On July 12th, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM UTC we will have a special session with Dr Andrew Cooper and Bethany Reinhart, showcasing the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program, a Marine Life 2030 UN Ocean Decade affiliated project. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Coastal Environmental Baseline Program (CEBP) was established nationally to better understand and manage Canada’s coastal ecosystems, especially those vulnerable to the impacts of coastal development and vessel traffic. The Program works with organisations across many sectors to support the collection and open-source publication of priority physical, biological, and biogeochemical data to collaboratively build a more complete understanding of our coastal environments. Since 2021 the CEBP team has used the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) Pole-to-Pole protocols to record intertidal species on both rocky shores and sandy beaches. Yearly surveys were conducted at three respective rocky shore and sandy beach habitats along the Northwestern Bay of Fundy Coastline which includes the Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA). This new inventory of intertidal invertebrate and algae species has enhanced the knowledge of biodiversity for these coastal habitats while implementing the standard MBON sampling protocols and the MBON support for data sharing has allowed the team to better understand these habitats’ value and complexities. This partnership has supported both the goals of the CEBP and the MPA by generating a baseline inventory of invertebrate and algae species that can be shared online for data users, all while continuing to engage and share knowledge with partners.Programme (PM UTC)1:00 - Welcome and introductions: Maria Gabriela Palomo, Director of the research group Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems, Bernardino Rivadavia Museum of Natural Sciences-CONICET, Argentina1:05 - Generating baseline data on vulnerable coastal ecosystems under the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program: Dr. Andrew Cooper (Research Scientist) and Bethany Reinhart (Aquatic Science Biologist), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canada1:45 Q&A moderated by Maria Gabriela Palomo2:00 - ClosingThis is an Ocean Decade Event.

Speakers

Andrew Cooper

Andrew is a Research Scientist in Coastal Marine Biodiversity with Fisheries and Oceans Canada at the St. Andrews Biological Station. Dr. Cooper conducts research to measure and monitor changes in wild species diversity in the coastal zone to support regulations and conservation management objectives. He is the lead researcher in monitoring and assessment of the Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area and works with a broader team to identify and establish baseline biodiversity and habitat features for new Marine Protected Areas in Canada. Andrew received his PhD in Biology at the University of Ottawa with a focus on systematic zoology in marine fishes.

Bethany Reinhart

Bethany is an Aquatic Science Biologist with the Fisheries and Oceans Coastal Environmental Baseline Program. Within her role, she engages with community organizations across many sectors to achieve common research goals. Bethany leads several projects that generate baseline data on coastal areas vulnerable to human impacts. Her main research interests are on contaminants and species diversity in aquatic ecosystems. Bethany has her MSc in Biology and BSc in Environmental Biology from the University of New Brunswick.

Moderator

Maria Gabriela Palomo

Maria Gabriela Palomo holds a degree in Biological Sciences and a PhD in Marine Sciences from the University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. Gabriela was a Fellow of Unesco L’Oreal for Women in Science at the Centre for Research on Ecological Studies of Coastal Cities, University of Sydney where she studied the impact of golf courses on the biodiversity of rocky shores. Currently, she is leading the Ecology and Conservation of Marine Ecosystems (ECEM) research group as a Senior Researcher at the Natural History Museum of Argentina. Since 2013, she has participated as a research expert in several workshops and meetings of IPBES, the National Commission of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gabriela has participated in the creation and planification of the AMP Banco Burwood Namuncura and currently is part of the Permanent Advisory Commission of Marine Protected Areas of the Subsecretary of National Parks. Her main projects are developing inside Marine Protected Areas and monitoring the biodiversity of coastal environments as support information for policymakers to manage coastal environments.