OpenChannels Weekly Update Archives

For the week of 05 February 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Thursday, March 29, Noon EDT / 9 am PDT / 4 pm UTC for a webinar on The MPA reality check: A chance to see fisheries management in English MPAs. Presented by Jean-Luc Solandt of the Marine Conservation Society and Tom Mullier of Marine Mapping Ltd.

Political parties in England and Scotland are working together to develop a network of new MPAs (known as marine conservation zones or MCZs in England). The UK government is designating a final tranche of MCZs by the end of 2018. UK MCZs are different from other MPAs worldwide, however, because management measures for MCZs aren’t explicit for entire sites (or zones) but are instead eventually implemented for individual species and habitat features within sites. This leads to a complex system where regulators assemble evidence of cause and damage (or the potential for damage) to features in sites and manage accordingly. With this system, elements such as connectivity, representation, and replication can be assessed relatively easily, but it is difficult to assess level of protection. In addition to working on Brexit, the UK government – and local regulators (Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities) – have been working to implement fisheries management measures in English sites in recent years. The NGO Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is keen for the public, sea users, and journalists to become aware of where proactive regulation is happening, and for which habitats. To this end, MCS has worked with Marine Mapping Ltd to develop a tool MPA Reality Check (https://map.mpa-reality-check.org) to show were active fisheries management is taking place in these English MPAs. This webinar will describe the tool, political reasons for implementation of controls, and where (e.g., offshore sites) there has been limited progress due to EU processes.

Webinar hosted by the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe)

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar164

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

P.S. OCTO will be at AGU's Ocean Sciences Meeting next week in Portland, Oregon. If you're around, come visit our booth in the exhibition center – we'll have OpenChannels and MarXiv swag on-hand!

P.P.S. If you're the author of a paper published by SpringerNature, you might want to read this. Turns out SpringerNature isn't allowing anyone to simply email the corresponding author, making it near impossible to request a copy of your paper for non-subscribers.

For the week of 29 January 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Thursday, March 8, 2018 1pm EDT / 10am PDT / 5pm UTC for a webinar on Conservation Connections: Species and Places, NOAA's Partnerships for Transboundary Protection Program. Presented by Lisamarie Carrubba and TBD of NOAA.

The Partnerships for Transboundary Protection (PTP) Program was established by NOAA's Office of Protected Resources and Office of National Marine Sanctuaries to better connect conservation efforts directed toward marine species and their habitats. Through collaborative conservation that aligns sanctuary management plans, species' recovery plans, and habitat protection, the PTP Program is working to improve internal coordination and management of threatened and endangered species and their habitats, as well as other NOAA resources such as key fishery species in sanctuaries. The PTP Program is also working on expanding collaboration with other marine protected areas and external partners in order to further support conservation and recovery of species such as whales, corals, and Nassau grouper.

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/Webinar163

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

For the week of 22 January 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 1pm EST/ 10am PST / 5pm UTC for a webinar on Insuring nature: An insurance policy for the Mesoamerican Reef. Presented by Fernando Secaira of The Nature Conservancy.

Nature, including coral reefs, mangroves, wetlands, sand dunes, and healthy beaches, provides the first lines of defense to slow waves, reduce flooding, and protect coastal people and property. Insuring habitats like reefs and beaches can help protect the health and protective services of these ecosystems and ensure they are restored after extreme storms hit. Fernando Secaira of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will discuss a pilot project underway in Mexico in partnership with Swiss Re and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo governments to insure coastal natural ecosystems that support tourism and offer an associated source of funding for ongoing reef protection and repair. 

Webinar co-sponsored by the Reef Resilience Network and the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe).

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar162

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

For the week of 15 January 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 6pm EDT / 3pm PDT / 10pm UTC / Wednesday, April 11 at 8am AEST / 10am NZST for a webinar on Ghost Fishing Gear: The Global Problem and the Global Solution. Presented by Ingrid Giskes (Chair of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative Steering Group, and Head of Campaign for Sea Change, World Animal Protection), David Parker (Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Young’s Seafood, and Vice-Chair of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative), and Joan Drinkwin (Associate Partner, Natural Resource Consultants).

Each year, worldwide, millions of animals living in our oceans are mutilated and killed by abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear – ‘ghost gear’. These animals suffer severe acute or chronic welfare impacts; ranging from drowning in minutes to suffering from debilitating wounds for months or years before finally dying.

In 2014, World Animal Protection launched its Sea Change campaign with the Fishing’s Phantom Menace report, highlighting that cross-sectoral global collaboration was the only way to combat ghost gear. In 2015, World Animal Protection launched the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), bringing together a critical group of stakeholders and experts on this topic. The GGGI addresses sea-based sources of marine debris, specifically abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear, and contributes to the delivery of the first target (14.1) under United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, calling for a significant reduction in marine debris of all kinds by 2025.

Now, as we head into 2018, join us to hear about how the GGGI’s three working groups – Building Evidence, Best Practice, and Solutions – have played a key role in formulating a global approach and strategy to tackling this deadly issue, and working towards ghost gear-free seas.

Webinar cosponsored by MarineDebris.Info and the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by NatureServe and OCTO).

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar161

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

For the week of 08 January 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Thursday, March 22, 2018 at 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 6pm UTC for a webinar on Optimizing Restoration Activities for Ecosystem Services: The Restoration Opportunities Optimization Tool (ROOT). Presented by Peter Hawthorne of the University of Minnesota and the Natural Capital Project.

