4 Steps to Improve Ocean Conservation Research in Small Island States

To be effective, marine conservation must be based on rigorous and targeted science. The large and growing threats to ocean ecosystems -- overfishing, climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction -- coupled with the limited scientific capacity of most small island states make science-based management not only an imperative, but also a challenge. Here's one part of the solution: better global collaboration between local and foreign scientists. Barbudan fisheries staff member being trained by a foreign researcher to conduct conch surveys as part of the Waitt Institute's Blue Halo Initiative in Barbuda. (Photo courtesy of Waitt Institute.) My colleagues and I present best practices for international scientific collaboration in an opinion paper published recently in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Our group of researchers from the Caribbean, Canada, the USA, and UK, examined the hurdles to effective collaborations for foreign and local scientists, institutions, and funders, and provides recommendations for leaping over them. Here are our four broad actionable recommendations: 1. Align priorities between foreign scientists and local communities: Foreign marine scientists sometimes enter small island states with ill-conceived notions of what the research priorities should be. Too often effort is not made to ask local scientists and institutions about their priorities and needs. Lack of alignment can result in data that is never used for management, or in tense wo...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news