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
Thank You Ocean! Building Common Outreach Messages and Strategies through the California Ocean Communicator
Learn how stronger communications networking can increase your MPA program impact.
How Are We Doing? Taking the Pulse of California’s Oceans
Monitoring California’s statewide network of MPAs will produce an unprecedented body of data that will be useful not only to assess the performance of MPAs…
Can You Hear Me Now?: Research and Tools on Ocean Communication
The Ocean Project conducts cutting-edge market research and analysis to help inform outreach and education on ocean issues. Find out what people really think about ocean issues…
Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Assessments of Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation
Rising sea levels coupled with population growth along coasts make climate adaptation planning an imperative. The framework of ecosystem services can help managers understand…
Evaluating Conservation and Management Efforts through an Eco-Audit
In an era of diverse and potentially conflicting uses of ocean resources, successful implementation of EBM requires a means to assess ecosystem status and evaluate tradeoffs inherent in the management of ecosystems…
Integrated Ecosystem Assessment for the California Current
In an era of diverse and potentially conflicting uses of ocean resources, successful implementation of EBM requires a means to assess ecosystem status and evaluate tradeoffs inherent in the management of ecosystems….
Building the Capacity of MPA Programs Around the Globe
The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ MPA Management Capacity Building Program works with 22 countries around the world..
Demonstration of Madrona
Madrona is an open source software framework for creating web-based tools for place-based decision-making. It is based on the idea that one-size-fits-all software solutions…
Demonstration of OpenChannels
Marine Ecosystems and Management (MEAM) and its sister newsletter MPA News have partnered to build a new website to help coastal and marine management and conservation practitioners..
Plastic Innovations and Marine Debris
This webinar explored how two companies’ innovations in plastic manufacturing could help address the problem of persistent ocean plastics in different ways…