Does Information Matter? EIUI Presents Special Session at Coastal Zone Canada 2014 Conference, 17 June 2014

The Environmental Information: Use and Influence research program will present a Special Session “Does Information Matter? A Critical Question for the Future of Coastal Zone Management,” at the 2014 Coastal Zone Canada Conference to be held in Halifax on 15-19 June 2014.

The Conference theme, Our Coasts: Legacies and Futures, “offers the opportunity to take a critical look at what has been accomplished in coastal zone management and what lies ahead. At a time when coastal zones in Canada and globally are facing unprecedented use as well as impacts from climate change, the collaborations between communities, government agencies and the private sector are becoming ever more important. The complexity of coastal ecosystems necessitates a complex policy and management structure.”

For further details about the conference and to register, check this link

The EIUI Special Session will present interdisciplinary perspectives on the challenges of communicating scientific information to users, e.g., policy makers, decision makers, and resource managers, for integrated coastal and ocean management. The session will feature the following line-up of speakers:

  • “Bridging the Science-Policy Gap in Marine Environmental Management” ~ Bertrum H. MacDonald,1 Peter G. Wells,1 Elizabeth M. De Santo,2 & Suzuette S. Soomai,1 (1Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia; 2Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
  • “Inducing More Effective Stakeholder Searches for Sound Environmental Information” ~ William Ascher (Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California)
  • “In the Eye of the Beholder: Scientific Uncertainty and Information Flow in Fisheries and Land-Use Governance Networks ~ Troy Hartley (College of William and Mary, Gloucester, Virginia)
  • “Designing Outcome-Oriented Research to Improve the Relevance of Environmental Science for Policy” ~ Elizabeth McNie (University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado)
  • “Communicating Complex Environmental Information in Political Contexts: Lessons Learned from the IPCC for IPBES and Marine Biodiversity Conservation” ~ Elizabeth M. De Santo (Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
  • “Measuring Use of Fisheries Information in Policy-Making for Fisheries Management” ~ Suzuette S. Soomai (Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia)
  • “Just Evidence: Governing Knowledge by Opening Data ~ Janice Graham (Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia)
  • “Awareness and Use of State of the Environment Reports: A Case Study of the State of the Scotian Shelf Report~ James Ross1 & Heather Breeze2 (1Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia; 2Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Halifax, Nova Scotia)
  • “Does Information Matter? Identifying Critical Issues Related to Information Use in ICOM (Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management)” Panel Discussion ~ Peter G. Wells,1 Elizabeth M. De Santo,2 & Bertrum H. MacDonald1 (1Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia; 2Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

For more details about the session, see the session Information sheet (PDF).

In addition to the Special Session, the EIUI team will contribute two research posters to the conference:

  • “The Value of Global Overview Reports: A Case Study of the Use of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Published by the Food and Agriculture Organization” ~ Vanja Avdic,1 Bertrum H. MacDonald,1 Tina Farmer,2 Maria Kalentsits,2 & Richard Grainger2 (1Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia; 2Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome)
  • Working Towards Objectivity and Accuracy: The Process of Producing Environmental Impact Statements in the Digby Neck Quarry” ~ Andrew Roy (Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia)