Webinars
Upcoming Webinars
Global tracking of marine megafauna space use reveals how to achieve conservation targets
Thursday, February 26, 4-5:30 pm US EST/1-2:30 pm US PST/9-10:30 pm UTC and Friday, February 27, 8-9:30 am AEDT (Canberra, Australia)/10-11:30 am NZDT (Auckland, New Zealand). Presented by: Moderators Kayla Ripple and Nate Fedrizzi of Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation and panelists Ana Sequeira of Australian National University and MegaMove, Mark Erdmann of ReShark and Re:Wild, and Elizabeth Karan of Pew Charitable Trusts. Description: Selecting the right locations for high seas marine protected areas (MPAs) requires understanding where animals live and how they travel through the global ocean. A 2025 study provides timely insights into how many of the world’s most iconic marine species use international waters, and where protections could help them recover and thrive. The findings stem from a research project led by 2020 Pew Marine Fellow, Ana M.M. Sequeira, Associate Professor at the Australia National University and Research Director and Founder of MegaMove. This webinar will start with a short presentation highlighting key results from the study followed by an expert panel that will discuss how this information can help inform decision-making around the achievement of global conservation targets and the design of a future high seas MPA network.
Advancing Ecosystem-Based Marine Spatial Planning Through the MarinePlan Decision Support System
Wednesday, March 18, 10 am US EDT/7 am US PDT/2 pm UTC/3 pm CET. Presented by:Vanessa Stelzenmüller of Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries. Description: Achieving both conservation and green energy goals demands new approaches that more effectively align marine spatial planning (MSP) with systematic conservation planning. As a forward-looking, integrative process, MSP is uniquely positioned to help deliver sustainable marine futures, especially when grounded in strong ecosystem considerations. Implementing an ecosystem-based approach to MSP (EB-MSP) is therefore essential. This webinar will present a stakeholder-informed Decision Support System (DSS) for EB-MSP developed through the Horizon Europe project MarinePlan (www.marineplan.eu). The DSS offers practical guidance for aligning MSP processes with spatial conservation and restoration priorities. This webinar will introduce core components, including the use of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) as a central driver of conservation planning, as well as standardized guidance for defining planning scenarios aimed at meeting global conservation targets protecting 30% of marine areas, with 10% under strict protection by 2030. Finally, the webinar will compare developed planning scenarios with current MSP practices and discuss key insights. Challenges, opportunities, and areas for improvement within existing governance processes to support more effective implementation of EB-MSP will all be highlighted.
Valuing Marine Ecosystem Services for Better Decisions
Wednesday, April 8, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC/6 pm BST. Presented by: Angela Fletcher and Glen Delaney of Earth Economics. Description: Marine and coastal ecosystems provide many ecosystem services that are essential to human communities, including food, recreational opportunities, and protection of infrastructure from natural disasters. These benefits are not often framed in economic terms, which can lead to them being overlooked in decision-making. Communicating ecosystem services in economic terms can support more holistic decision-making that accounts for the full range of benefits these systems provide. In this webinar, Angela Fletcher and Glen Delaney of Earth Economics will introduce the fundamentals of ecosystem service valuation and demonstrate how they have applied these methods in marine and coastal contexts. Earth Economics is a nonprofit economic consultancy with 26 years of experience applying valuation techniques in decision-making, policy, and project implementation. They will begin with a brief overview of ecosystem services and valuation basics, then walk through three real-world case studies that illustrate how valuation can inform conservation, restoration, and policy decisions: a valuation study of kelp forests along the California coast; the use of valuation to inform a National Marine Sanctuary application for the St. George Unangan Heritage site; and how valuation can support funding for salmon habitat restoration in the Duckabush Estuary in Washington State.
Past Webinars
Lessons Learned: Impacts of Coastal and Ocean Tourism
Coastal resort and cruise tourism are the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry, and uncontrolled, large scale tourism development is causing…
IMBER-ADApT: A Decision Support Tool for Responding to Global Change
Global change is occurring now, often with consequences far beyond those anticipated. Although there is a wide range of assessment approaches available..
The IUCN Green List and Marine Protected Areas
The IUCN Green List is a new and progressive initiative that encourages and celebrates the success of protected areas, both terrestrial and marine..
Community-Based Sea Level Rise Projections
Washington Sea Grant has partnered with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Adaptation International to develop local sea level rise projections and sea level scenario maps…
Discovering Data and Informing Regional Ocean Health Priorities with the West Coast Ocean Data Portal
The West Coast Ocean Data Portal, launched in January 2014, connects people to ocean and coastal data to better inform regional ocean management, planning, and policy development along the US West Coast. ..
Where’s My Fish? New Tools to Visualize Climate and Other Impacts on Marine Animals
By 2100, ocean waters are expected to be substantially warmer than they are today, with profound effects on fisheries. One of the most commonly observed impacts of climate change…
Indigenous Knowledge and Use of Ocean Currents in the Bering Strait Region
In this webinar, Julie Raymond-Yakoubian of Kawerak, Inc. will presented a recently completed project on indigenous knowledge and use of ocean currents…
Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into the Ocean
Considerable progress has been made in determining the amount and location of plastic debris in our seas, but how much plastic actually enters them in the first place is more uncertain.
Lessons in Managing Public Space: From Public Lands to the EEZ
One of the most recent trends in ocean management has been the introduction of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) to reconcile multiple human objectives, including economic growth and ecosystem protection,
Climate-Smart Adaptation: Vulnerability Assessment Results and Next Steps for the North-central California Coast and Ocean
Learn how the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary MPA is planning for climate-smart adaptation and how you might be able to use the same approach..