Ocean assets are estimated to provide up to US$24 trillion globally and ocean services are valued between US$1.5 trillion and US$6 trillion a year. However, the current rate of ocean resource exploitation risks a potential impact of US$8.4 trillion across ocean sectors over a 15-year period (Haugan et al., 2024). Excessive economic activity and systemic […]
Public Policy & Decision-Making
Dam! I Feel Like a River: A Comparative Study of Social License for Dam Removal and River Restoration in Atlantic Canada
Many of Canada’s dams and other river barriers were constructed during the high-modernist period (mid-20th century) when controlling nature was a priority and symbol of progress. Today, these barriers are reaching the end of their functional lifespans, providing opportunities to rethink our relationships with obstructed river systems. When considering how best to modify existing dam […]
Beyond Tokenistic Engagement: Reimagining Coastal Community Participation in Marine Spatial Planning
At a time of growing human demand for the use of marine space and its resources (Ehler, 2021; Koehler et al., 2017), Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has been proposed as a novel process that could foster sustainable marine governance (Pyć, 2019). By 2023, around 126 countries had adopted MSP in some form (IOC-UNESCO, 2024), including […]
Co-Producing Studies on Evidence Use to Achieve SDG 11
In 2015, the member countries of the United Nations adopted Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since then, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have served as an “urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership” (The 17 Goals). These goals “recognize that ending […]
Indigenous Data Sovereignty and the Importance of Accurate Data
When making decisions on behalf of communities, governments should rely on accurate data (Walter et al., 2021). However, that data may not reflect the realities of communities when they have little say in how the data are collected or used. The importance of this issue arises in discussion of Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS). IDS refers […]
The Transparency and Trust Paradox: More Accessible Knowledge and Weaker Accountability
As scientific evidence has become increasingly more accessible and automated than ever previously, why is it harder to trust the authenticity of research work? Emerging tools in artificial intelligence (AI), open data portals, open science, and preprints have enabled faster, more efficient knowledge access and sharing. At the same time, these advances have created new […]
Building Capacity for Decision Making Where Information Matters
How can critically important issues be addressed if evidence to inform decisions fails to reach decision-makers in time or not at all? With overwhelming quantities of information today, coupled with the growing scourge of misinformation and questions about trust in evidence and its sources, many may easily understand that information pathways in decision processes are […]
Strengthening Coastal Resilience and Relationships: Reflections on the 2025 Coastal Zone Canada Conference
Canada is a country defined by its coasts. Spanning over 243,000 kilometers along the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific oceans, the country’s coastline is the longest in the world. Coastal areas have been crucial to marine and human life for millennia. However, in recent decades, these areas have experienced extensive environmental and human pressures that place […]
Reflections from the One Ocean Science Congress, Nice, France, 3-6 June 2025
My first glimpse of the Mediterranean was caught from the tram window as I arrived in the Old Port of Nice. A graduate of Dalhousie University’s Master of Marine Management program, I was on my way to present my master’s research at the One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC)—an event that felt dynamic and expansive like […]
Managing Coastal Development in Nova Scotia in the Absence of the Coastal Protection Act
Nova Scotia is defined by extensive, beautiful coastlines, where approximately 70% of the population lives within 20 kilometres of the shore (Government of Nova Scotia, n.d.a; NSECC, 2018). These coasts are vital to the province’s economy, providing essential ecosystem services, and contributing profoundly to the identity, pride, and way of life of Nova Scotians. […]