Constantine Alexander's blog

A robot that flies like a bird

One of the oldest dreams of mankind is to fly like a bird. Many, from Leonardo da Vinci to contemporary research teams, tried to crack the "code" for the flight of birds, unsuccessfully. Until in 2011 the engineers of the Bionic Learning Network established by Festo, a German technology company, developed a flight model of an artificial bird that's capable of taking off and rising in the air by means of its flapping wings alone. It's called SmartBird. Markus Fischer is Festo's head of corporate design, where he's responsible for a wide array of initiatives. He established the Bionic Learning Network in 2006.

SmartBird is inspired by the herring gull. The wings not only beat up and down but twist like those of a real bird -- and seeing it fly leaves no doubt: it's a perfect technical imitation of the natural model, just bigger. (Even birds think so.) Its wingspan is almost two meters, while its carbon-fiber structure weighs only 450 grams.

Fischer says: "We learned from the birds how to move the wings, but also the need to be very energy efficient."

 

Wells Fargo fosters environmental conservation through University of Miami's RJD program

Partnership to inspire STEM learning, build awareness of marine environment

		Wells Fargo & Company awarded the University of Miami’s R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program a grant for $40,000 in support of marine conservation science. The grant will address two major needs: the lack of engaging science education opportunities that inspire youth to learn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills, and a lack of knowledge and awareness about marine ecology and conservation, particularly in relation to shark species. Credit: Christine Shepard

Wells Fargo has awarded the University of Miami's R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program a grant for $40,000 in support of marine conservation science. The grant will address two major needs: the lack of engaging science education opportunities that inspire youth to learn STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills and adopt conservation attitudes and behaviors, and a lack of knowledge and awareness about marine ecology and conservation, particularly in relation to shark species.

The program will impact a local audience through hands-on trips, as well as people across the globe via online education tools, including virtual expeditions, webinars, pod-casts, blogs, online curricula and social media. Students are lead through a series of field research activities and assignments that give them the feeling of actually being in the field. Interactive Twitter "teach-Ins" every month provide teachers nationwide with knowledge and feedback on scientific topics of interest.

"Wells Fargo is pleased to support the efforts of the University of Miami's R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program,'" said Frank Newman, South Florida Regional President at Wells Fargo. "We are committed to helping make our community aware of the importance of preserving the environment and fostering greater understanding of marine ecology and conservation within the South Florida community."

RJD was established in 2010 to provide marine science education opportunities that inspire youth to learn STEM skills and become informed supporters of ocean conservation. The program addresses a lack of knowledge and awareness about marine ecology and conservation, particularly in relation to shark species, by providing students with hands-on experiences that capture the imagination and engage the spirit.

Over the past four years, RJD has taken more than 3,000 high school students from 41 countries into the field to participate in shark research – students attending run the gamut from private schools, to economically disadvantaged, to juvenile offenders. High school students visit the University of Miami's research field station on located on Broad Key, Fla. and are taught about marine conservation issues from the station's in-house classrooms. The facility also serves as the base for students to join scientists in data collection and analysis, including shark abundance surveys, stable isotope analysis, underwater visual surveys, acoustic studies, and blood hormone analysis. In doing so, students will be trained in scientific methods, data synthesis and reporting.

"We are extremely honored and grateful to receive this prestigious grant from Wells Fargo," said Dr. Neil Hammerschlager, UM faculty member and director of RJD. "These much needed funds will go a long way toward expanding and enhancing our marine conservation research and educational work."

This donation is part of Wells Fargo's commitment to supporting the environment. As part of the company's commitment to "greener" communities, economy and operations, Wells Fargo has committed to $30 + billion in environmental investments by the year 2020.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 23 on Fortune's 2011 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy all our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially.

The R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program is a joint program of the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science and the Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy at the University of Miami. The Rosenstiel School offers one of the largest, most comprehensive marine and atmospheric programs in the nation. Robust academics and in-depth scientific investigation are hallmarks of the School's programs. The Abess Center creates innovative interdisciplinary initiatives that bridge the gap between hard science and environmental policy.

