The Skimmer on Marine Ecosystems and Management
Getting business on board: Engaging the business community in ocean planning
According to figures from the World Ocean Council, an ocean industry alliance focused on sustainable development, maritime industry accounts for a remarkable amount of global economic activity. More than 50 thousand merchant vessels deliver 90% of international trade. Offshore energy sources supply 30% of oil and natural gas. More than…
Tundi’s Take: Ocean planners, want to engage business? Start walking the walk and talking the talk
By Tundi Agardy, MEAM Contributing Editor (tundiagardy@earthlink.net) We often say that all three sectors of society – government, civil society, and business – are necessary for effective ecosystem-based management. And while governments and civil societies around the world have been actively engaged in marine management, attempts to get business on…
“If the fishers are having coffee, you drink coffee with them”: MSP in St. Kitts and Nevis — a Discussion
In 2013, MEAM met with marine spatial planners from throughout the Americas to discuss their experiences and lessons learned, and to hear stories. Among these planners were three individuals who were centrally involved in a MSP process in the Eastern Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. At that time,…
The EBM Toolbox: Marxan, Present and Future
Marxan is the most widely used conservation planning tool worldwide. With more than 5600 users in over 180 countries, Marxan helps planners make informed decisions on where to make conservation investments, such as siting marine protected areas. In recent months, the Marxan development team has introduced several updates to the tool. We caught up with Matt Watts and Hugh Possingham of the University of Queensland to learn more. Watts is the lead technical developer for Marxan, while Possingham co-developed Marxan and serves as custodian of Marxan development and research.
Notes & News: Ocean prosperity – Ireland – Pope and marine EBM – Letter to editor
Reports offer roadmap for sustainable ocean prosperity A new coalition has produced a series of reports to inform decision-makers on effective ocean and coastal resource management strategies. The research describes best practices for how reforms in governance and management can reduce poverty while achieving economic gains, increasing food production, replenishing…
Retrospective: Experts see progress on EBM but warn of risk of “all planning but little action”
In the first issue of MEAM in September 2007, we asked several leading practitioners in marine conservation and management for their views on the challenges facing the field of ecosystem-based management (EBM). Eight years later, as the newsletter readies its first significant change in format ("The future of MEAM", above),…
Tundi’s Take | EBM: Time to stop talking and start doing
By Tundi Agardy, MEAM Contributing Editor (tundiagardy@earthlink.net) It has been a decade or more since EBM came into the vernacular. In the interim, paeans to EBM have appeared in project proposals, annual reports, government reviews, student writings, and, with great periodicity and predictability, in MEAM as well. We have become…
Making MSP happen: Practitioners talk realizations and resources
What do you need to make MSP actually happen? MEAM asked seven MSP practitioners from around the world, and from different stages of MSP planning and implementation, what has helped them most to move their MSP processes forward. Responses ranged from realizations and partnerships to analytical tools and guidebooks, highlighting…
Notes & News: Canada – Blue Halo – Seychelles – SIDS – US – Blue economy – Ocean valuation – Ocean Health Index – Climate change – MSP impacts – Asia and Caribbean – Tradeoffs in values – Myths of EBFM – Good Environmental Status – MSP concierge
New marine plans set for much of Canada's Pacific Coast Marine plans for most of the Pacific coast of Canada have been set as part of a collaborative project involving the province of British Columbia and 18 coastal First Nations (aboriginal Canadian peoples). The plans of the Marine Planning Partnership…
Letter to the editor: Turning science into policy
Dear MEAM,
I'm writing with regard to your article "Turning science into policy: What scientists should (and should not) do when talking to policy-makers" (MEAM 8: 3).
Career scientists may have a pretty high comfort level with placing some theoretical constructs between the data and their functional interpretation. It's one of the best ways to make a career, in fact. However, in the policy-making world, the comfort level with such practices is much lower. There are several reasons, although "policy-makers are just not smart enough to understand ecological theory" is not one of them. Part of the reason is just the opposite: policy-makers feel that may be just as good as scientists at filtering data through theoretical constructs.