ISBW14 Workshops

ISBW14 has loads of exciting and educational workshops lined up. See the workshop schedule and descriptions below to determine which workshops you would like to register for. If you select a workshop that spans multiple timeslots, you are expected to participate in the entire workshop. You may register for as many or as few workshops as you like, but do not register for multiple workshops that are scheduled to take place at the same time. These workshops are included in the registration costs and are offered at no additional expense!

PLEASE NOTE: We recently noticed that we never updated this schedule when we moved Friday's plenary to the evening. Friday workshops start at 9:00 AM and finish at 3:30 PM. Apologies for the confusion!

• Novel species in seagrass ecosystems: a review of impacts and management in homage to Susan Williams

  Leaders:
  Fiona Tomas Nash, IMEDEA and Oregon State University
  A. Randall Hughes, Northeastern University
  Cascade J.B. Sorte, University of California Irvine
  Adriana Verges, University of New South Wales

  Maximum number of participants: 35

  Date and Time: 11:00 AM Thursday, 11 August – 3:30 PM on Friday, 12 August
  (Workshop hours include all scheduled coffee and lunch breaks)

  Description:

  Biological invasions are one of the main causes of global biodiversity loss, and constitute an increasingly worrying threat to ecosystem function. While humans depend on a few introduced species, many introduced species can impose large economic costs and negative effects on human health. Negative effects of invasive species are particularly apparent in coastal ecosystems, where many exotic species have successfully established (Cohen and Carlton 1998, Grosholz 2002). In addition to the introduction of non-native species, many species are exhibiting spatial range shifts associated with climate change, mainly expanding from the tropics poleward, a phenomenon known as tropicalization. This phenomenon is further contributing to the establishment of novel species, and it is of particular concern in marine ecosystems, where rates of expansion are one order of magnitude higher than for terrestrial systems (Sorte et al. 2010).

  Given the ecological and socioeconomic importance of seagrass beds, the management of novel (i.e. non-native or resulting from range shifts) species in these ecosystems is a critical conservation challenge of our century. The most comprehensive review regarding the vectors of introduction, ecological effects, factors enhancing invasion, and management implications of introduced species in seagrass ecosystems is already more than a decade old, being performed by Professor Susan L. Williams in 2007. Given that substantial research regarding invasions on seagrass ecosystems has been developed since then, that invasions are steadily increasing worldwide, and that the establishment and impacts of range-shifting species are not anecdotal phenomena, we believe now is a critical time to expand and update the work conducted by Professor Williams.

  In order to develop adequate management and conservation policies for seagrass ecosystems it is essential that we understand the main patterns and processes that drive the successful establishment of novel species in these ecosystems and that we provide updated and accurate knowledge of the ecological impacts these species are having or may have in this increasingly globalized world undergoing climate change.

  In this workshop we aim to bring together experts examining different aspects of novel / introduced species in seagrass ecosystems (e.g. vectors, patterns of spread, impacts, biotic resistance, management) in order to produce a comprehensive and synthetic review of the existing knowledge regarding novel species on seagrass ecosystems. In addition, we aim to identify major knowledge gaps and address directions for future research and management. By providing this information we want to provide critical information necessary for managers and pay homage to Professor Susan L. Williams, who was an expert on both seagrass ecology and biological invasions and an active leader in bringing the best scientific knowledge to inform management decisions.

  As a result of such review we envision the production of a publication for a peer-reviewed journal which we believe will be very valuable for both researchers, managers and stakeholders involved in seagrass conservation and non-native species.

  PLEASE NOTE: This is a two-day workshop!

• Promoting Underrepresented Voices in Seagrass Science

  Leaders:
  Briana Yancy, EPA Chesapeake Bay Program

  Maximum number of participants: 80

  Date and Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM on Thursday, 11 August

  Description:

  Briana Yancy and panelists will lead a thought-provoking conversation and provide actionable ways to promote underrepresented voices in seagrass science.

