Webinars
Upcoming Webinars
Designing High Seas MPAs that work: Practical solutions for monitoring, control and surveillance
Thursday, October 8, Noon US EDT/9 am US PDT/4 pm UTC/5 pm BST/6 pm CEST. Presented by: Klaudija Cremers, Julien Rochette, and Alexandra Oliveira Pinto of IDDRI. Description: The credibility of future high seas marine protected areas (HSMPAs) established under the BBNJ Agreement will depend on their effective implementation and enforcement. Experiences from existing MPAs and high seas governance show that monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) is a decisive factor for compliance and enforcement. While the remoteness of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) poses major challenges, recent technological advances offer practical, scalable and cost-effective solutions, provided they are embedded in a broader compliance strategy. States and coalitions championing HSMPAs should therefore integrate a site-specific compliance strategy that includes MCS activities into their proposal from the outset, combining emerging technologies with complementary policy, legal, technical and cooperation measures. Over the past two years, IDDRI has conducted extensive research on MCS tools and services, including through interviews and expert consultations. This work resulted in a Guide that aims to support States and stakeholders in integrating MCS considerations into HSMPA proposals. This webinar will present the key findings of this work.
Assessing MPA Quality at Scale: An Introduction to the MPAtlas Assessment Portal
Tuesday, October 20, Noon US EDT/9 am US PDT/4 pm UTC/5 pm BST/6 pm CEST. Presented by: Beth Pike, Jessica MacCarthy, and Nikki Harasta of the Marine Conservation Institute. Description: The Marine Protection Atlas (MPAtlas) is the leading resource for marine protected area (MPA) effectiveness tracking and reporting. The MPAtlas team is building a comprehensive global database of MPA assessments using The MPA Guide, a science-based framework that evaluates an MPA across two dimensions: Stage of Establishment (its status in the process of becoming an MPA) and Level of Protection (how well it is protected from the impact of human activities). With nearly 17,000 officially reported MPAs, growing the database requires the expertise of scientists and practitioners across the globe. To facilitate data collection, the MPAtlas team recently launched the new MPAtlas Assessment Portal, a data entry portal that allows users to complete MPA Guide assessments and submit additional data to existing assessments to help grow the MPAtlas database. Join the MPAtlas team on this webinar to learn more about the purpose, utility, and functionality of the new data portal, including a brief tour of the portal and tips on how to register and get started.
IMPAC6: Everything you need to know to attend and present
Tuesday, October 27, at 10 am US EST/2 pm UTC. Presented by: Senegal’s Directorate of Community-Based Marine Protected Areas. Description: The International Marine Protected Areas Congress is one of the most important global events for marine conservation. Hosted every four years, this event brings together professionals, practitioners, communities, Indigenous people, and decisionmakers to share experiences and inspire future actions for marine protected areas and ocean conservation. The 6th International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC6) will take place in Dakar, Senegal, from March 22–27, 2027. In this webinar, members of Senegal’s Directorate of Community-Based Marine Protected Areas will announce the registration process, call for proposals, and conference logistics. They will share key details about the Congress format and planning process and answer questions from attendees. Anyone interested in attending or participating in IMPAC6 activities is encouraged to join the webinar. Live interpretation in English, French, and Spanish will be provided.
MasKelp: Protecting kelp ecosystems through science, capacity building, and communication
Wednesday, October 28, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC/6 pm CET. Presented by: Nur Arafeh Dalmau, Carolina Olguin Jacobson, and Fiorenza Micheli with the Stanford University Doerr School of Sustainability Hopkins Marine Station. Description: Kelp forests are among the most productive and valuable ecosystems on the planet, supporting extraordinary biodiversity and coastal communities worldwide. Yet despite their ecological, social, and economic importance and growing threats from climate change and human impacts, less than 2% of kelp forests are currently effectively protected. MasKelp is a non-profit and fiscally sponsored project of The Ocean Foundation dedicated to addressing this conservation gap through science, capacity building, and communication, with a particular focus on Latin America. MasKelp combines long-term ecological monitoring, satellite data, and collaborative research to identify priority areas for kelp conservation and translate this knowledge into practical conservation and management actions. Current projects include mapping climate refugia for kelp forests in Mexico and Argentina, monitoring kelp forest in Latin America, and supporting participatory science with fishing communities and conservation partners. This webinar will showcase how MasKelp connects science with conservation action, from identifying climate refugia and conservation gaps to building long-term ecological monitoring programs and strengthening local capacity. It will also highlight MasKelp’s training programs for scientific divers, kelp mappers, and conservation scientists and its efforts to raise global and local awareness of kelp forests through underwater photography, videography, storytelling, and scientific publications.