Contact: Barbra Gonzalez
barbgo@rsmas.miami.edu
305-421-4704
University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science

United States and European Union Share Vision for Sustainable World Fisheries

Dr. Lubchenco and Marina Damanaki addressing the European Union Parliament on May 30, 2012 in Brussels, Belgium.

Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., United States Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Maria Damanaki, European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, issued the following joint statement on sustainable fisheries management today as the two leaders delivered remarks to the EU Parliament on EU/US cooperation in Brussels:

As European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, we come together this week to advance our shared goals of healthy oceans and seafood, prosperous and sustainable fisheries, and economically vibrant coastal communities. To achieve these goals, we recognize the importance of putting into place policies and practices that favor long-term sustainability and prosperity.

We are here today to acknowledge the progress to date on rebuilding sustainable fisheries, promoting sustainable aquaculture, and combating pirate fishing (also called illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing). We recognize the importance of strong international cooperation to achieve sustainable and legal fisheries on a global scale.

We have identified the most effective tools for rebuilding and maintaining sustainable fisheries. These tools include:

• A science-based, precautionary, and ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management;
• Working partnerships to conduct cooperative scientific research and to develop innovative fisheries management strategies that improve profits while sustaining healthy fisheries;
• Strong measures to combat pirate fishing because it leads to unfair competition for lawabiding fishermen in the marketplace, and it undermines efforts to manage fisheries sustainably;
• Sustainable aquaculture to meet the growing demand for seafood that wild fisheries alone cannot satisfy;
• Global leadership and a commitment to implement best practices for using these tools.

The United States turned the corner on ending overfishing and rebuilding sustainable domestic fisheries with the help of specific tools provided by the U.S. Congress in the landmark Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, with the commitment of U.S. fishermen to rebuild sustainable and profitable fisheries, and with the use of catch shares to align fishing and conservation incentives. The United States implemented annual catch limits and accountability measures in all federally managed fisheries, which are designed to end overfishing and rebuild stocks. The latest report shows that 79 percent of U.S. fish populations that were scientifically examined are at or above a level able to provide maximum sustainable fishing. Around a third of federally managed stocks are now managed with catch share programs, resulting in greater profitability, safer fishing conditions, and lower by-catch.

The EU is engaged in the development of a drastically reformed Common Fisheries Policy that draws upon similar tools. This reform emphasizes the central importance of following scientific advice for exploitation of the resources, setting concrete deadlines for reaching maximum sustainable yield of fisheries, and open, highly participatory regional decision-making.

The reform also aims to eliminate wasteful practices, such as discarding of unwanted catches.

Reversing the decline of fish populations requires time for stocks to rebuild and longterm commitment of managers, the fishing industry, processors, coastal communities, and other stakeholders. We believe, as has been the case in the United States, that taking steps to reverse these declines will be repaid by greater rewards – sustainable and profitable fishing, healthy seafood and thriving coastal communities.

As the EU and U.S. continue the hard work of rebuilding domestic fisheries, we are also making progress in combating pirate fishing to level the playing field for law-abiding fishermen.

As two of the largest harvesters of seafood and two of the largest markets for it, we have a responsibility to ensure that seafood provided to consumers, whether domestically produced or imported, is fished in accordance with responsible fishery management measures. Since we signed the statement last September in which we agreed to join forces against pirate fishing, the EU and U.S. have improved coordination and strengthened monitoring and enforcement. We have also worked together to secure adoption of stronger science-based management measures by the various regional fishery management organizations responsible for managing internationally shared fisheries. Our partnership to combat pirate fishing is a down payment on our larger shared commitment to sustainable fisheries, healthy seafood and prosperous fishing and fishing industry jobs.

• Download Joint Statement on Sustainable Fisheries Management

Contact: Monica Allen, NOAA Communications, at +1-301-427-8028, +1-202-379-6693, or Oliver Drewes, spokesman for Maria Damanaki, at +32-229-51752

As Regulators Meet, Fishing Boats Thumb Their Noses by: David Jolly of the New York Times.

