Producing Conservation Territories at Sea: Processes and Consequences at the Science-Policy Interface

Abstract:

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are playing an increasingly significant role in global ocean conservation governance. In just the past ten years, total ocean area under protected status has increased more than fivefold. Drawing on literature from political ecology, political geography, and Science and Technology Studies, this talk will examine how science and other kinds of knowledge are produced for, and integrated into, MPA policies. The talk will draw on research I have conducted together with collaborators and graduate students in Belize, Kiribati, and international policy venues, including the Convention on Biological Diversity. Collectively, these research projects demonstrate both the possibilities and limitations of various science-based approaches to MPA policy making, in terms of social outcomes and territorialization.

Dr. Noella Gray

Noella Gray is an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph. Her research focuses on the political ecology of marine conservation, examining how marine conservation policies are produced, the role of various actors and knowledge systems in informing these policy processes, and the consequences of these policies. She has conducted research in Costa Rica, Belize, Kiribati, and international policy venues. She received her PhD from the Nicholas School of Environment at Duke University, a MA in Geography from the University of Western Ontario, and a BSc from McGill University.

Photo Credit: Graham McDowell, IRES PhD Candidate