The Future of Endangered Coastal Communities: Building Capacity for Renewal

Building in part on the Defying Oceans End initiative, an innovative think tank/workshop was held at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in February 2005 to develop a blueprint for action for the future sustainability of oceans and coastal resources.  At Changing Currents: Charting a Course of Action for the Future of Oceans an international interdisciplinary group of experts examined case studies to identify resisters and enablers of positive action in moving forward with the Oceans agenda.  Among the key issues identified were: look for solutions and actions at a local scale; build connections between local levels and broader scales reflective of the scales of ecosystem function and human activity/impact, broadcast success stories, and start small and build a larger constituency.

Website: http://www.sfu.ca/coastalstudies/changingcurrents.htm
 
Acting on these key issues, a recent follow-up workshop was held from August 8 - 10 in Change Islands, a remote coastal community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, where their very future is endangered following the collapse of the Northern cod and the uncertainty regarding the restoration of these stocks and the sustainability of other marine resources.

The Future of Endangered Coastal Communities: Building Capacity for Renewal participants including the Canadian federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and international experts such as Stephen Olsen from the University of Rhode Island met over three days of dialogue to consider what actions can be taken to ensure the future of threatened coastal communities globally.  Representing a diversity of perspectives from community, government at all levels, industry, non-governmental organizations, and academia participants shared their knowledge and experiences while they weighed the options for the future of coastal community economies and then considered the question: How can we move forward and act on the realistic options while ensuring sustainable use of resources and ecosystems?

Some preliminary action items arising from the dialogue include:

•invest in mechanisms that link science to local knowledge and local decision-making
•develop structures and tools for community participation in stewardship of resources, including MPAs
•proceed with aquaculture using caution, taking into account scale of development, limited protein source for feed, viability over the long term and adjacency of wild stocks
•establish coastal zone mapping processes
•establish comprehensive monitoring systems for all recreational fish catches
•establish fish marketing strategies that recognize quality over quantity and sustainability of the fishery
•develop structures for information and knowledge exchange of what works and what does not work at all scales from local to global

A detailed report will be available later this Fall at http://www.sfu.ca/coastalstudies/changeislands2006.htm

Written by: Laurie Wood
Simon Fraser University