Spatial-Conserve Incorporated

What To Do About Data? 3 Ways to Deal with Data Gaps

Andrew Lewin — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:41:48 +0000

The key to a good management plan is the amount and the quality of the data for a study region. Data can make or break a management plan. A management plan created based on little data will not sit well with stakeholders who are affected by restrictions within the plan. Alternatively, there are not very many instances when too much data exists.

Collection of data is expensive and time consuming. Sometimes, data is impossible to collect in the field because the study area is in a remote and inaccessible area. Managers and practitioners use alternative ways to fill data gaps and improve their management plans. Below are three methods commonly used in ecosystem management:

1) Data Collection through Remote Sensing – Managers are grasping the power of using satellite imagery to collect data over large spatial scales and/or to collect data for remote areas. The data is readily available for many data parameters including spectral imagery (photos) and physiographic parameters such as wind speed and direction, elevation/bathymetry, temperature in water, water current speed and direction, dust, chlorophyll-a, and many more. Practitioners use the data to delineate habitats and combine the data with field collections to identify unique habitat features preferred by species or communities;

2) Habitat Modelling – Managers and practitioners utilize various models to determine the most efficient and effective management plan for a study area. Models such as Marxan allow managers to add data collected through various means (i.e. field or remote sensing) into the model to determine the most effective spatial configuration of a management plan. Other modelling techniques are designed to predict areas in which species and communities will occur based on field data and biophysical data. The models are used in spatial software to identify habitat features using complex queries and algorithms; and,

3) Traditional Ecological Knowledge – Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is data collected through discussions and consultations with local people/communities who are knowledgeable about the local ecology of the study area. A prime example are local fisherman that have been fishing in a specific area for generations. They know where the fish occur and when they are present. TEK may not be “scientifically accurate”; however, the data can provide managers with knowledge of species and community patterns from past generations, which can be helpful for management purposes. Also, working with local stakeholders and including them in the management process will build strong relationships between managers and stakeholders allowing for a more civil management process.

The “take home message” of this post is that management plans should not be delayed due to lack of data as the combination of innovative technology, spatial modelling, and traditional ecological knowledge can provide managers with more data than initially realized.

Managing Coasts from Space

Andrew Lewin — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 19:24:13 +0000

The paper from Dr. S. Ramachandran of Madras University called Application for Remote Sensing and GIS is a great introduction for using geospatial technologies, especially satellite imagery, as a basis for coastal management for any place around the world. The paper makes case to use geospatial technologies to acquire data without going into the field allowing the acquisition of data from remote areas inaccessible by field crews. It reaffirms the use of spatial tools as cost affective and necessary tool to acquire data for the purposes of managing coastal habitats.

My favourite section is where Dr. Ramachandran outlines three types of GIS applications, which are all connected:
1) Inventory – This application consists of updating and simple data retrieval. Data, which are accessed from multiple sources and in various formats, are integrated into a Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The data is then reviewed through a QA/QC process to ensure quality and consistency in the data;
2) Analysis Application – Once the Inventory Stage is complete, complex queries and manipulation (i.e. calculations and statistics) are conducted across multiple layers; and,
3) Management Application – Complex models are utilized during the Management Application integrating data layers from different disciplines to arrive at results that will answer policy driven questions.

So what type of data can geospatial technologies acquire? According to the paper:

Based on remote sensing a variety of data pertaining to the coastal zone
like, identification of plant community, biomass estimation, shoreline
changes, delineation of coastal landforms and tidal boundary,
qualitative estimation of suspended sediment concentration, chlorophyll
mapping, bathymetry of shallow waters, etc. can be collected and all
these data will help in effective coastal ecosystem management.

As satellite imagery can collect data for inventory over large spatial scales and in a cost effective manner, GIS software packages can accomplish the analysis application by allowing users to create complex searches (queries) on multiple layers of data as well as manipulate layers to emphasize the value of certain features such as endangered species, critical habitats, and/or important fishing grounds. Software products such as Marxan can provide managers with the algorithms necessary to analysis spatial configurations of a network of marine/freshwater/coastal protected areas.