"Talk about timing. As American and European fisheries officials met this week in Brussels to talk about, among other things, the problem of illegal and unregulated fishing, Chinese boats were illegally in the Mediterranean, making a mockery of efforts to manage the bluefin tuna fishing season." ... Read more here.

Current focus of veterinary medical profession leaves research, food security, public health needs underserved

Without immediate action, a new National Research Council report warns, the academic veterinary community could fail to prepare the next generation of veterinarians for faculty teaching and research positions as well as for jobs in state diagnostic laboratories, federal research and regulatory agencies, and the pharmaceutical and biologics industry. Although the supply of veterinarians is growing, more than half of veterinary students seek training in companion animal or pet medicine. In addition, increasing debt from veterinary education may inhibit graduates from pursuing Ph.D. training that would prepare them for academic careers, key jobs in the public sector, and some positions in industry.

Cost-cutting measures at universities have adversely affected the ability of colleges and schools of veterinary medicine to hire faculty in less popular fields of veterinary medicine and to support graduate research training. A potential shortage of professionals with training beyond a Doctor of Science in Veterinary Medicine could impact the supply of veterinarians to fill jobs overseeing and enforcing food safety and animal health standards, conducting research in human drug development and advances in pet health, and participating in wildlife and ecosystem management, infectious disease control, biosecurity, and agro-terrorism prevention.

"Companion animal medicine and its growing number of specialties that improve the health and lives of pets has been a success story, but it dominates veterinary schools' curriculum and resources, sometimes to the detriment of equally critical fields," said Alan Kelly, emeritus professor of pathology and pathobiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and chair of the committee that wrote the report. "We must ensure that schools train qualified veterinarians in sync with the diverse and growing array of societal needs."

For example, food-animal production is changing dramatically in the U.S. and abroad. Large U.S. producers need veterinary services to focus on "herd health" while small producers, who have difficulty collectively supporting a full-time veterinarian, need primary animal care. Having fewer veterinarians in rural areas raises concerns about the level of animal disease surveillance in the field, which is critical to the prompt detection of outbreaks with potentially massive economic consequences.

In developing countries, where meat demand is growing, crowding animals in hot, humid conditions places the health of animals, humans, and ecosystems at risk and is unsustainable. "The fact that 60 percent of all infectious diseases in humans are of animal origin and 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases in the last decade arose from animals underscores the importance of maintaining expertise in other areas of veterinary medicine," explained Kelly.

Addressing these challenges depends on the profession's commitment to promote and develop diverse career paths in veterinary medicine and on the efficient delivery of veterinary services, which in some cases may mean using veterinary technicians to extend the field's reach. The report's recommendations center on partnerships among professional veterinary organizations, academia, industry, and government. These groups could form a national consortium or committee to focus on the economic sustainability of the profession in all sectors of service, education, and research, and develop a national veterinary curriculum that could be delivered electronically or through alternative measures.

Veterinary medical organizations and the deans of veterinary colleges could work to increase the profession's visibility, standing, and potential to address global food security, says the report. Establishing a health-oriented think tank with the goal of advancing sustainable food-animal husbandry practices, welfare policies, ecosystem health standards, and the capacity of the veterinary profession in the developing world is important and could help future generations of veterinarians collaborate across professions, disciplines, and cultures. A part of this body could also evaluate the competencies required of U.S. veterinary graduates to address the global challenges of food and water safety and security, the impact of urbanization on food supply systems, and the health of wildlife and ecosystems.

The study was sponsored by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and Bayer Animal Health Inc. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies. They are independent, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter. Panel members, who serve pro bono as volunteers, are chosen by the Academies for each study based on their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies' conflict-of-interest standards. The resulting consensus reports undergo external peer review before completion.

Contact: Lorin Hancock
news@nas.edu
202-334-2138
National Academy of Sciences

Voluntary groups can promote pro-environmental practice at small scale

New research by the University of Southampton has examined the role of voluntary organisations in promoting pro-environmental behaviour change. It points to evidence of success around small-scale, local initiatives, but questions whether these can be scaled up to reach the wider public.

The research review points to qualitative and quantitative evidence of third sector initiatives that have changed people's practices around recycling, reuse and home energy use.

