On the 9th of September 2024, many project members met on Zoom to catch up and share our activities since the last meeting. These are updates from the meeting.
Overview
The meeting demonstrated excellent progress across many sub-groups within the partnership, with individual teams actively engaged in research and outreach activities. The focus is now shifting towards strengthening collaboration, connecting research outputs, and ensuring the project’s long-term impact through the upcoming midterm review and the biannual meeting in Costa Rica.
Midterm Review and Project Planning
- The partnership is approaching its third year and we are now planning documentation to submit for the midterm review by SSHRC.
- This review is crucial for continued funding and requires a thorough assessment of progress against initial milestones.
- Participants were asked to review a document outlining planned activities for years one and two and reflect on achievements and necessary adjustments.
- The upcoming bi-annual meeting in Costa Rica will be a key opportunity to solidify the midterm report and renew project plans.
Connecting Research Activities and Fostering Collaboration
- While individual teams have made significant progress, the need to strengthen connections and foster collaboration across case studies and working groups was emphasized.
- Linking local case study findings with global initiatives like BSM 2, which aims to develop nature-positive scenarios, was discussed as a potential avenue for collaboration.
Biannual Meeting in Costa Rica
- Updates were provided on the upcoming meeting, scheduled for February 2025.
- The agenda will likely span four days, including a field trip to a Costa Rican case study site.
- A modeling workshop will be integrated into the agenda, with Solen leading the organization.
- Dedicated spaces and time slots for early career researcher discussions and networking will be provided.
- The meeting aims to produce tangible outputs, such as collaborative project ideas and potential publications.
Knowledge Exchange and Capacity Building
- The importance of knowledge exchange, particularly for early career researchers, was highlighted.
- Temitope discussed the West African team’s efforts in curating training needs for ECRs and proposed opening their planned workshops to participants from other regions.
- A dedicated meeting to discuss knowledge exchange opportunities and modalities, including potential student exchanges, was suggested.
African Case Study update
- Temitope highlighted the completion of a co-creation workshop on IUU fishing and plastic pollution, the development of infographics, and ongoing fieldwork in Lagos.
- Margaret provided an update on the Ghana team’s situational analysis of IUU fishing and plans for a project launch event.
- Ahmed announced a new $6 million project funded by the African Development Bank focused on transboundary fisheries governance, climate resilience, and trade facilitation in the Horn of Africa. He suggested potential collaborations with UBC, including a grant program to train students and conduct policy-relevant studies.
