[MARMAM] IMCC 4 Focus Group: Understanding Alaskan Inuit food security and conservation through use

[Raychelle Daniel]

Hello all, 

I would like to invite those of you planning to attend the International Marine 
Conservation Congress in St. Johns, NL July 29-August 4 to participate in a 
focus group to be held prior to the conference.  Details on the workshop follow 
below.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Many thanks,
Raychelle Daniel

http://conbio.org/mini-sites/imcc-2016/program-events/focus-groups/#2



 

IMCC 2016
Pre-meeting Focus Group:  Understanding
Alaskan Inuit food security and conservation through use

 

Inuit homelands in Alaska for the Iñupaiq, St. Lawrence
Island Yupik, Central Yup’ik and Cup’ik peoples includes the Arctic Ocean
coastline from the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas southward to the Northern Bering
Sea coastline at the Yukon and Kuskokwim River delta.  The Alaskan Inuit 
understanding of food
security encompasses complex and interlinked cultural and environmental
systems.  These systems are comprised of
connections among the health of people, animals, and plants; the different
states of land, sea, and air; and the cultural fabric held together by
language, cultural expression, and social integrity. In Inuit systems it is
impossible to disentangle some of these relationships; when we discuss an Inuit
food security perspective, it is this interconnectivity and these relationships
that we refer to.

 

Conservation in Alaskan Inuit homelands often comes from the
perspective of conservation that benefits the environment first, and ultimately
the people that live there.  We propose
an alternate conservation paradigm that includes Inuit not only as a part of
the environment within the ecosystem; but also as part of the solution to
managing these Arctic ecosystems from within.  Inuit knowledge and management 
practices are
both a part of Alaskan Inuit food security, and would help move overall
management of Arctic systems to better include whole knowledge, and make
science matter.

 

Expected Outcomes:

 

In this workshop, representatives of the Inuit Circumpolar
Council-Alaska (ICC-AK) and The Pew Charitable Trusts U.S. Arctic Program,
members of the ICC-AK Food Security Project Advisory Committee will share the
main concepts of conservation through use and the importance of applying a food
security lens to management within the Arctic.  We will highlight the 
complexities that the
rapid changes associated with climate change occurring within the Arctic are
bringing, and how Inuit knowledge and experience may help address management
challenges.  Inuit have followed
traditional management practices, applying a food security lens, which has
sustained the people and the environment for time immemorial.

 

These practices demonstrate a strong value system focused on
conservation through use, based on an Inuit food security lens (ICC-AK).  
Practices are built on principles such as “do
not take more than what is needed.” These words impart multiple facets of
understanding that include people take only what they can process, store and
consume within their family or community.  They also include lessons that 
include stewardship
and sustainable practices; for example, always leaving enough for the continued
respect for the ecosystem that it is a part of.  During traditional bowhead 
whaling a
cease-fire is called once the number of whales that can be processed within a
given time is reached.  This example
demonstrates that the phrase “don’t take more than what is needed” is not based
on arbitrary numbers and is aligned with conservation, respect, and
socio-ecological beliefs.  This
management practice is used in the collection of all food sources and must
consider not only how many people are required and available for the processing
and storing of food but also the environmental conditions required for these
steps.

 

In sharing this information, concepts, and value system we
hope to open up a dialogue with the focus group participants.  The conversation 
will focus on bridging value
systems.  With the understanding that
culture is part of the Arctic ecosystem, we hope to identify areas where shared
conservation values may help advance Arctic ecosystem based management.

 

Following the workshop, we will draft a white paper, those
interested in participating should contact us.

 

Format and
Logistics

 

The workshop will have several short, informal presentations
to help build on our definitions presented in the abstract.  We would prefer an 
open room with a round
table style set-up that will allow for discussion.  It will be a facilitated 
discussion, and we
will prepare questions ahead of time.  We
would also like to share reading materials in advance of the workshop so that
participants are prepared and ready to participate. Details include:

·
ID: FG34: Friday, July 29 (Half-day focus group
in the morning) 

·
Time: 8:30-12:30

·
Pre-registration is required

·
Focus group fee: $36USD for non-students from
developed countries; 

[MARMAM] Dolphin research intern coordinator position

[Bruno Diaz Lopez]

The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI) , is 
a marine science centre dedicated to promote the conservation of marine mammal 
species and their habitat through education and research. 



On behalf of the BDRI, I am pleased to announce that we are currently accepting 
applications for the following:
INTERN COORDINATOR WITH THE BDRI 


This position is responsible for assisting the BDRI biologists (Chief Biologist 
& Director: Bruno Díaz López and Marine Biologist: Séverine Methion) in the 
running of the "Marine Mammals Research Project in Galician waters, Spain"  
 " and coordinating the interns 
participating in the research and educational programs.
Start Date: January 2017     /
End Date: October 31st 2017 (start and end dates could be flexible)

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:
- Assisting the BDRI's biologists in all phases of the research and 
organization.
- Coordinate between the BDRI's biologists and the interns - in charge of the 
intern shared house.
- Assisting the BDRI's biologists in intern basic training of land- and boat 
based surveys, photo ID studies, Database entry, Bioacoustical analysis, GIS, 
and more.
- Assisting the BDRI's biologists with all aspects of marine mammal stranding 
response, including live animal health assessment and triage, biological data 
collection, and sampling from dead stranded marine mammals.

