by Sarah Carr, Ph.D. | Sep 2, 2026 | Uncategorized, Upcoming Webinars, Webinars
Wednesday, September 30, at 0400 UTC. Presented by: Dr. Rohani Ambo Rappe of Hasanuddin University and Dr. Jennifer Verduin of Murdoch University. Description: Seagrass meadows are vital to food security, livelihoods, and coastal resilience across the Indo-Pacific. They provide gleaning and small-scale fishing opportunities for the region’s most food-insecure households, as well as essential habitat for commercial fisheries. They also protect coastal communities by reducing wave energy and erosion, buffering storm surges, stabilizing sediments, and filtering pollutants, pathogens, and excess nutrients to improve water quality. Greater Southeast Asian has the largest global extent of tropical seagrass, but over half is degraded. Restoration projects are underway across the region, with varying degrees of success. A recent synthesis of this work identified several factors—including species, restoration methods, light levels, wave energy, and water depth—that are associated with greater survival and establishment of restored seagrass. In this webinar seagrass restoration experts Dr. Rohani Ambo-Rappe and Dr. Jennifer Verduin will share lessons from two of the most extensive and well-studied seagrass restoration programs in the region, including: 1) The use of simple, low-cost restoration methods in the Spermonde Archipelago, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, 2) Work to replant foundational seagrass species in partnership with Indigenous traditional owners in Shark Bay, Western Australia. The presenters will discuss why seagrass loss occurred, describe the restoration approaches used and their successes and challenges, and share lessons learned about what works, what doesn’t, and why. The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A, providing attendees an opportunity to ask the presenters questions.
by Sarah Carr, Ph.D. | Sep 4, 2025 | Past Webinars, Uncategorized, Webinars
This webinar originally aired on Thursday, September 4, 2025. Panelists and moderator include: Alex Hearn, Professor and Researcher at the University of San Francisco de Quito and the Galapagos Science Center; Nai’a Lewis, Director of Big Ocean and Founder and CEO of Salted Logic; Kerry Sink, Marine Program Manager and Principal Scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute; Alan White, President of the Board of the Coastal Conservation and Educational Foundation (Philippines); Lauren Wenzel, MPA Advisor for the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (moderator). Description: Opposition from fishing communities and industries, shifts in government support, funding crises, misinformation and counternarrative campaigns, political instability, natural disasters… Challenges like these can emerge at any stage of an MPA’s development – from planning to long-term implementation – and threaten to derail the MPA’s progress towards achieving its goals. This webinar will discuss ways that MPAs can persevere through adversity, and the factors and strategies that enable MPAs to be durable and make headway toward their missions despite headwinds. Our panelists will speak to their experiences working through MPA processes with communities and industries, designing and redesigning MPAs, and generally ensuring MPA effectiveness. We also encourage webinar participants to share relevant experiences, insights, expertise, and resources during the webinar via the webinar chat. Questions for discussion with the panelists and other participants can be sent in advance of the webinar to sarah@octogroup.org.
by Sarah Carr, Ph.D. | Nov 5, 2024 | Uncategorized
Wednesday, November 13, 7 am US EST/Noon UTC/1 pm CET [***Webinar will last 1.5 hours***] Presenters: IUCN plastics experts and guest speakers from islands addressing plastic waste. Description: This webinar will focus on island-specific plastic pollution solutions, including tools for understanding plastic waste solutions, economic angles of plastic pollution, case studies, and solutions platforms to generate knowledge exchange for more effective mitigation and prevention of plastic waste and pollution. Just a few of the tools and resources to be covered include the Blueprint to Zero Plastic Waste – a guide to reducing plastic waste on islands – and findings of studies estimating the impacts of marine plastics on the fisheries and tourism sectors and the costs and benefits of implementing a solution (e.g., a national recycling system, with and without regional cooperation) to reduce mismanaged plastic waste and its leakage into the marine environment. Case studies will provide information on what has worked and not worked on islands, including the sustainability of projects.