Evidence suggests third sector organisations (TSOs) can be successful at changing behaviour within local, small group settings, which encourage collective action and the creation of new group norms. They have also been successful at providing alternative infrastructures – such as sustainable housing projects, community farms, food or renewable energy co-operatives – that enable behaviour change.

However, the small, local and time-intensive nature of many projects poses a barrier to implementing them on a wider scale. There is also a lack of evidence around whether TSOs can have impact on 'harder to change' behaviours, such as transport practices.

Milena Buchs, from the Third Sector Research Centre at University of Southampton, who conducted the research, says: "Quite broad claims have been made about the ability of third sector organisations to influence behaviour. There are certainly good examples of them working with people to successfully change the way they approach things like energy use, food or waste. But evidence also suggests that many people who get involved in these projects are already engaged with environmental issues to some extent. The question that remains is whether it is possible to engage the broader public, especially where behaviour change challenges mainstream attitudes and norms.

"This may mean that additional government action is needed to change environmental practices at a national level."

Contact: Glenn Harris
G.Harris@soton.ac.uk
44-238-059-3212
University of Southampton

The environment and pharmaceuticals and personal care products: What are the big questions?

Routes of release of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals to the environment (EMBO Reports Vol 5[12])

Researchers at the University of York headed a major international review aimed at enhancing efforts to better understand the impacts of chemicals used in pharmaceuticals or in personal care products, such as cosmetics, soaps, perfumes, deodorants and toothpastes (PPCPs), on the natural environment.

Over the last two decades, scientists and regulators have raised concerns over the potential environmental effects and risks of the 4,000 pharmaceuticals and substantial number of personal care products that are used by society.

Following use, these substances can be released to the sewer system and can end up in rivers, aquifers and soils. Many PPCPs have been detected in the natural environment across the world. Though reported concentrations are generally low, some people are worried that, due to the biological activity of these substances, they could be adversely affecting the health of the environment and may also be getting into drinking water supplies.

The researchers in the University of York's Environment Department, working with academic, government and industry colleagues in the USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, S. Korea and Argentina identified key outstanding issues regarding the effects on human and ecological health in order that future resources will be focused on the most important areas. Their findings are published in the latest issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

They developed a 'Top 20' list of questions about issues that need to be addressed to better understand and manage the risks of PPCPs in the environment. An international expert workshop reduced an initial list of 101 potential questions to a final 20 ranked by importance.

The top 20 questions fell into seven categories:

• Identification of PPCPs and situations that research should be focussed on
• Understanding how PPCPs get into the natural environment
• Uptake of PPCPs from the environment into organisms
• Assessment of effects on organisms
• Assessment of risks to people and the environment
• Antibiotic resistance
• Management of risks

Professor Alistair Boxall, of the Environment Department at York, who led the review, said: "A large body of information is now available on PPCPs in the environment. This exercise has prioritised the most critical questions to aid in development of future research programmes and policy development on this important topic The development of the 'top 20 list' should mean that researchers, regulators and industry can begin to work more closely together to answer the most pressing questions in a coordinated and timely manner."

Contact: David Garner
david.garner@york.ac.uk
44-190-432-2153
University of York

New study reports rise in community land rights in tropical forests; most laws unenforced

Citing global land-grab, lack of action by authorities in vulnerable nations, authors warn of risk to positive 20-year global trend -- even in Latin America

New research released today by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) shows that hundreds of millions of forest peoples in tropical nations have, in the last 20 years, quietly gained unprecedented legal rights to the land and resources owned under customary law. The research also finds, however, that more than one-third of the rules governing land rights in most of the forests of Africa, Asia and Latin America significantly limit a community's ability to exercise those rights.

The new report provides the most comprehensive global legal analysis to date of the status of forest tenure rights held by Indigenous Peoples and other local communities in more than two-dozen developing countries. The nations covered in the study account for approximately 75 percent of the forests of the developing world, home to some 2.2 billion people.

"All 27 of the countries we analyzed have one or more laws recognizing legal rights of communities, either nationally or regionally," said Fernanda Almeida, one of the authors, and primary researcher of the study. "But the laws themselves are not enough. They must be 'good laws', and they have to be implemented."