I see many projects using GIS for the inventory application stage and very few projects use the analysis application level. There are even fewer projects that utilize the management application stage to derive answers to policy driven questions. The final two application levels, which are used the fewest amount of times, are the applications that truly integrate data from various disciplines and provide answers to coastal management.

Coastal management is at a critical junction. Coastal habitats are undergoing intense pressures from human-induced activities and they are degrading at a phenomenal rate, decreasing biodiversity and coastal stability. Remote Sensing and GIS applications are necessary tools that will enhance management activities through integration of data and tools to produce scientifically sound results for policy needs.

For more information on how to incorporate all application levels of geospatial technologies into your projects, please contact me at alewin@spatialconserve.com.

GIS for Improved Fisheries Management

Andrew Lewin — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:10:03 +0000

The late 20th century has witnessed increasing crises in the world’s marine fisheries. A causal analysis of these reveals that a common element are various manifestations of spatial inequity. This most frequently includes the inequity of access rights to the resource, but factors such as variations in resource depletion, spatio-temporal variations in stock recruitment, the imposition of regulatory zoning, destruction of marine ecosystems and the siting of mariculture facilities are other examples. To resolve some of these problems, management practices must be improved. As has been shown in other fields where spatially related problems occur, there is now a promising tool, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), which, combined with other analytical tools and models, could allow for improved spatial management. GIS are basically integrated computer based systems which allow for the input of digital geo-referenced data to produce maps plus other textual, graphical and tabular output. The essential usefulness of GIS however, lies in its ability to manipulate data in a large number of ways and to perform various analytical functions so as to produce output which makes for more efficient decision making.
As with many computer based systems, the key to GIS success lies in the acquisition of suitable data. The various means by which both primary and secondary data can be located, gathered, accessed and stored are described. Data acquisition methods vary from simple surveys, questionnaires and counts through to the access of secondary digital databases via on-line networking capabilities. Once data has been acquired it is only useful to a GIS when it has been formatted, processed or structured in a way which the system will understand. The various ways of doing this are introduced. GIS’s can function in an almost limitless variety of configurations of hard and software. The basic elements of these are described, as are examples of some of the software packages. Before a GIS is implemented into a fisheries management programme, then there are two major areas of consideration. The first of these concerns the potential that GIS might have as a management aid. Seven potential database areas for management are described in some detail. The second area considered is that of how best to implement a marine fisheries resource GIS, along with how to ensure that sufficient guidance and support can be obtained to assure its continued success. The paper concludes with an examination of some case studies covering a range of marine fisheries related topics.

Data Input for Marine Spatial Planning: Nearshore Classification

Andrew Lewin — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:36:25 +0000

WWF

Selection of candidate sites for designation as MPAs in coastal waters still involves many arbitrary choices. Analysis of candidate sites, according to a combination of geophysical and ecological criteria can lead to the recognition of representative coastal areas, potentially reducing the arbitrary nature of these decisions. In coastal areas, estuaries have long been classified according to their geophysical properties. Bays are at least as diverse in character, yet existing classifications are dependant largely upon description of the benthic communities themselves and take little advantage of existing hydrographic and digital information. We are developing a classification of coastal marine bays and coves based on GIS analysis of existing digital hydrographic and associated data. Analysis of relationships among physiographic factors will determine which factors will produce a predictive nearshore classification. Preliminary results show that bays appear to fall into recognizable categories, or representative types, based on these physiographic characteristics. These categories, recognized in MDS plots and clustered using fuzzy C-Means cluster analysis, can predict: distribution of fine substrates, backshore type and potentially the array and distributions of biological communities themselves. Morphological factors were derived from publically available government and non-government data. Of special significance, are novel raster calculations of exposure (referenced to wind direction frequencies and durations), benthic and shoreline complexity calculations, and the creation of a seamless digital elevation model representing the Nova Scotia nearshore.