Requirements:
- An academic background in biology, veterinary or natural science, coupled 
with motivation, willingness to work hard and interest in marine mammals 
research make the most qualified individuals. The successful applicant is 
expected to have a BSc degree (or higher) and able to demonstrate previous 
experience in marine mammal research. 
- The preferred candidate should have a proven track record as a team player as 
the project will involve working closely with other participants but also must 
be able to supervise small groups of people as they will be coordinating up to 
9 interns. They must also be self-motivated with the drive and determination to 
work independently and responsibly. 
- Must be of good physical fitness, be able to lift/carry 35lbs (16 kg), walk 
long distances in difficult terrain, be comfortable on boats in 
nearshore/offshore waters, able to swim, and work in harsh weather conditions 
at times.
- The intern coordinator must be able to follow written and oral staff 
directions and protocols effectively. 
- The intern coordinator must be able to spend many hours on the water, on 
shore, and working in the lab. Laboratory work days typically last 6 hours and 
field days typically exceed four hours and occur approximately two-three times 
per week. There will be one/two days off per week. 
- Fluent in English.

About the Organization
The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute BDRI, founded in 2005, has grown into 
an internationally renowned research center and educational organization. Its 
professional staff collaborates with many different scientific, educational, 
and non-profit organizations from around the world. The project is based in O 
Grove, North-western coast of Spain since 2014, and offers the participants the 
chance to work during many steps of the field research and data analysis. The 
main purpose of this program is to contribute towards a more detailed 
understanding of the ecology and behaviour of bottlenose dolphins and harbour 
porpoises, with a focus on ethology, social structure, habitat use, and 
communication. Furthermore, as the Galician coastline is known for frequent 
strandings of various marine mammals species, the BDRI is part of an important 
national network for rescue and data collection from these stranded animals. 


Additional Information
This post brings the opportunity to be trained by the BDRI' Chief Biologist 
(Mr. Bruno Díaz López) in marine mammals research. 

This position is unpaid but accommodation in the intern shared house will be 
covered. Successful applicant will be responsible of its own expenses, 
including food and travelling to and from the research centre in O Grove, 
Galicia, Spain.
The intern coordinator is required to attend at least five days per week, which 
may include weekends and holidays. Please keep in mind that field work is 
weather dependent, unpredictable, and changes seasonally. 

To apply:
Applicants must be authorized to legally remain in Europe for more than 3 
months if they are not European citizens or authorized to work in Europe. 
International applicants will be considered, but it is the responsibility of 
the applicant to acquire necessary visas and documentation. The internship 
position requires the commitment for the full session (at least 9 months 
between January 2017 - October 2017). 
Interested candidates should submit an application with the following:
- A cover letter including your availability, i.e. preferred time period (1 
page only);

[MARMAM] New publication on habitat characteristics and critical areas of Irrawaddy dolphin in Sarawak, Malaysia

[Cindy Peter]

Dear MARMAM colleagues,

My co-authors and I are pleased to announce our most recent publication in
Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation:

*Peter, C*.,  Zulkifli Poh, A.N., Ngeian, J., Tuen, A. A. and Minton, G.,
(2016). *Identifying habitat characteristics and critical areas of
Irrawaddy dolphin habitat (Orcaella brevirostris) in Kuching Bay, Sarawak,
Malaysia: Implications for conservation*. In Indraneil Das and Andrew A.
Tuen (Eds,), *Naturalists, Explorers and Field Scientists in Southeast Asia
and Australasia* Vol 15, Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation. Springer
International Publishing. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-26161-4


Abstract:
Irrawaddy dolphins, *Orcaella brevirostris*, in the Kuching Bay, Sarawak,
Malaysia have been subjected to pressure from cetacean-fisheries
interactions, dolphin watching tourism and coastal development. However,
very little information is known about their ecology and factors driving
their habitat preferences. To obtain critical information on the
distribution, habitat preference and range pattern of Irrawaddy dolphins in
Kuching Bay, Sarawak, systematic boat-based surveys were conducted between
June 2008 and October 2012. The results showed a statistically significant
relationship between Irrawaddy dolphins’ distribution and different
categories of salinity, tide levels and distance to river mouths.
Kruskal-Wallis tests confirmed that the presence of Irrawaddy dolphins in
Kuching Bay had statistically significant relationships to habitat
parameters of salinity (chi-square = 4.694, p = 0.03). Fisher’s exact test
indicated that Irrawaddy dolphins were statistically more likely to be
present in waters within a 6 km radius of river mouths. The distribution of
dolphins was also affected by tide levels as Mann-Whitney  U -tests proved
a statistically significant difference in dolphin distribution between tide
levels lower than 2.0 m and tide levels higher than 2.0 m (p = 3.153 ×
10−11 ). The representative range and core area of photo-identified
Irrawaddy dolphins estimated using fixed kernel range was 246.42 km2  and
37.22 km2 , respectively, with core area located in the Salak Estuary. The
results obtained in this study reflect dry season distribution only, and may
differ during the wet season. Nonetheless, these results highlight
the importance of shallow coastal waters and the overlap of Irrawaddy
dolphin critical habitat with that of human activities in Kuching Bay.
Conservation efforts are required to minimize the effects of the pressures
exerted on these animals and their habitats.

For full pdf, please send your email to cindycharity.pe...@gmail.com

Regards,
Cindy Peter

-- 
Cindy Peter, MSc (Marine Ecology)
Research Officer
Sarawak Dolphin Project
Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation
University Malaysia Sarawak
www.ibec.unimas.my/SDP2008
Office: +60 82 583 003
Mobile: +60 16 892 6027
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