How can local communities benefit from and be involved in marine spatial planning (MSP) was the top-of-mind question at a one-day workshop at Dalhousie University in Halifax on Thursday, 22 February 2024. Over 70 participants including representatives of non-governmental organizations, Mi’kmaw organizations, industry, academia, and government, and interested members of the public spent the day […]
Marine & Ocean Issues
New Paper: An Ocean Science-Policy Interface Standing the Test of Time
Since its establishment in 1969 by the United Nations, the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) has been “providing authoritative, independent, interdisciplinary scientific advice to organisations and governments to support the protection and sustainable use of the marine environment.” GESAMP’s “first major task was to provide the main […]
New Paper: Measuring Engagement with Shark Research in Science, News and Social Media, and Policy: A Bibliometric Analysis
What does research say about the shark species that navigate oceans all over the world? Is it critical to protect them? Does relevant scientific knowledge make its way to policymakers and journalists alike? In a study published on 13 September 2023 in Marine Policy, an internationally renowned journal dealing with marine affairs, we analyzed the […]
Making Connections: The 2023 Coastal Zone Canada Conference
“Connecting with the coast” was an apt theme for the biennial Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) conference held in Victoria, British Columbia on 11-15 June 2023. Officially endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade and attended by about 500 registrants, the conference offered many opportunities for coastal, professional, and personal connections. Over four days of concurrent sessions […]
A Place for Communities in Marine Spatial Planning
Marine spatial planning (MSP) is being implemented in a growing number of countries globally. The Canadian federal government, through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), is in the midst of marine spatial planning for five marine planning areas in Canadian waters, including three in Atlantic Canada. The first product in this planning initiative is […]
Inspirational Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), Vancouver, 3-9 February 2023
Since the declaration of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), an incredible push to address biodiversity loss and climate change has become widespread. As part of efforts to ensure ocean protection, the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) was held in Vancouver, Canada from 3-9 February 2023. Attendees represented […]
New Paper: The Global Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts: A Database Relevant to the Times
Biodiversity loss, unrestrained climate change, deteriorating ocean conditions, growing food insecurity, and human population explosion are all headline topics today. The recently concluded COP 27 meeting on climate change in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt and the COP 15 Montreal Summit on biodiversity, currently in progress, have focused global attention on serious environmental, social, and political issues […]
From Species at Risk to the Science-Policy Interface: EIUI at Conferences
After two years of cancelled or online-only conferences, members of the EIUI research team welcomed the opportunity to attend and participate in in-person conferences again where discussion and many conversations flowed around research work and resource management subjects. Two recent nearby conferences allowed several team members to present the results of current research projects and […]
Advancing Estuarine and Coastal Science and Ocean and Climate Literacy – Recent Conference
After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, the Atlantic Canada Coastal and Estuarine Science Society (ACCESS) and the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) jointly hosted a conference on “Advancing Estuarine and Coastal Science and Ocean and Climate Literacy,” 17-21 May 2022, at the Dalhousie University Agriculture Campus, Truro, Nova Scotia. Co-chaired by […]
Can Marine Spatial Planning Learn from Community-Based Engagement Practices?
Image Credit: Devon Beach, UK. (P. G. Wells) Did you know that in the moments it takes you to walk from your beach towel, out to where you start feeling cold and second-guessing your decision to go swimming, you are crossing three different governance jurisdictions? Governance in coastal and marine areas is complex and […]