Source

Moving Toward Spatial Solutions in Marine Conservation with (Canadian) Indigenous Communities

Andrew Lewin — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:07:47 +0000

Community and resource user support has often been declared as essential to achieving globally agreed targets for marine protection. Given that indigenous people in Canada have resource use rights, we engaged two indigenous communities in British Columbia for their views on marine planning and protected areas. We developed a three-phased approach for executing our research: building research partnerships, carrying out individual interviews, and holding community discussion sessions. Participants expressed a common goal of recovering depleted species and ensuring the sustainability of indigenous fishing. We found strong support for spatial protection measures, and significant overlaps amongst participants in the areas suggested for protection. The most common type of protection recommended by participants was the exclusion of commercial and recreational fisheries while allowing for indigenous fishing; this stands in contrast to the emphasis on strict no-take MPAs advocated in the literature. Similarities in the goal, and level and areas of protection point to a gap in conservation approaches: the conservation of important areas and resources to indigenous people, allowing the continued practice and adaptation of their culture.

Source

Fishing Community Agrees To Ocean Strategy

Andrew Lewin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:05:06 +0000

Commercial Trawler (Flickr Source: Deepwater Horizon Response)

This article on planning to implement Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) focuses was on the international fishing community. Important issues to the community includes “ensuring that the fishing industry has an equitable voice in decisions on MSP and management, that socioeconomic effects on fishing communities are fully considered in MSP activities and that MSP initiatives incorporate mechanisms for reviewing efficacy and response to changing conditions. The declaration also encourages regional fisheries management organizations to identify areas on the high seas and seabed that are of high relative importance to marine biodiversity.”

An oceans and coasts user group that embraces such a strategy sounds like a step in the right direction; however, actions speak louder than words. Will these words resonate around the world and be transformed into practice? That, my friends, remains to be seen.
What did you think of this article? Leave a comment to start a discussion on the use of Marine Spatial Planning. Should User groups begin Marine Spatial Planning? Will it benefit them? Share your thoughts.

Benefits of a Marine Reserve System during an Oil Spill

Andrew Lewin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:36:57 +0000

As I read about the impacts of the BP oil spill disaster, I wonder if a marine reserve system would help assess and restore some of the habitats destroyed in this catastrophic event. First let me define a reserve system. A marine reserve system is a tool for Ecosystem-Based Management and it contains a number of areas within a study area (let’s say the Gulf of Mexico) that protect specific features (species, communities, habitats, sets of habitats) from various uses (fishing, diving, oil and gas). Each area in a marine reserve system can have a different management level such as closed for researchers only, fishing only, etc. A great example of this is the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

An inventory of numerous features of the study area is collected, which allows managers to discover and understand the species, community, and habitat distribution in relations to physio-chemical patterns (i.e. the ecology) of the region. The managers and public will have a better idea of the environment contained inside and outside the reserve system.

Would the reserve system help protect features from an oil spill? No. BUT, it would allow managers to quickly determine which features were going to be impacted. It would also allow managers to search for restoration opportunities for areas that were similar inside and outside the impacted zone. Other benefits include effective management of resources to prevent over-fishing, development impact to sensitive or culturally significant areas, and preventing impacts to species at risk, among others.

Is it too late to add a marine reserve? Absolutely not! BUT, these things take time. So it is imperative that we begin the process now!

Conservation to Management

Andrew Lewin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:29:30 +0000

Protecting ocean and coastal resources has traditionally been about protecting the environment (species, communities, habitats, etc.) and restricting human uses within certain areas. This process is very restrictive and it tells user of the resources in question that they are the bad guys and need to stop using the resources. If I were a users, I would be very defensive and I would make it extremely difficult to stop any conservation efforts from happening and this has happened with many conservation and Marine Protected Area processes (look at the history of any MPA design and implementation process and you will find a story of protests and defensive coastal users). What if process of protecting ocean and coastal resources changed from a conservation of the environment focus to a management of human use process?