The Antarctic Ocean Use Survey: A participatory mapping process to engage the Antarctic research community
Wednesday, November 4, at 10 am US EST/7 am US PST/3 pm UTC/3 pm WET/4 pm CET. Presented by: Catarina Frazão Santos of the University of Lisbon and Peter Menzies of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Description: Taking a holistic approach to the spatial management, protection and governance of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean is fundamental, particularly under increasing human pressure and a rapidly changing climate. Participatory mapping approaches support collaborative, science-driven ocean management and governance by involving key stakeholders in the collective creation of maps and geospatial data to support informed decision-making. They include identifying hotspots of value (ecological, social, economic) and developing intensity maps based on stakeholders’ views. The Antarctic Ocean Use Survey (OUS) is a newly launched participatory mapping initiative developed under project PLAnT in collaboration with SeaSketch. The goal is to engage the Antarctic research community in collectively identifying places of importance and value in the region and mapping marine and coastal areas relevant to scientific research, conservation, tourism, and fisheries. The survey will also explore perceptions of areas undergoing environmental and ecological change in the Antarctic region. Results will be used to produce scientific information that informs Antarctic spatial management, protection, and governance in a rapidly changing world. In this webinar, we will present the Antarctic OUS in detail and contextualize it within the most recent developments of project PLAnT.
Empowering Youth to Conserve their Coastal Wetlands – Education, Communication, and Partnership in the Indo-Pacific
Tuesday, November 17, at 03:00 UTC. Presented by: Mary Mar E. Jaleco of the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University, Matthew Vincent Tabilog of Mangrove Matters Philippines and Youth Engaged in Wetlands (YEW), and Phebe Fidge of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force. Webinar description: Coastal mangrove and seagrass ecosystems are vital for shoreline protection and coastal livelihoods, yet many are degraded or threatened by human impacts. Engaging youth in conservation and restoration is essential, but barriers such as inadequate support, policy gaps, and unclear pathways for participation limit meaningful, sustained engagement. This webinar will explore how youth-led and youth-focused initiatives are advancing coastal wetlands conservation across local, regional, and global scales. Speakers will share experiences from immersive, place-based learning; grassroots youth organizing; and international policy engagement. Mary Mar E. Jaleco, Community Extension Services Coordinator at the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University, will present on the JBLFMU Eco-Adventure Camp, which engages youth ages 16–20 in immersive, hands-on learning in wetlands, and will share outcomes and lessons for engaging youth in coastal wetlands conservation and restoration. Matthew Vincent Tabilog, Founder of Mangrove Matters Philippines and Knowledge and Capacity Building Lead for Youth Engaged in Wetlands (YEW), will present on Mangrove Matters’ youth-led work advancing mangrove conservation through education and community engagement and will share lessons from YEW on mobilizing youth for coastal wetlands conservation. Phebe Fidge, Co-chair of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Youth Task Force, will highlight barriers and enablers for youth engagement, drawing on the Task Force’s recent report on policy coherence gaps for youth-led ecosystem restoration and CYMG’s recent guide to youth engagement for inclusive ocean governance. She will also draw from her experience restoring coastal wetlands in Australia. After the presentations, there will be live Q&A to address questions from webinar participants about how they can empower inclusive and effective youth-centered approaches to coastal wetlands conservation and restoration in their own communities. Captioning will be available in over 30 languages.
