OpenChannels Weekly Update Archives

For the week of 11 June 2018

Join us Thursday, July 12, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC for a webinar on Unmanned Systems (UxS): Transforming How We Study and Manage the Marine Environment presented by John McDonough of NOAA. 

Unmanned Systems (UxS) are transforming how we study and manage the marine environment. This presentation will provide an overview of unmanned aerial systems, unmanned surface vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles, buoyancy gliders, and remotely operated vehicles. Emphasis will be placed on their contributions to establishing and managing marine protected areas. 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar183

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 04 June 2018

Join us Tuesday September 18th, 1pm PST, 4pm EST / Wednesday September 19th, 6am AEST for a webinar on Tackling ghost gear in hot spot areas: How innovative partnerships are helping developing countries address lost and abandoned fishing gear by Ingrid Giskes and Joel Baziuk of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and Nick Mallos from Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® Program. 

The Global Ghost Gear Initiative is a cross-sectoral alliance working to tackle the problem of ghost fishing gear worldwide by building evidence, catalyzing sustainable solutions, and promoting best practice. In this webinar, we will discuss new ground-breaking partnerships that we are fostering to scale-up efforts. We will also highlight some new innovative solution projects that we have rolled out in developing countries, including in Indonesia, Myanmar, and the wider South Pacific region. Finally, we will touch on the external opportunities that we see to further leverage the issue of ghost gear. This webinar complements our previous webinar Ghost Fishing Gear: The Global Problem and the Global Solution held on April 10, 2018. That webinar can be viewed at https://www.openchannels.org/webinars/2018/ghost-fishing-gear-global-problem-and-global-solution.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar182

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 28 May 2018

Join us Tuesday, July 31, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC for a webinar on The NOAA Digital Coast: Turning Coastal Data and Tools into Actionable Information presented by Josh Murphy, Doug Marcy, and Nate Herold of NOAA. 

NOAA’s Digital Coast is a website and partnership that provides public access to coastal data, tools, training, and resources in order to meet the unique needs of coastal communities. Coastal resource managers can access collections of high quality, authoritative geospatial data (e.g., topography, coastal land cover change, socioeconomic information), tools, and trainings to address coastal and ocean management challenges. More than just a website, the Digital Coast provides the framework and information needed to save organizations time and money and allows groups that might not otherwise work together to join forces. Content on the Digital Coast comes from many sources, all of which are vetted by NOAA. This webinar will provide an overview of the Digital Coast and demonstrate two geospatial tools that turn data into actionable information: 1) Sea Level Rise Viewer (https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/slr), which visualizes coastal flooding scenarios and social vulnerability due to sea level rise; and 2) Land Cover Atlas (https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/lca), an online data viewer that provides user-friendly access to coastal land cover and land cover change information developed through NOAA’s Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP). Visit NOAA’s Digital Coast at https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar181

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 21 May 2018

Join us Thursday, June 14, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC for a webinar on Finding the right 10%: Assessing MPA progress and the BlueBRIDGE platform presented by Miles Macmillan-Lawler of GRID-Arenda. 

As we move towards the 2020 deadline for countries to fulfil their commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi Target 11, now is a good time to take stock and ask the question – are we protecting the right 10% of marine area in our MPAs? Not only does Aichi Target 11 talk about conserving 10% of coastal and marine areas, it specifies the effective conservation of areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services and ecologically representativeness as key goals. So how do we know if we are achieving this? This webinar will outline a framework for assessing the progress of MPAs in achieving these goals and present the Protected Areas Impact Maps Virtual Research Environment on the BlueBRIDGE platform (https://bluebridge.d4science.org/web/protectedareaimpactmaps), an open access application which uses this framework to assist countries in assessing their progress against Aichi Target 11 and ensuring that they get the right 10%. Webinar co-sponsored by the NOAA National MPA Center, MPA News, and the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe).

