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
Fish Carbon: Meeting the Climate Change Challenge
This webinar originally aired on Nov 24, 2018. Presenter(s): Steven Lutz of GRID-Arendal, and Angela Martin of Blue Climate Solutions Click here to view on…
Working Across Agency Lines to Improve Visitor Use Management on United States Public Lands and Waters
The United States has a diverse system of national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, marine protected areas, estuarine research reserves…
Educating the Public about Climate Change Threats Using Role-Play Simulations: The New England Climate Adaptation Project
Role-play simulations are experiential exercises that help community residents and decision-makers learn more about the scientific..
A Guide to Tools for Landscape Conservation Planning
Tribal, agency, conservation organization, and private sector managers are engaged in landscape-scale planning to conserve and sustainably manage natural…
The Baltimore Water Wheel as a solution to ocean plastics
This one-hour webinar answered your questions about how Baltimore’s Inner Harbor Water Wheel works as a debris collection mechanism and whether a similar system might be applicable to watershed cleanup programs elsewhere…
A Cultural Resources Toolkit for MPA Managers
The Cultural Heritage Resources Working Group of the MPA Federal Advisory Committee is creating a virtual toolkit for coastal and MPA managers on cultural resource management
Using Sea Sketch for Collaborative Design of Ocean Management Plans
This webinar originally aired on 25 September 2014. SeaSketch is a platform for collaborative design of science-based ocean management plans, including marine protected areas, transportation…
Marine Wilderness 10+10 Project: Bringing Back the Wild
Marine Wilderness is a powerful vision of functional, healthy and resilient marine life that regenerates populations of wild species interconnected to form productive food webs…
A Climate-Smart Approach to Adaptive Management of North-central California Coast and Ocean Habitats, Species, and Ecosystem Services
The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Climate-Smart Adaptation Project for the North-central California Coast and Ocean is an effort to integrate adaptive management..
Principles for Effective Stakeholder Engagement in Marine Planning: Training #2
Marine planning is a comprehensive, integrated, and complex process that often seeks to coordinate decisions and activities across numerous ocean stakeholders…