Watching the ocean before the heat arrives: Coordinated marine heatwave monitoring for the 2026-27 El Niño
Thursday, December 3, Noon US EST/9 am US PST/5 pm UTC. Presented by: Amanda Bates of the University of Victoria. Description: Marine heatwaves are one of the most direct ways climate change affects ocean biodiversity. Past events have removed kelp forests and seagrass meadows, caused mass coral bleaching, and triggered harmful algal blooms and fisheries closures. Global sea surface temperatures reached a record high in August 2026, and the 2026–27 El Niño is forecast to be very strong, increasing the likelihood of marine heatwaves across multiple ocean basins. Most of what we know about marine heatwave impacts has been assembled after the fact, using monitoring designed for other purposes. Now, forecasts provide weeks to months of advance warning—creating an opportunity to begin monitoring before events occur. This webinar will introduce a global protocol to enable at least one survey before and one after an event, paired with a temperature record, so observations can be compared across locations and methods. Participation will be open to researchers, managers, Indigenous knowledge holders, community scientists, and industry, and contributors will retain control of their data. Join us to learn about ongoing efforts to build an international network ahead of the El Niño, plan an in-person workshop in 2027 in Perth, Australia, and share knowledge through a dedicated special issue of the journal Biological Conservation. Key questions this work aims to answer include: Do impacts scale with heat exposure? Are populations at the warm edge of the heatwave most affected? Where do refuges exist?
Past Webinars
Using Regulatory Data to Inform Marine Spatial Planning Efforts
This webinar originally aired on April 28, 2022. Presented by: Deirdre Brannigan of ProtectedSeas. Being able to access rules and regulations in marine protected areas (MPAs) is critical to understanding which MPAs or OECM (other effective conservation measures) have restrictions in place to meet conservation goals. The ProtectedSeas Navigator mapping project is a one-stop resource for policymakers to find out where MPAs are located as well as discover the existing regulations and evaluate their various levels of protection. This regulations-based tool can be used to inform protection analyses and aid in forecasting other areas that need protection. Currently ProtectedSeas has data for over 15,500 MPAs in more than 106 countries –the only place this comprehensive repository of information and data exists. ProtectedSeas is in a formal public-private partnership with the US NOAA MPA Center. This webinar will be of special interest to MPA managers, resource protection staff, policy makers, scientists, and the conservation community who are interested in assessing ocean conservation regulations and protection metrics.
BlueMooring: A sustainable solution for managing MPA moorings and financing marine conservation activities
This webinar originally aired on April 6, 2022. Presented by: Yousr Ben Fadhel and Louis Vercauteren of BlueSeeds. BlueSeeds is a French company that helps MPAs reach financial sustainability and increase the effectiveness of their conservation activities. BlueSeeds believes that one way of supporting MPA managers is to provide them practical tools that can make their day-to-day management work easier while also financing some of their conservation activities. To this end, BlueSeeds has developed a web app that MPA managers can use to manage the booking of their MPA moorings. With this tool, MPA managers can control and monitor the recreational use of the MPA, communicate more easily with visitors, and generate conservation revenues from the paid booking of moorings managed through the web app.
Verra Standards for Sustainability, Resilience, and Carbon (including Blue carbon, Coastal Resilience, and Plastic Waste Reduction)
This webinar originally aired on March 16, 2022. Presented by: Sinclair Vincent, Anna Mortimer, and Kristen Linscott of Verra. Verra is a nonprofit organization that develops and provides standards that drive investment toward high-impact activities addressing environmental and social challenges across the globe. The rigorous process to meet Verra’s standards include independent verification and issuance of claims and credits. Verra’s standards are employed by a broad variety of governments, corporations and other private actors, and NGOs around the world. This webinar will present Verra’s programs in climate and sustainability focusing on standards in Blue Carbon to sequester carbon dioxide, Coastal Resilience to improve protection of human and environmental assets, and Plastic Waste Reduction to reduce waste ending up in the environment and incentivize recycling.
