus on solutions rather than guilt, fear or sensationalism. The approaches seen as least effective were misinformation, broken trust, materials in only one language, and any suggestion of blame-laying.

What participants asked for

Participants called for accurate websites, hands-on workshops, short videos in native languages, and resources tailored to specific groups. They also asked for school curricula to cover ocean-to-inland connections, including how inland pollution reaches the ocean through rivers.

NGOs, community leaders and business networks can help by promoting practical information, using social media, relaying messages through trusted figures such as pastors and tribal leaders, and incentivising communities. Municipalities, youth holiday programmes and relationship-building events like farmers’ days and agricultural shows were suggested as channels.

From conversation to resources

These views align closely with the outputs proposed in the concept note: plain-language, visual and translated booklets, information sheets, infographics, WhatsApp-friendly content, school materials and case studies. The workshop adds short multilingual videos, local-scale data tools and curriculum content. This input will shape the draft resources, which will be showcased at a larger community engagement event planned for early 2027.

Join the conversation

Do you work with communities inland, or along the coast? We would like to hear about the challenges they face and the solutions you see. Please complete this form or scan the QR code to contribute to the discussion.