Over forty years ago, the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment proclaimed that decision-makers require access to the best available scientific information to achieve effective environmental management (United Nations, 1972). To fill this need, various governments and inter-governmental partnerships have produced many state of the environment reports (SOEs), which present current scientific understanding […]
Marine & Ocean Issues
Is Demonstrating the “Bottom Line” of the Oceans More Effective Than Scientific Information in Influencing Global Change?
The World Wildlife Fund’s recent report, Reviving the Ocean Economy: The Case for Action – 2015, positions the world’s oceans with major global powers (Hoegh-Goldberg et al., 2015). The oceans are ranked as the seventh-largest economy on the planet – as if combined they were a country. The numbers are staggering: WWF conservatively estimates that […]
Coastal Web Atlases in Policy and Decision-Making: An EIUI Study
With over 10,000 km of coastline, Nova Scotia is undeniably a coastal province. Numerous activities occur within the coastal zone making it a highly valuable area for many Nova Scotians. For this reason, numerous stakeholders are involved with studying and making decisions about various aspects and activities that occur in the coastal zones around the […]
Improving Use and Awareness of Scientific Information: An EIUI Study of the Gulfwatch Monitoring Program
Chemical contamination is a threat that impacts all waterways, especially those closest to human activity. Contamination of ecosystems can lead to consequences within trophic (food-web) structures and can percolate up trophic levels and impact human populations. Countless examples exist of mercury poisoning from contaminated fish overwhelming coastal communities. Other contaminants, such as other trace metals, […]
Marine Environmental Monitoring Data: Commodity or Public Good?
How to balance business and research interests in marine environmental monitoring data was a subject of debate at the 5th International Conference on Ocean Energy held at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 4-6 November 2014. Held for the first time in North America, this conference brought together industry, government, […]
New Book About the Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Voyage of Discovery: Fifty Years of Marine Research at Canada’s Bedford Institute of Oceanography is being officially launched this week. This commemorative volume marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO) celebrated in 2012. The BIO-Oceans Association announced the publication as a “major treatise reviewing the history and marine research accomplishments of […]
Coastal Zone Canada 2014 Highlighted the Interdisciplinary Nature of Oceans Management
Coastal Zone Canada is an international conference that attracts a variety of scientists, researchers, stakeholders, and professionals who share a common interest: the health and wellbeing of the world’s coastal zones. The 2014 conference held in Halifax, Nova Scotia included keynote speeches, concurrent sessions, and panel discussions that discussed challenges faced by coastal zones. The […]
Vital Global Ocean Reports Must be Noticed to Have Influence
Reports written and published by major ocean organizations, by definition grey literature, may be very influential if given coverage by the press, are noticed by politicians, policy makers and marine resource managers, and offer proposals for positive action. One such example is the recent report by the Global Ocean Commission (GOC) “From Decline to Recovery: […]
New EIUI Paper on Enablers and Barriers to Use of Marine Environmental Information
A new paper published by members of the Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) research team reports on an investigation of enablers and barriers in the use of marine environmental information. Based on interviews with nineteen members of the primary Working Group of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment (GOMC), an American-Canadian […]
Farley Mowat (1921-2014): A Voice from the North
Last week’s Coastal Zone Canada Conference 2014 drew attention to one of the most pressing issues of our time: the health of the world’s oceans. In May of 2014, the oceans lost a valuable ally with the passing of Farley Mowat, a man who spent much of his prolific writing career raising awareness for environmental […]