• IUCN seagrass species group: Red List expert assessment

  Leaders:
  Brooke Sullivan, University of Washington
  Frederick Short, University of New Hampshire

  Maximum number of participants: 80

  Date and Time: 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM on Thursday, 11 August
  (Workshop hours include a scheduled 12:30-2:00 PM lunch break and a 3:30-4:00 PM coffee break)

  Description:

  The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM is widely recognized as the most comprehensive and objective approach for evaluating the conservation status of all species. The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) is tasked with measuring the relative risk of extinction for described species around the world. The IUCN SSC specifically tasked the Seagrass Red List Authority (RLA) and Seagrass Specialist Group (SSG) with updating the IUCN Red List status of seagrasses for the 2017-2020 quadrennium. Draft risk assessments were prepared by a volunteer team of bioregional leaders and members who have updated the conservation status for each seagrass species. This was achieved through an expert assessment process, including standardization of seagrass Red List assessment methodologies, participation of leading global scientists, inclusion of global seagrass conservation members and a rigorous review of the best available science. The specific tasks to be completed by the IUCN seagrass Red List group during this important international workshop are 1) collaborations and approvals of revised Red List species and statuses, and 2) introduction and development of a preliminary list of conservation and restoration achievements in each bioregion as part of the new IUCN ‘Green List’ criteria.

  
  This Expert Assessment process for the SSG will include an introductory session at WSC led by the SSG Co-Chairs, Dr. Fred Short and Dr. Brooke Sullivan and participating SSSG Bioregional Leaders. Following the WSC session, this workshop will be held during ISBW to facilitate broader participation of global seagrass experts in identification and quantification of IUCN Red List species and Red and Green List criteria. Drs. Sullivan, Short and others will use these completed assessments to establish and update the final and published statuses for all seagrass species world-wide. The workshop will specifically begin with a brief introduction to the IUCN Red List and Criteria, leading to facilitation of bioregional and taxonomic species status breakout groups and a final brainstorming session on how the SSC SSSG can move forward on green listing and identifying hotspots of recovery and conservation world-wide. The outcome of this workshop will be increased participation of the WSA membership in the IUCN, completion and updating the Red and Green list seagrass species profiles, and visioning for the 2021-2025 quadrennium goals. At least one manuscript will be prepared for publication that will serve as an update to the previous assessment (Short et al. 2011). Participants who attend the workshop will be invited to contribute to the final species assessments and a written manuscript (Sullivan, et al. 2022). All of those participants who contribute significantly to the final written manuscript and figures will receive authorship.

• Seagrass Nurseries for Research and Restoration

  Leaders:
  Laura Govers, University of Groningen, Netherlands
  Emma Jackson, CQUniversity, Australia
  Sam Rees, Swansea University, UK
  Craig Sherman, Deakin University, Australia

  Maximum number of participants: 30

  Date and Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM on Thursday, 11 August

  Description:

  Seagrasses are declining at locations across the globe faster than they can naturally recover. The prognosis for recovery without intervention is poor. On land, responsible developers have long tried to minimise environmental damage by ensuring that they revegetate sites or offset degradation to achieve local ecological balance. Terrestrial native plant nurseries are well established, supplying seeds and propagating plants from specific provenances for revegetation projects, and playing a vital role in furthering research on propagation of native plant restoration. Marine developers also recognise their responsibility but are limited in their mitigation and revegetation capacity by a lack of supporting industries that can provide seed or transplants for revegetation projects. This has led to a number of dedicated seagrass nursery facilities being established across the world to provide not only research infrastructure to further develop seed and plant handling protocols but also work with industry to establish seagrass mariculture technology in a land-based ‘plant nursery’ setting, which could be reliably achieved at an industrial scale.

  Goal

  This workshop will for the first time bring together seagrass nursery research practitioners and share experiences, examine the state of the art of seagrass nurseries globally. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

  • Infrastructure design
  • Maintaining water quality, nutrients, sediment and lighting
  • Cultivation and propagation
  • Seed storage
  • Permitting
  • Biosecurity
  • Hardening/ growing out
  • Adaptation and population management
  • Pest management

  To facilitate timely outcomes from the workshop, attendees will be encouraged to contribute to a shared spreadsheet ahead of the workshop:

  1. Details of established or developing seagrass nurseries, with information on infrastructure, target species and purpose.
  2. Identifying the challenges on considerations of establishing seagrass nurseries (design, permitting, maintaining favourable environmental conditions).

