Presentation Abstract
The Salish Sea is an intricate coastal region that faces myriad anthropogenic challenges. With ocean acidification and warming, an expanding human population, and marine shipping traffic, it is clear that this biologically rich ecosystem requires tools and strategies that link science to policy and conservation actions. One of the core problems in the vast Salish Sea is a lack of connectivity and continuity across communities that conduct research, restoration, and marine spatial planning (MSP): often communities develop plans and policies in silos without sharing information or methods outside of their tight jurisdictions. The Howe Sound/Atl’ka7tsem Marine Reference Guide offers an approach to increase connectivity across community nodes within the Salish Sea using a bottom-up approach toward MSP. The Guide was created to bring together knowledge associated with Atl’ka7tsem’s (Squamish nation place name for Howe Sound) aquatic socio-ecological values into one comprehensive decision-support tool (an online map-based database) that will provide high resolution data to inform decision-making and influence policy associated with Atl’ka7tsem’s marine realm. To build this tool, we are collating existing data from citizen science databases and regional research and government entities, as well as creating new data using a unique combination of field surveys and community workshops. We are also collaborating with groups throughout the Salish Sea who are conducting similar bottom-up approaches to connect scientific knowledge with policy and decision-making, so as to build continuity across socio-ecological indicators, research methods, and technical platforms. Our end goal is to merge our project with other databases throughout the Salish Sea to produce one centralized interactive map that contains high-resolution data about regional nodes and supports comprehensive MSP, decision-making, and community education. Overall, this project will directly build capacity for decision-makers and communities to protect the Salish Sea’s cherished marine environment, as we all depend on a flourishing ocean.
Session Title
Track: Ecosystem-Based Management, Science & Policy – Posters
Conference Track
Ecosystem-Based Management, Science & Policy
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2020 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
2020_abstractID_4461
Start Date
21-4-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
22-4-2020 4:45 PM
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Marine ecosystem management--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Planning; Marine spatial planning--Citizen participation
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Connecting nodes throughout the Salish Sea: a bottom-up approach to strengthening informed decision-making, policy making, and marine spatial planning
The Salish Sea is an intricate coastal region that faces myriad anthropogenic challenges. With ocean acidification and warming, an expanding human population, and marine shipping traffic, it is clear that this biologically rich ecosystem requires tools and strategies that link science to policy and conservation actions. One of the core problems in the vast Salish Sea is a lack of connectivity and continuity across communities that conduct research, restoration, and marine spatial planning (MSP): often communities develop plans and policies in silos without sharing information or methods outside of their tight jurisdictions. The Howe Sound/Atl’ka7tsem Marine Reference Guide offers an approach to increase connectivity across community nodes within the Salish Sea using a bottom-up approach toward MSP. The Guide was created to bring together knowledge associated with Atl’ka7tsem’s (Squamish nation place name for Howe Sound) aquatic socio-ecological values into one comprehensive decision-support tool (an online map-based database) that will provide high resolution data to inform decision-making and influence policy associated with Atl’ka7tsem’s marine realm. To build this tool, we are collating existing data from citizen science databases and regional research and government entities, as well as creating new data using a unique combination of field surveys and community workshops. We are also collaborating with groups throughout the Salish Sea who are conducting similar bottom-up approaches to connect scientific knowledge with policy and decision-making, so as to build continuity across socio-ecological indicators, research methods, and technical platforms. Our end goal is to merge our project with other databases throughout the Salish Sea to produce one centralized interactive map that contains high-resolution data about regional nodes and supports comprehensive MSP, decision-making, and community education. Overall, this project will directly build capacity for decision-makers and communities to protect the Salish Sea’s cherished marine environment, as we all depend on a flourishing ocean.
