Report on BoFEP participation in CZC 2023 conference

On June, 11-15^th, 2023, the Chair of BoFEP Peter Wells participated in the Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) Conference, in Victoria, BC.  The theme of this biennial conference was “connecting with the coast”. He gave a paper[1] on the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP)’s activity and plans for ocean literacy (OL), four posters[2] (one of which was a summary of recent EIUI-sponsored studies and progress), and chaired one session. Support for attending the conference came from our EIUI SSHRC grant and from BoFEP. The conference had around 500 attendees, had 4 days of concurrent sessions on a wide range of topics pertaining to coastal and ocean management, and a very diverse and information packed exhibit hall for groups across the sectors involved in ocean science, management, monitoring, and public engagement. I attended all plenaries, 12 paper sessions, and the formal poster session. The paper and the posters were well attended and new connections with other practitioners were made.

                Some important points pertaining to the aims and objectives of the EIUI program and its associated research, noted while attending this conference’s papers, discussions and displays, were as follows:

1. In this UN Ocean Decade, collaboration and networking are critical to effective ocean management.
2. Bottom-up engagement of communities, including those of indigenous peoples, is essential for effective ocean management and its component activities, such as marine spatial planning.
3. Climate change is clearly here, as shown by ongoing processes such as coastal erosion.
4. All forms of knowledge (western, indigenous) must be used to protect coastal species and spaces.
5. Nature based solutions can protect coastlines prone to erosion enhanced by climate change.
6. Climate change is the biggest environmental issue of our time and demands that all members of society are knowledgeable about it and are generally ocean literate.
7. To be successful, marine spatial planning must be mostly a bottom-up process, involving coastal communities and local municipal planners. Local knowledge, including historical, should be considered.

It was abundantly clear from this conference (see the website) and earlier CZC conferences that having an ocean literate and ocean involved population is critically important for effective coastal and ocean management in an era of accelerating  ocean change. The topic itself was explicitly discussed in the session where my paper was presented in and generally discussed in other sessions at this meeting. In the OL session, talks focused on the contributions of whale watching, film and photography, and community attitudes and perspectives about the coast. In addition, many displays and groups (across all sectors) in the exhibits hall focused on public awareness and engagement with coastal and ocean issues. Clearly, at the heart of this conference was the premise that an ocean literate public is required to support effective coastal and ocean management (including policy and decision-making), protection of marine biodiversity, and enlightened response to climate change. The three big take-home messages for successful advancement of OL and coastal management were: 1) network across interested coastal groups; 2) involve coastal communities directly with projects; and 3) involve indigenous peoples and respect their histories of deep connections with the coast. Further discussion of ocean literacy, and the work generally of the EIUI and BoFEP groups, should be continued in next years BoFEP Workshop and in CZC 2025 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. 

Peter G. Wells, EIUI, BoFEP and IOI-C, July 13^th.

[1] Paper: Promoting ocean and climate literacy to communities around the Bay of Fundy and its watersheds. L.Lowther, M.J.A. Butler, and P.G. Wells.

[2] Posters: Understanding  information pathways for evidence-based policy and decision-making in coastal and ocean Management.  Wells, P.G. and MacDonald, B.H.;  Celebrating BoFEP’s 25^th anniversary – achievements and future activities. Wells, P.G., Percy, J., Daborn, G.A. et al.;  The interplay of ocean science research with public policy and management decision-making: seeking solutions. MacDonald, B.H. , Wells, P.G., Stewart, I., et al.; CRC Press Book – Science, Information, and Policy Interface for Effective Coastal and Ocean Management. MacDonald , B.H., et al. 2016.