Managing human uses in the ocean and coasts include users as an equal partner in the ocean and coastal area and the environment is a component. This makes sense because human uses and the environment are related. Too much human use can disturb the environment and affect it’s resiliency (the ability for a habitat to remain in a current state a not shift to a different habitat). There are management strategies in existence which address this process, but they are still not affective in the implementation phase.

The way in which management strategies are presented to users may not be ideal and still invoke a defensive attitude. For instance, showing the results of a complex reserve design model to a user group that does not understand the modeling process and views the results as a map of restricted areas will invoke a defensive response.

Scientists tend to deal with facts and results of scientific studies, but for others such as ocean and coastal users, the facts and results are emotional and require sensitivity. So perhaps scientists and managers should take more time to involve coastal users in management strategies and not allow the environment to become the focus of management.

US Ocean Policy: An example for Canada?

Andrew Lewin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:13:21 +0000

President Barack Obama signed and released an executive order creating a national ocean policy that can be used by regional authorities for effective coastal management (Source). The policy would integrate various federal departments and force agencies to work together for one ocean management policy. Several ENGOs are applauding the Presidents efforts in attacking the issue of proper ocean management, especially in light of the BP Oil Spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico (Source).

As a Canadian marine scientist, I think that Canada can use the basis of the US Ocean Policy as an example for proper national ocean management. The three federal departments that have an interest in the Oceans are: Parks Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and Environment Canada. Each department has a separate mandate. Parks Canada establishes and manages protected areas, DFO establishes Marine Protected Areas, and Environment Canada establishes migratory bird sanctuaries and marine wildlife areas. Their mandates and responsibilities seem to overlap; however, there is no formal partnership (to my knowledge) for ocean management.

A national interdepartmental partnership of the three federal departments would greatly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of developing an ocean policy and establishing a national network of marine protected areas.

Did you like this article? I would like to get your feedback!

Reality Bites: effect of society on science

Andrew Lewin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:30:59 +0000

I took a course in high school called “Science in Society”. I considered it a bird course and never took it seriously. In fact, I don’t really remember what I learned during the course, but the name of the course “Science in Society” always stuck in my head. I never knew why until the past year. Before I go into why the course became so important in my life you need to know a thing or two about me.

I’ve always wanted to be a marine biologist. It was all I can think about growing up. I watched one episode of a marine biology show and I was hooked for life. Nothing else really mattered. I took science and math courses to learn more about the subject, but all I learned about was human biology (boring to me in those days). I read a few books, but that wasn’t enough. The internet wasn’t invented yet so I didn’t have as much information available to me as I do know. So life was frustrating to say the least. When I got to university (University of Guelph), I got to learn anything and everything about marine biology. My life, my studies were marine biology. Everything was solved through marine biology, nothing else mattered. I completed a Master’s degree in Biology (Marine Conservation) at Acadia University where I studied establishing the design and number of marine protected areas. It was wonderful! I was doing marine ecology for something important (working with WWF Canada to establish a network of marine protected areas for the Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy). Again, Marine Biology was the answer to everything even in conservation. Conservation the marine environment was number one priority!

It wasn’t until Dr. Mike Dadswell, one of my Master’s Committee Members, asked the question “How do you think the lobster fisherman would react to placing an MPA in a fishing hot spot?” I replied “Who cares? They have to obey or else there won’t be any lobster’s left for them to fish!” I was a cocky scientist who thought conserving the marine environment will solve all problems.

Managing the world’s coasts and oceans involves working with society and science in tadem and not on unequal playing fields. The only proven coastal and ocean management strategies are those which involved ALL stakeholders (users and practitioners) from the beginning of the management planning process.

In hindsight, Science in Society was an introductory course and I should have paid more attention in class as it affects the way in which coastal and ocean management, my current field, is conducted today. I spent many days and nights research and understanding the importance of including all stakeholders in the management planning process.