SAILOR

South African Innovation Lab for Ocean-Climate Resilience

GUIDING
OCEAN-CLIMATE FUTURES

SAILOR is a coordination platform enabling the responsible development of ocean-climate solutions from within South Africa.

We bring together coastal communities, researchers, funders, and practitioners within shared working frameworks, translating ocean-climate research into carefully governed pilot programmes, with a focus on marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), water and supply chain linkages, and ecosystem restoration.

Operating as connective infrastructure, we enable scientific grounding, community activation, aligned funding, and progression toward pilots within open lab environments. Innovation pathways are adapted and built locally within coastal communities while welcoming global collaboration, ensuring ocean-climate solutions advance safely, inclusively, and with long-term care.

Our Approach:

Rigorous
Science and safety first. All activity is held to the highest governance standards, with measurement and verification in place before experimentation begins.

In Community
Shaped with the coast. Pilots are developed in sustained collaboration with coastal communities from the outset, embedding social commitment alongside scientific readiness through shared authorship.

Trans-Disciplinary
Through knowledge networks. We bring together researchers, coastal communities, institutions, industry, and funders—holding scientific expertise, indigenous knowledge, and lived experience in dialogue.

South African
Authored from within. Led from South Africa and informed by our three-ocean coastline, we champion African knowledge leadership in global ocean-climate solutions.

Open
From lab to ocean, shared by design. Pilots are proven in closed systems before being slowly and safely brought to the ocean. Knowledge circulates through transparent exchange, with data and learning held collectively.

The Network:

SAILOR is defined by who we connect:

Coastal and indigenous communities stewarding ocean-climate futures.

Public institutions, universities, researchers and scientists translating knowledge into practice.

Entrepreneurs and practitioners developing African-led solutions.

Industry and port-linked actors seeking legitimate engagement.

Local and international funders supporting climate action.

Advisory and integrity governance bodies ensuring accountability.

Our Partners:

SAILOR is a UN Ocean Decade Endorsed as part of the Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions initiated by Ocean Visions. Efforts are being built by collaborators from Kinjani, SOCCO and DFFE; guided by governance and scientific advisory and integrity oversight through Stellenbosch University's School for Climate Studies and the International Ocean Institute South Africa. Plans for pilot sites in Saldanha Bay are being explored with local stakeholders such as the Saldanha Bay Water Quality Trust, Municipality and due to convene co-design workshops with local communities. We are looking for additional partners in the private and public sectors, please get involved via the form below if this is of interest to you.

A selection of our collaborators and advisors:

Get Involved
Interested in SAILOR’s work or exploring collaboration? Contact us here with this information:

TEDxOranjezicht 2026 | Caitlin Wale (Founder of SAILOR and Kinjani)
Building Climate Solutions That Work for People, Nature, and Industry

This talk is embedded from the official TEDx YouTube upload and is shared for non commercial purposes. Please watch and share using the original TEDx link.

TEDx events are independently organised under licence from TED. This does not imply TED endorsement of SAILOR.