  The outputs of the workshop will be a review article on the status of seagrass nurseries and establishing a research framework for developing working seagrass nursery protocols. The framework and initial text for this will be partly completed prior to the workshop and those participants interested and with content to contribute, will be invited to co-author.

  Proposed format: The format will be short presentations and group discussions of approaches, collateral products such as fish and carbon, and policies.

  Facilities/equipment required: Break out spaces.

  Who benefits from attending? 1) Seagrass scientists growing seagrass for restoration or experiments; 2) Environmental resource managers; 3) Policy makers of estuarine resources; 4) Community organizers and conservation foundations.

  *Please only register for this workshop if you are currently cultivating seagrass aquaria systems.

• Engaging international seagrass experts in a mapping and monitoring community of practice

  Leaders:
  Jud Kenworthy, NOAA Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research, retired
  Lawrence Handley, CNL World
  Robert J. Orth, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
  David J. Wilcox, Virginia Institute of Marine Science
  Catherine Lockwood, CNL World
  Mark Finkbeiner, NOAA Office for Coastal Management
  Lisa Havel, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
  Aaron Kornbluth, The Pew Charitable Trusts
  Elizabeth Lacey, Stockton University

  Maximum number of participants: 55

  Date and Time: 2:00 PM -5:30 PM on Thursday, 11 August
  (Workshop hours include a scheduled 3:30-4:00 PM coffee break)

  Description:

  A recognized need for a unified seagrass mapping and monitoring effort was emphasized at a Gulf of Mexico Alliance workshop in 2017. Key results of this workshop were the development of a comprehensive tiered-monitoring approach for seagrasses in the Gulf of Mexico and recognition of the need to organize a Seagrass Community of Practice (CoP) to facilitate collaboration and coordination among seagrass experts. Between 2017 and 2019, the Gulf of Mexico Seagrass Monitoring CoP and the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) SAV Mapping and Monitoring CoP were formed. Two follow-up workshops further supported these efforts: a Mobile, AL workshop in 2019, supported by NOAA, expanded upon the tiered-monitoring approach and a 2019 CERF Conference workshop focused on how the CERF SAV Mapping and Monitoring CoP and the Gulf of Mexico Seagrass Monitoring CoP could support and coordinate with similar communities nationally and internationally. It is intended that these complimentary efforts can serve as models for structuring monitoring efforts in other regions of the United States and internationally where SAV, seagrasses, and other shallow habitat resources are located. Based on the global trends in seagrass and SAV loss, it is essential that disparate projects at a national and international level apply recognized best practices, use consistent/comparable data acquisition and management methods, and share information to the greatest extent possible. This will improve the ability to integrate data at local, national, and international levels and increase our understanding of and efforts for seagrass conservation, resurgence, and restoration.

  This three-hour workshop will be an interactive session that will include presentations from topical experts as well as group dialog. The tiered-monitoring approach developed by the Gulf of Mexico Seagrass Monitoring CoP, A Seagrass Monitoring Approach for the Gulf of Mexico, will be explained and discussion will revolve around the recently formed CERF SAV Mapping and Monitoring Community of Practice, the Gulf of Mexico Seagrass Monitoring Community of Practice, the Chesapeake Bay Program’s SAV Monitoring Program, and the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership’s recent initiative to develop an Atlantic States-wide SAV monitoring protocol. Additional discussion points will include national and international seagrass monitoring programs such as Seagrass Watch, Seagrass NET, and Pew Charitable Trusts initiatives.

  The agenda will focus on three goals with outputs that will help formulate and solidify an -international seagrass community of practice to further global assessments:

  Goal 1: Engage a larger contingent of Seagrass Experts within a Community of Practice (CoP). Associated output: Build a larger membership in the CoP through inclusion of other International entities.

  Goal 2: Provide content for current Seagrass CoP activities. Associated output: Explanation of tiered-monitoring concept; continuation of seagrass matrix development.

