NRF-SAEON Scientist Co-authors Subchapter of WOA III

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is proud to announce that Dr Lara Atkinson, a researcher at the South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON), was nominated as a global expert to co-author a subchapter of the Third World Ocean Assessment (WOA III), the most comprehensive evaluation of ocean health ever undertaken by the United Nations, and which was launched publicly on 08 June 2026, World Ocean Day.

Dr Atkinson contributed to the subchapter on Marine Benthic Invertebrates, organisms such as starfish, sea urchins, crabs, and worms that live on or near the ocean floor and which help to maintain healthy marine ecosystems. She was the only representative selected from the NRF to participate in this global scientific assessment process, a distinction that reflects the high regard in which her expertise is held by the international ocean science community.

The World Ocean Assessment is a significant intergovernmental initiative mandated by the UN General Assembly. It provides governments, institutions, and the public with the most authoritative, evidence-based understanding of the state of the world’s oceans. The third assessment, the latest in the series following the reports published in 2015 and 2021, brings together hundreds of scientific experts from across the globe to evaluate changes in ocean biodiversity, habitats, physical and chemical conditions, as well as the pressures facing marine ecosystems. It also examines the critical links between ocean health and human well-being, food security, and sustainable economic development.

The NRF congratulates Dr Atkinson on this significant achievement and celebrates the role that South African science is playing in shaping the global response to one of our era’s most pressing challenges.

For more information on the third World Ocean Assessment, visit woa.un.org.