Restoration Opportunities Optimization Tool (ROOT) is a software tool that helps decision makers evaluate trade-offs among different ecosystem services and visualize where investments in restoration could be made to optimize benefits for multiple landscape goals. It uses information about the potential impacts of restoration or management activities together with spatial prioritization or serviceshed maps to identify key areas for ecosystem service provision. It then uses multi-objective analysis to allow users to consider how to best manage tradeoffs between different project goals. ROOT has been applied in Costa Rica, Myanmar, Malawi, Colombia, and Brazil’s Espirito Santo State to help these countries optimize the placement of restoration activities for ecosystem services in national and subnational conservation, development, and agricultural objectives in support of increased ecological function to benefit people and livelihoods. It has not yet been applied in a coastal context but is applicable to coastal areas as well. The tool is free for download and use at https://www.naturalcapitalproject.org/root.

Webinar co-sponsored by EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by NatureServe and OCTO) 

To register, visit: https://oct.to/Webinar160

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

For the weeks of 18 December - 01 January 2018

Letter from the Editor

Join us Thursday, February 08, 2018 at 1pm EST (New York) / 10am PST (Los Angeles) / 6pm UTC (London) for a webinar on Engaging governments, businesses, and the public in the fight against marine plastic litter: the #CleanSeas campaign. This webinar brought to you by: Carla Friedrich of UN Environment.

UN Environment launched #CleanSeas in February 2017 to engage governments, the general public, civil society and the private sector in the fight against marine plastic litter. This campaign is addressing the root cause of marine litter by targeting the production and consumption of non-recoverable and single-use plastic. It is also giving a platform to hundreds of local organizations doing important work on marine litter to highlight their efforts. The campaign contributes to the goals of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, a voluntary open-ended partnership for international agencies, governments, businesses, academia, local authorities and non-governmental organizations hosted by UN Environment. Learn more about #CleanSeas at http://cleanseas.org. 

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/Webinar159

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

For the week of 11 December 2017

Letter from the Editor

Join us Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 2pm EST (New York) / 11am PST (Los Angeles) / 7pm UTC(London) for a webinar on What we can do to curb social and human rights abuses in the seafood industry.

This webinar brought to you by: Jack Kittinger, Nathan Bennett, Lydia Teh, Katrina Nakamura, Eddie Allison, and Yoshi Ota.

Scientists have been working to make fisheries environmentally sustainable for decades. But startling exposés of human rights violations (particularly the widespread use of slave labor) in the seafood industry in the past few years have highlighted the need for governments, businesses, and nonprofits to start working together to address human rights and social issues in the sector – including access to resources and markets, food security, and livelihood security. Conservation International recently spearheaded a working group of environmental NGOs, social responsibility NGOs, academics, and business leaders to develop a framework for social responsibility and offer concrete recommendations to businesses, governments, and NGOs for ensuring that social responsibility is enforced throughout the seafood supply chain. These recommendations will help businesses reduce reputational risks in their seafood supply chains. They will help governments better regulate marine resources and their national seafood industries. And they will also help nonprofits and donor organizations determine the best ways to direct their resources to address critical social issues. Learn more at http://stories.conservation.org/a-sea-change-for-seafood. 

Webinar hosted by the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe). Register for the webinar at https://oct.to/Webinar158.

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

PS: We're taking the next two weeks off from the Weekly Update for the Holiday Season. We'll be back in your inboxes on the fifth of January! Happy early New Years! 

For the week of 04 December 2017

Letter from the Editor

Join us Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 1pm EST (New York) / 10am PST (Los Angeles) / 6pm UTC(London) for a webinar on Post Hurricane Irma Rapid Reef Assessment in South Florida and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

This webinar will be presented by: Steve Gittings, Science Coordinator NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and others TBA.

Following Hurricane Irma, a multi-agency and partner effort was launched to conduct a rapid assessment of the Florida Coral Reef Tract, including areas in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Science divers surveyed more than 50 sites, from Biscayne Bay to the Marquesas, and found extensive shifting of sand and heavy sediment accumulation as well as some structural damage to individual corals and the reef itself. Using information from these surveys, a parallel effort to stabilize corals in the most impacted locations was also undertaken. Scientists will share preliminary findings from the assessment cruise and triage activities as well as how such a collaborative effort was coordinated.

Webinar co-sponsored by the NOAA National MPA Center, MPA News, and the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by OCTO and NatureServe).

Register now at https://oct.to/OCWebinar157.

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

For the weeks of 20 and 27 November 2017

Letter from the Editor

Join us Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 1pm EST / 10am PST / 6pm UTC for a webinar on Introduction to EDF’s Virtual Fisheries Academy: empowering a global network of fishery heroes presented by Jeff Young, Senior Specialist of Training and Design at EDF.

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 is a free and open resource for fisheries practitioners all over the world that provides user-driven, interactive courses on key fisheries topics. 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.

Register now at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZWBaxaZfSK-axl3-kWhn-w.

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

For the week of 13 November 2017

Letter from the Editor

Join us Tuesday, December 12 at 1pm EST (New York) / 10am PST (Los Angeles) / 6pm UTC (London) for a webinar on The African Marine Waste Network: Inviting Participation presented by Tony Ribbink of the Sustainable Seas Trust.

After South East Asia, Africa is pouring the second largest amount of debris into the oceans of world. Predictions are that within the next three decades Africa will produce more marine debris than any other continent unless strong, concerted collaborative actions are taken within countries and across their borders.

The AMWN is finding solutions to these challenges. An early step was to host the African Marine Waste Conference where delegates from Africa interacted with experts from around the world. The strategy arising from the conference will be outlined in the webinar. People from around the world will be invited to help achieve the goals, particularly in building capacity, education, research and promotion of sustainable economic enterprises in impoverished settlements.

Register now at https://oct.to/OCWebinar155.

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

PS: We're taking next week off from the Weekly Update for American Thanksgiving. We'll be back in your inboxes on the first of December!