  Goal 3: Devise a plan to move forward on seagrass mapping and monitoring internationally. Associated output: Form a Team of Seagrass experts to review international best practices for conservation, resurgence, and restoration of seagrasses; Form a framework for measurement of success of restoration activities.

• Science communication: Communicate better and expand your reach

  Leaders:
  Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Staff

  Maximum number of participants: 50

  Date and Time: 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM on Thursday, 11 August
  (Workshop hours include a scheduled 3:30-4:00 PM coffee break)

  Description:

  Science, no matter how excellent, is most impactful when communicated effectively. Scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals are the currency of science, but posters, presentations, and the web are essential for communicating current research and new insights to a variety of audiences (including managers, stakeholders, and the general public). This course provides participants with a science communication toolbox for sharing their research within and beyond the scientific community.

  Participants will be introduced to the theory and principles of effective science communication and strategies to better reach scientific audiences and beyond. They will improve their skills in the development of effective and eye-catching conceptual diagrams, learn about and practice developing science communication products, and, ultimately, become more effective communicators.

• Crowdsourcing environmental data: the role of volunteers in SAV monitoring

  Leaders:
  Brooke Landry, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
  Ben Jones, Project Seagrass

  Maximum number of participants: 80

  Date and Time: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM on Friday, 12 August

  Description:

  One of the biggest challenges in seagrass and SAV resource management and restoration is broad-scale monitoring and data collection. This workshop will delve into the possibilities and benefits - as well as the difficulties - that emerge when volunteers are engaged in that process. We’ll explore two programs, one a regional effort and the other a global effort, and identify practices that workshop participants can emulate to start their own volunteer-based SAV monitoring programs.

  
  First, the Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers Program is a volunteer monitoring program that relies on Riverkeepers and other watershed groups to monitor SAV in the Chesapeake Bay. It was designed to provide volunteer scientists with an engaging and educational experience with SAV while also generating useful data for Chesapeake Bay scientists and managers.

  The second program will be SeagrassSpotter. SeagrassSpotter is a global program that seeks to expand the number of people studying seagrass from a handful of scientists to hundreds and potentially thousands of ‘citizen scientists.' As part of efforts to build a sustainable monitoring network, and by leveraging the enthusiasm of everyone from fishers to SCUBA divers to people on vacations at the beach, Seagrass Spotter is creating a more comprehensive picture of seagrass meadows around the globe. This in turn is inspiring new scientific research and practical conservation measures that can help protect ocean habitats.

• Coping with Eco-anxiety and combating environmental fatigue

  Leaders:
  Becky Swerida and Coreen Weilminster, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

  Maximum number of participants: 80

  Date and Time: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM on Friday, 12 August

  Description:

  The oceans are warming, weather extremes are becoming the "new normal,", and now your favorite seagrass species is facing an uncertain future. What’s a hard-working scientific professional to do?? Is all hope lost??? Eco-anxiety is a unique struggle for scientists, managers, educators and all others who are faced daily with the harsh realities of the instability that comes with our rapidly changing world. Grief and anxiety caused by acute, immediate and often large scale loss, slow and subtle loss over time, the anticipation of future loss as well as the stress of feeling unheard in your warnings by others is exhausting and traumatic. In this workshop, we will explore current research documenting the eco-anxiety phenomenon and creative, mindful techniques for increasing emotional resilience, resolve and mental agility necessary to not only cope during these frustrating times but become inspired and thrive.

• Harnessing seagrass expert networks to generate better knowledge, management, and restoration of seagrass meadows

  Leaders:
  Salomão Bandeira, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane
  Mohamed Sidi Cheikh, Mauritanian Caisse des Dépôts et de Développement (CDD)
  Iderlindo Santos, Wetlands International Afrique Côte Occidentale (WIACO)

  Maximum number of participants: 55

  Date and Time: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM on Friday, 12 August
  (Workshop hours include two scheduled coffee breaks and one scheduled lunch break)

  Description:

  Africa is at crossroads of seagrass conservation. As a result of seagrass monitoring programmes and increasing capacity building in several West African states, there have been new seagrass distribution discoveries in several countries including Senegal, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tomé & Principe. In eastern Africa, seagrasses are already relatively well known. However, several threats have challenged seagrass resources management, restoration and wider implementation of best practices. Around 15 seagrass species are known to occur within Africa, with approximately 80% in the east and 20% in the west. While there are a few documented examples of seagrass monitoring, these meadows are increasingly being impacted by several anthropogenic and natural causes, including increased coastal development, increased fishing and climate change.

