Stewarding human relationships to the ocean through marine planning, MPA networks, and transformation

Speaker: Dr. Fiona Beaty

Science Coordinator, Great Bear Sea MPA Network initiative

Location: AERL Theatre or over ZOOM. RSVP required

The ocean supports the wellbeing and cultures of coastal communities. These ways of relating to the ocean are threatened by climate change, overfishing, and colonialism, whose common denominator is extractive human behaviour. Addressing extractive behaviour requires centring reciprocity across individual, collective and systemic scales of transformation. In British Columbia, decades of marine planning initiatives led by First Nations and Crown governments are restoring human relationships with the ocean. This work has resulted in internationally renowned initiatives, such as the Great Bear Sea MPA Network. In this talk, Dr. Beaty will provide a brief tour of Indigenous and community-led marine planning and stewardship initiatives along the coast of B.C., and introduce frameworks to enhance the meaningful impact of research and engagement on society.

Dr. Beaty works in service of community and Indigenous-led marine stewardship along the coastline of British Columbia. She is the Science Coordinator for the Great Bear Sea MPA Network initiative, holds a doctorate in Zoology from the University of British Columbia, and is a National Geographic explorer. She also advises myriad non-profit marine conservation initiatives in the Salish Sea. She is a settler living on the Sunshine Coast in the Squamish Nation’s territory.