Spotlight on Kimbe Bay Case Study

The IUCN World Conservation Congress 

R2 Toolkit Update 

IYOR Web Seminar Series

Looking Ahead

Recent Pubs & Resources

To Join the network or submit updates, contact:
Stephanie Wear,
Marine Protected Area Specialist
The Nature Conservancy, Global Marine Initiative
resilience@tnc.org

For more information about The Nature Conservancy's Global Marine Initiative, visit: www.nature.org/marine

This newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Spotlight on Kimbe Bay Case Study

Kimbe Bay is one of the first to build resilience principles into MPA network design. Photo: The Nature Conservancy

An excerpt from the case study:  Like many coastal areas throughout the world, Kimbe Bay’s rich marine biodiversity is at risk from local threats, such as overfishing, sedimentation, pollution, and increasing human populations.  Additionally, global threats such as rising sea temperatures associated with climate change have already led to coral bleaching in the bay.  Sea levels are also rising, threatening critical coastal habitats such as mangroves and turtle nesting areas.

Kimbe Bay is one of the first to build resilience principles into MPA network design. The objectives of the Kimbe Bay MPA network are twofold: to conserve marine biodiversity and natural resources of the bay in perpetuity, and to address local marine resource management needs. 

The scientific design of the Kimbe Bay MPA network represents one of the world’s first MPA networks to specifically address the threat of climate change, and does so by incorporating the principles of resilience, including:
• spreading the risk through representation and replication;
• protecting special and unique sites (e.g. fish spawning sites, turtle nesting areas, nursery areas);
• incorporating patterns of connectivity; and,
• effective management.

In Papua New Guinea, local communities are the marine resource owners and decision makers. As such, considering how to engage communities in the design and implementation phase of the MPA design process was a priority for the design team. READ MORE

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The IUCN World Conservation Congress

The IUCN World Conservation Congress will be held October 5-14, 2008 in Barcelona (hence, the big "B" logo at left).  The Nature Conservancy is working with IUCN and CORDIO to put together a series of resilience-focused symposia, workshops, and knowledge cafes.  We will be working on multiple issues facing practitioners that are working to build resilience into their management activities.  Areas of focus include management, monitoring, science, and policy.  There is also a major emphasis on marine conservation at the congress so it will be a great opportunity for folks to learn and exchange relevant information.  If you are planning to attend the congress, please let us know as we’d love to have you participate in these special sessions!  

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We are making good progress on the R2 Toolkit revision. We have updated the navigation and structure to make it easier to use and find information.  More importantly, we have updated the content to ensure that the latest science and management recommendations are included.  In response to the survey, we have developed case studies from around the world.  We will continue to share excerpts from these case studies in these newsletters (See Kimbe Bay case study above!). The next version will be launched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona in October.  The new toolkit will be available via the Web site and in CD-ROM.

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Presented by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, this is a fantastic assemblage of conservation science talks focused on coral reefs, climate change, ecosystem based management, and resilience.  You can view these presentations on the web as video and will be able to hear the speaker as well as clearly see the PowerPoint presentations.  There are 21 presentations on a variety of topics presented by global experts. 
A great opportunity to hear it straight from the source! 

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Looking Ahead 

July 8-11, 2008 Coping with Global Change in Marine Socio-Ecological Systems, Rome, Italy 

July 7-11, 2008 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

July 13-17, 2008   Society for Conservation Biology, Chattanooga, Tennesee, USA

October 5-14, 2008  IUCN World Conservation Congress, Barcelona, Spain  (Online registration until September 25, 2008)

November 10-14, 2008,  61st Gulf Caribbean Fisheries Institute Meeting, Gosier, Guadeloupe, FWI.  Abstracts Due July 31st!

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