  Participation and commitment by experts and other stakeholders is key to providing an overall understanding of seagrass distribution, health, trends and functional role — information needed to facilitate the best possible practices in seagrass conservation and restoration. Regional networks are useful, partly because of meaningful differences in seagrass biology and ecology among bioregions, but also because geographical proximity facilitates cooperation, sharing experiences and collaboration, and helps organisation of training.

  The goal of this workshop is to i) discuss the different stages and challenges faced by regional networks, ii) exchange on existing knowledge and on-going initiatives on a range of topics, highlight successes and failures using examples and case-studies from West Africa (ResilienSEA project) and the Western Indian Ocean region (Western Indian Ocean Seagrass Network) in order to build greater knowledge around the work that is occurring in these two regions, and iii) seize the opportunity of this international meeting to collectively brainstorm on ways forward and develop strategic ways forward.

  The workshop will cover the following topics:

  • Network structure:

    • acknowledgment (links with other regional/international networks)

    • sustainability (resources, meeting opportunities)

  • Training opportunities: identify future events, stakeholders and funding opportunities.

  • Data repositories: discuss the establishment of an open-access database to serve a global vision.

  • Seagrass mapping: overcome geographical gaps in knowledge of the extent and composition of seagrass beds: share experience on techniques to facilitate knowledge acquisition (remote sensing, fieldwork etc.)

  • Seagrass monitoring: discuss the need for a monitoring adapted to the local context, while making the method for data collection compatible with other regional and international protocols.

  • Seagrass restoration: discuss success and failures and existing guidelines across the globe

  • Blue carbon: discuss appropriate methods.

  
  Proposed workshop outputs/goals:

  • Workshop synthesis report for West Africa and WIO regions

    • The development of this report will help practitioners in the two regions, indeed across Africa to focus on what is most likely to work for them when planning a seagrass project and to assist them to better match the available methods and approaches to their particular local situation. This will prevent failures when using practices that don’t work and replicate successes learning from methods tested elsewhere. The report will be intended for stakeholders and actors in seagrass management in both regions, including resource managers, practitioners, scientists, students, NGOs and communities. It will be tailored for practical applicability to both regions by considering seagrass species, environmental settings, management context, logistic and economic constraints specific to the regions. It will integrate the results from the break-out groups during the workshop as well as case-studies and practical experiences from seagrass projects in West Africa and WIO regions. This report will be translated from English into French and Portuguese.

  • Exposure story for ResilienSEA, WIOSN, WIOMSA and GRID-Arendal websites.

  • Potential Memoranda of Understanding between institutions to facilitate knowledge sharing in the future.

• Stakeholder engagement: Broaden the impact of your research

  Leaders:
  Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Staff

  Maximum number of participants: 50

  Date and Time: 1100 AM – 12:30 PM on Friday, 12 August

  Description:

  As the consequences of environmental change are increasingly felt globally, engaging stakeholders in science is becoming more important. Inviting stakeholders into scientific discourse broadens the impact of science, leads to a more holistic understanding of the natural world, fosters public environmental stewardship, increases support of science and science-based management, and unites and empowers communities. This workshop will help participants think beyond the specifics of their research and focus on the many people who are affected by the implications of that research. Through activities such as stakeholder mapping and role playing, participants will learn to identify who to engage, how to engage them, and the value that engaging stakeholders can add to research. Ultimately, this will help participants better communicate WITH stakeholders rather than just TO them.