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar180

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 14 May 2018

Join us Thursday, June 28, 11 am US EDT/ 8 am US PDT/ 3 pm UTC for a Spanish language webinar on Introducción a la Academia Virtual de Pesquerías de EDF: empoderando una red global de héroes en gestión de pesquerías por Pam Ruiter y Miguel Gómez de EDF. 

La sobrepesca es un problema global que sólo puede ser superado si se aborda de manera global. Si queremos ver una mejora de nuestros océanos, todas las personas del mundo necesitan del conocimiento, las habilidades y la motivación para diagnosticar los retos y así poder diseñar soluciones eficaces. La Academia Virtual de Pesquerías (https://www.edf.org/Lds) es un recurso abierto y gratis para todos los actores interesados en la gestión de la pesca en todo el mundo, que proporciona cursos interactivos guiados por el propio usuario sobre asuntos relevantes de gestión pesquera. Con éstas herramientas; gestores pesqueros, pescadores, investigadores y otros actores pueden adquirir las habilidades que necesitan para diseñar las mejores soluciones para sus pesquerías. Esta presentación cubrirá explicaciones sobre los recursos que se ofrecen y dará detalles de cómo estas nuevas herramientas están siendo utilizadas para procurar que haya más peces en el agua, una mayor disponibilidad de alimento para las personas y que las comunidades costeras sean más prósperas en todo el mundo. Seminario web organizado por la EBM Tools Network (coordinado conjuntamente por OCTO y NatureServe). 

Overfishing is a global problem that can only be overcome by a global effort to address it. To see a better future for our oceans, people around the world need the knowledge, skills and motivation to diagnose challenges and design effective solutions. EDF’s new Virtual Fisheries Academy (https://www.edf.org/Lde) is a free and open resource for fisheries practitioners all over the world that provides user-driven, interactive courses on key fisheries topics and is available in English and Spanish. With these tools, fishery managers, fishermen, scientists and other practitioners can gain the skills they need to design solutions that work best for their fisheries. This presentation will cover current offerings and discuss how this new tool is already being used to support more fish in the water, more food on people’s plates’ and more prosperous communities around the world. To see a recording of our previous English-language webinar on the Virtual fisheries Academy, please clickhttps://www.openchannels.org/webinars/2018/introduction-edfs-virtual-fisheries-academy-empowering-global-network-fishery-heroes. Webinar hosted by the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe).

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar179

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 07 May 2018

Join us Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC for a webinar on Reducing Coastal Risk with Natural Defenses: The Latest Ecology, Engineering, and Economics of Natural Infrastructure. Presented by Mike Beck of The Nature Conservancy and the University of California Santa Cruz. 

Wetlands and reefs serve as barriers, buffers, and breakwaters from rising seas, swell, and storm surge. Until recently, it was not possible to put a value on the flood damages –  to people and property –  that these coastal habitats avert. This is changing rapidly, however, and recent studies are showing surprising results. Salt marshes can reduce annual flood damages by at least 15 percent. Mangroves can reduce annual flood damages to people and property by 25 percent across the entire nation of the Philippines –  a nation that sees more super storms and typhoons than almost anywhere else. And coral reefs reduce up to 97 percent of wave energy that would otherwise hit coastlines, averting hundreds of millions of dollars in flood in flood damages every year. The protection from coastal habitats is cost-effective as well, particularly when compared to built or gray infrastructure such as seawalls or dikes. A new study uses insurance industry-based models to show that every $1 spent on restoring marshes and oyster reefs on the American Gulf Coast reduces storm damages by $7. This talk will summarize high-level findings from the latest research on the ecology, engineering, and economics of natural infrastructure.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar178

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 30 April 2018

Join us Tuesday, May 8, 2018 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC for a webinar on Rapid Vulnerability Assessment Tool for MPA Managers. Presented by Sara Hutto of Greater Farallones Association and Lara Hansen of EcoAdapt.