New tool for assessing the environmental impacts of wave energy projects
This webinar originally aired on March 1, 2022. Presented by: Ibon Galparsoro of AZTI. Marine renewable energies are gaining momentum around the world due to the need to develop safe energy sources that can help the world decarbonize and fight climate change. However, the full potential of energy from waves, currents and wind has yet to be tapped – in part due to uncertainty about how energy conversion devices may impact the marine environment. AZTI has developed a new tool – the WEC-ERA Tool – to assess the ecological risk of wave energy converters. This is an open-access tool for managers, decisionmakers, industry and others to evaluate the environmental risks associated with new wave energy projects. The tool evaluates how three different wave power conversion technologies – oscillating water column, oscillating wave surge converters, and wave turbines – affect the ecosystem. The system addresses all phases of the lifecycle of those power conversion technologies, from installation to operation to dismantling. This tool is intuitive and easy to use. The characteristics of the proposed installation are entered (i.e., number of units, total authorized surface, installed production capacity in megawatts, project lifespan in years, and area reserved for the equipment). Results consider possible impacts on the seabed and native bird, mammal, fish, reptile, and cephalopod species.
Urban Ocean: Partnering to advance clean, healthy cities for clean, healthy seas
This webinar originally aired on February 24, 2022. Presented by: Steve Morrison of NOAA, Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia, and Keri Browder of the Ocean Conservancy. This webinar will present the NOAA Marine Debris Program and its partnerships to curb plastic waste. It will cover the program’s overarching portfolio and goals as well as one of its programs – Urban Ocean. Led by Ocean Conservancy and in close collaboration with University of Georgia’s New Materials Institute and Circularity Informatics Lab, Urban Ocean provides a platform for city governments to connect with one another as well as with community leaders, academia, and the private sector to develop, share, and scale solutions to the ocean plastics crisis while progressing their broader urban development priorities. The webinar will showcase Urban Ocean’s recent findings and outputs, including the results of the Circularity Assessment Protocol in each of the learning cities and the recently released Urban Ocean Toolkit.
Marine Connectivity Conservation “Rules of Thumb” for MPA and MPA Network Design
This webinar originally aired on February 8, 2022. Presented by: Barbara Lausche of Mote Marine Laboratory and the IUCN-WCPA Marine Connectivity Working Group and Mary Collins of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. To help guide, enhance, and restore ecological connectivity of the ocean, the IUCN WCPA has released a new publication entitled “Marine Connectivity Conservation ‘Rules of Thumb’ for MPA and MPA Network Design.” This publication provides broadly applicable guidance on connectivity for MPA managers. This webinar will highlight several of the 13 ‘Rules of Thumb’ and how they can help guide integration of connectivity into conservation activities – ranging from interactions across the land-sea interface to the movement of currents and migratory species around the world and across political boundaries.
Never let a good failure go to waste: Learning from conservation failure
This webinar originally aired on 25 January 2022. Presented by: Allison Catalano from work conducted at Imperial College London. How does your organization handle failure? Failure or outcomes that are less than successful are not uncommon in conservation initiatives, yet we rarely discuss failure in systematic ways that make use of the learning opportunities failure presents. Here we will discuss alternate ways to think about failure and the individual and interpersonal dynamics that make it challenging.
Planning for Coastal and Marine Heritage in a Changing Climate
This webinar originally aired on 16 December 2021. Presented by: Erin Seekamp of North Carolina State University. Heritage sites represent our inherited traditions, objects, monuments, and land and seascapes that provide cultural connections and identities as well as societal benefits.
Supporting self-financing mechanisms in MPAs
This webinar originally aired on 17 November 2021. Presented by: Guillaume Le Port and Nastazia Femmami of BlueSeeds. The webinar described two support programs: visitor fees and concession agreements. These programs empower and build MPA staff’s capacity to manage their site or network’s local financing mechanisms over the long term.
MPAs as Part of the Climate Solution: The Role of Blue Carbon
This webinar originally aired on 26 October 2021. Presented by: Sara Hutto of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Well-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) protect valuable blue carbon habitats and processes, and they must be included in global and national mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change.