• The Use of High-Resolution Satellite Imagery for Seagrass Detection and Mapping

  Leaders:
  Victoria Hill, Old Dominion University

  Maximum number of participants: 35

  Date and Time: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM on Friday, 12 August

  Description:

  During this workshop, Dr. Victoria Hill will discuss the use of high-resolution satellite imagery for seagrass detection and mapping. She will discuss various publicly and privately available satellites, the pros and cons of each, and describe how to obtain needed data for seagrass research and monitoring. This workshop will be interactive and participants will be asked to share their experience and any advice for using satellite data and other tools for seagrass mapping. Additionally, Dr. Hill will share progress in the development of machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence for automated seagrass detection and quantification in both clear water systems and turbid coastal estuaries.

  PLEASE NOTE: Participants will need to bring their laptop computers to this workshop!

• Seagrass Mapper: An open tool for seagrass mapping using cloud computing on Google Earth Engine

  Leaders:
  Genki Terauchi, Northwest Pacific Region Environmental Cooperation Center

  Maximum number of participants: 65

  Date and Time: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM on Friday, 12 August

  Description:

  Dr. Genki Terauchi will be introducing Seagrass Mapper, a Google Earth Engine based web tool for mapping seagrass. During the workshop, preparation of training data based on field-based information and the procedure of analyzing satellite images will be presented. Participants will work with sample datasets to experience seagrass detection using the power of cloud computing and obtain knowledge of using Seagrass Mapper in different coastal zones in the world. A registered account to use Google Earth Engine is recommended, but not required in Seagrass Mapper.

  PLEASE NOTE: Participants will need to bring their laptop computers to this workshop!

• Facilitated migration and selective breeding: The future of seagrass conservation and restoration?

  Leaders:
  Bradley Peterson, Stony Brook University
  Christopher Clapp, The Nature Conservancy
  Jon Lefcheck, MarineGEO, Smithsonian Institution
  Phil Colarusso, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  Jessie Jarvis, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
  Erin Shields, Chesapeake Bay NERR – Virginia/Virginia Institute of Marine Science
  Chantal Collier, The Nature Conservancy
  Boze Hancock, The Nature Conservancy

  Maximum number of participants: 80

  Date and Time: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM on Friday, 12 August

  Description:

  Sea surface temperatures (SST) are not rising uniformly across the globe. For example, water temperatures along the northwest Atlantic have risen at a rate nearly twice the global average. This accelerated temperature increase has altered eelgrass (Zostera marina) growth rates, caused shifts in distribution and coverage, and changes in patterns of sexual reproduction. Much of the northeastern United States has seen eelgrass retreat over the past two decades from estuaries towards inlets or areas with increased exchange with the open ocean. Continued projected SST warming over the 21st century will likely result in further declines in eelgrass abundance, range shifts, and local extinction, particularly at its southern extent. Nevertheless, eelgrass and other species of seagrass persist in other regions while similarly challenged by rising temperatures and other water quality issues, such as high turbidity due to increased precipitation and runoff. The current rate of water temperature increase across the northwest Atlantic may be beyond this plant's ability to adapt based on variability in local populations, raising the notion of intervention to actively foster resistant or resilient populations. While this example is focused on the western North Atlantic Ocean, similar trends of decline in temperate species due to multiple stressors have been documented globally (e.g. Shark Bay Australia). New and innovative restoration approaches are needed if temperate species, such as Z. marina are to persist into the future in many areas away from the cooling oceanic influence. This workshop will present and discuss the outcomes and recommendations of recent regional discussions on both the facilitative migration and selectively breeding of temperage seagrasses for temperature resistant strains for general use in adaptive planning to mitigate climate impacts on this critical foundational species. While the previous regional discussions have been focused on Z. marina, the issues to be discussed in this workshop are germane to other seagrass species facing similar temperature stresses and we welcome the participation of all who are wrestling with similar restoration challenges.

  This workshop will cover the following topics:

  Facilitative migration of eelgrass warm water strains and selective breeding to create temperature resistant strains – Can we do this? Should we do this? How do we do this?

  Proposed workshop outputs/goals:

  1. Engage a larger contingent of seagrass experts to address the issues involved with the techniques, practicality and ethics of such a restoration strategy.
  2. Devise a plan to move forward along these lines of restoration strategies and identify potential teams of collaborators for different global regions.