This North American Rapid Vulnerability Assessment Tool helps marine protected area managers evaluate the implications of climate change for the habitats of their sites. The tool was created as part of a project on climate assessment and adaptation by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.  It is available in English and Spanish and has three parts (a user guide, a set of blank worksheets, and a booklet containing sample completed worksheets), which used together allow marine protected area managers to conduct a rapid vulnerability assessment and adaptation strategy development process. This webinar will cover: 1) why the tool was created, 2) an overview of the tool (how it works, what it looks like, where to find it), 3) the experience of using the tool, and 4) additional application of the tool. Learn more about the tool here.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar177.

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,
– Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 23 April 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Tuesday, May 22, 2018 1 pm US EDT/10 am US PDT/5 pm UTC for a webinar on Reducing Coastal Risk with Natural Defenses: The Latest Ecology, Engineering, and Economics of Natural Infrastructure. Presented by Mike Beck of The Nature Conservancy and the University of California Santa Cruz. 

Wetlands and reefs serve as barriers, buffers, and breakwaters from rising seas, swell, and storm surge. Until recently, it was not possible to put a value on the flood damages –  to people and property –  that these coastal habitats avert. This is changing rapidly, however, and recent studies are showing surprising results. Salt marshes can reduce annual flood damages by at least 15 percent. Mangroves can reduce annual flood damages to people and property by 25 percent across the entire nation of the Philippines –  a nation that sees more super storms and typhoons than almost anywhere else. And coral reefs reduce up to 97 percent of wave energy that would otherwise hit coastlines, averting hundreds of millions of dollars in flood in flood damages every year. The protection from coastal habitats is cost-effective as well, particularly when compared to built or gray infrastructure such as seawalls or dikes. A new study uses insurance industry-based models to show that every $1 spent on restoring marshes and oyster reefs on the American Gulf Coast reduces storm damages by $7. This talk will summarize high-level findings from the latest research on the ecology, engineering, and economics of natural infrastructure. 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar176

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,

- Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of  16 April 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Tuesday May 8, 2018, 1pm US EDT / 10am US PDT / 5pm UTC for a webinar on Rapid Vulnerability Assessment Tool for MPA Managers. Presented by Sara Hutto of Greater Farallones Association and Lara Hansen of EcoAdapt.

This North American Rapid Vulnerability Assessment Tool helps marine protected area managers evaluate the implications of climate change for the habitats of their sites. The tool was created as part of a project on climate assessment and adaptation by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.  It is available in English and Spanish and has three parts (a user guide, a set of blank worksheets, and a booklet containing sample completed worksheets), which used together allow marine protected area managers to conduct a rapid vulnerability assessment and adaptation strategy development process. This webinar will cover: 1) why the tool was created, 2) an overview of the tool (how it works, what it looks like, where to find it), 3) the experience of using the tool, and 4) additional application of the tool. Learn more about the tool here.

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar174

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,

- Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team

For the week of 09 April 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Thursday, April 19, 2018 for a webinar on What do you need your conservation planning software to do? Listening session for the modernization of NatureServe Vista. Presented by Patrick Crist of NatureServe. 

NatureServe Vista is currently an ArcGIS extension that supports general scenario-based assessment at multiple scales, ecological assessments, mitigation planning, and area planning (for multiple objectives) and ongoing adaptive management in any environment (marine, terrestrial, freshwater). NatureServe, founder and co-coordinator of the EBM Tools Network, is embarking on a $500K full modernization of this tool over the next 15 months. The goal of this 90-minute listening session is to get input from the coastal-marine practitioner community to make sure coastal-marine use interests are represented in tool assessment, planning, and mitigation functionality. This session will present plans for the new version of the tool and get participant feedback. To learn more about NatureServe Vista generally, visit www.natureserve.org/vista. (The 8-min video may be particularly useful.)

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar173

Thank you for being part of the OpenChannels Community,

- Allie Brown, Raye Evrard, and the rest of the OpenChannels Team