Trust the Process: Climate Adaptation Planning in The Bahamas
In collaboration with The Nature Conservancy Northern Caribbean Program, the Reef Resilience Network created a process for updating MPA management plans to be Climate-Smart and led implementation of that process with the Bahamas National Trust (BNT). In this episode, we sit down with two BNT staff to learn about their experience. Ellsworth Weir, the Director of Parks, and Alyssa Bastion, a Parks Planner, provide their perspectives of working to prepare their parks for the impacts of climate change. They share advice for MPA managers and planners who are just beginning to think about updating management plans to be Climate-Smart. You can read more about the project through this case study, hear more from Alyssa through this webinar recording, and take a deeper dive into the process through the Climate Adaptation Toolkit.
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Financing an MPA: The Blue Alliance Approach
Historically, funding for MPAs has often fallen short of what is needed to ensure effective management and successful outcomes. At the same time, governments around the world are increasing their commitments to create and expand protected areas, bringing further attention to the need to secure adequate funding and prevent MPAs from becoming “paper parks.” In this episode, Dr. Angelique Brathwaite (Angie) describes Blue Alliance’s innovative MPA financing model, which supports “reef-positive businesses” that create positive outcomes for ecosystems and communities by returning revenue back to management efforts. Listeners will learn about successes that Blue Alliance MPAs have experienced in generating income to support effective MPA management.
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Management Effectiveness for MPAs with Lauren Wenzel
With the Convention on Biological Diversity’s ambitious 30x30 commitment—aiming to increase the coverage of "effectively conserved and managed" areas to 30%—there is renewed attention on the pivotal role marine managers can play in achieving this goal. In this episode, Lauren Wenzel, Director, National Marine Protected Areas Center, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, discusses whether there is a minimum level of effective management required for an MPA to count towards a country's 30x30 goals, what it means to adopt management effectiveness standards, and practical steps managers can take to navigate the current focus on 30x30 commitments and ensure their areas are effectively managed.
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A Deeper Dive Into Mesophotic Reefs with Camille Kaczmar and Dr. Jessica Bellworthy
As climate change threatens tropical coral reefs with warming waters, the search for areas where water temperature remains relatively cool during warming events has become a critical area of research. One avenue of research—known as the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis—is investigating whether mesophotic coral ecosystems can provide sanctuary for tropical corals facing warming sea surface temperatures. A key aspect of the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis is vertical connectivity—how larvae and genetic material move between shallow and deeper reefs. In this episode, Camille explains the context for why mesophotic reefs and vertical connectivity are relevant for reef resilience, and Dr. Bellworthy walks us through research she conducted to test the Deep Reef Refugia Hypothesis in the Gulf of Aqaba. Visit mesopotic.org to learn more about mesophotic ecosystems.
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Getting Started with MPA Enforcement with Sunny Tellwright
MPA Enforcement, better understood as Monitoring, Control, Surveillance, and Enforcement (MCS&E), can be critical to effective coral reef management efforts, and many members of the Reef Resilience Network have identified enforcement as an area where they need more training and support. To address these needs, the Network, in partnership with Blue Nature Alliance and in close collaboration with WildAid, is developing a suite of online resources (including this Reef Exchanges episode, a webinar, case study, and online toolkit) for marine managers on MPA Enforcement. During this episode, Sunny provides an overview of the core concepts behind MCS&E, including how context-dependent and people-powered MCS&E systems are, while also touching on nuances and key considerations for managers to keep in mind as they being to scope their own MCS&E systems.
The Reef Resilience Network’s podcast, Reef Exchanges, features conversations between Network team members and experts from around the world. Each episode features an in-depth discussion around a new development in marine science and management. You can listen to episodes below, or where ever you get your podcasts.
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