In their analysis, Almeida and her colleagues warn of an imminent risk of rollback of these rights, as illustrated by the efforts of wealthy ranchers in Brazil to weaken land rights held by traditional and Indigenous communities, and by an on-going global "land grab" by investors on every continent.

"Forest peoples are caught between the forces of a drive for environmental sustainability and the intense pressure of economic development", said Jeffrey Hatcher, Director of Global Programs for RRI, and one of the authors of the new report. "Despite tremendous progress in establishing legal tenure regimes, a lack of political will and bureaucratic obstacles make it a struggle to implement any real action in most forest-rich developing nations. The exorbitant technical and financial costs of addressing these hurdles are often beyond the means of rural communities."

Also, because governments control which lands are covered by the rights they grant, they are able to limit the scope and impact of the measures, and prevent them from living up to their promise, said James Bampton, program coordinator, RECOFTC-The Center for People and Forests. "Such rights aren't something that should apply to some people and not others," he said.

Rise in Percentage of Forests under Community Control

The RRI report identifies a significant global trend that began in the wake of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, as Indigenous and community leaders pressured governments for legal rights to their traditional forestlands. The area of forest under the control of forest peoples in developing countries has risen from 21 percent of the total forest area in those countries to 31 percent; globally, such rights now cover 15 percent of all forests, compared to 10 percent in 1992.

"If these laws ever make it off the books, billions of hectares and millions of people will have access to one of the most effective tools available for eradicating poverty and conserving limited resources," said Andy White, coordinator of RRI. "Previous research by RRI and others has shown that when their rights are secure, Indigenous and community forest peoples are spectacularly successful at sustaining themselves, while at the same time protecting their forests at least as well as governments or industry."

The RRI report cites, for example, the findings of a recent World Bank report, which estimates that the incidence of forest fire—often a precursor to deforestation in the tropics—was cut five-fold or more in protected forests controlled by Indigenous peoples, when compared with those managed by the state. Studies in Nepal show that community control leads to increases in both forest area and tree density.

But the RRI study shows that national and provincial authorities often fail to enforce laws meant to protect the tenure rights of forest peoples. Even in Latin America, where most progress has been made in transferring rights to forest peoples, high commodity prices are fueling efforts by the state and private interests to override those rights. "Without strong rights, landholders have no confidence they will benefit from measures aimed at sustainable use of the forests," White said. "By their inaction, authorities stifle the capacity of local communities to succeed on their own terms and in a way that benefits everyone."

The study identifies 59 systems for recognizing tenure rights to forestlands in 27 nations: 17 in Africa, 17 in Asia and 25 in Latin America.

• 51 of the 59 identified legal systems or regimes have been established since 1992. Latin America has led the way.
• Most land tenure regimes prevent local communities from exercising at least one of the seven rights considered fundamental to land ownership.
• In six of the 17 regimes identified in Africa, rights cannot be implemented because there are no regulations to define those rights, nor the processes for implementing them.
• Perhaps most critically, of all the regimes the RRI study identifies (21 of 59), more than one-third fail to recognize the right to exclude outsiders from entering the forest and exploiting its resources—a critical element of land ownership.

Even without such limitations, other obstacles can prevent Indigenous Peoples and communities from benefiting from the rights they are granted.

• In Indonesia, for example, laws and policies recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples to their traditional lands. But the constitution says all land and resources belong to the state. Tens of millions of people living in more than 20,000 villages are essentially squatters on their own land.
• In Mozambique, local community members must submit six copies of a topographical map that identifies detailed geographical features of the land in a proposed concession. In 2009, ten years after the law was enacted, not one concession had been approved.

According to White, even the global leaders most deeply engaged in organizing the conference known as Rio+20 have so far ignored the importance of recognizing land rights in negotiating a plan for developing and implementing sustainable development goals.

"The world's forests are increasingly valuable and relevant to our efforts to slow global climate change and encourage sustainable development," he said. "If negotiators are serious about reducing poverty and conserving forests, they will call on forest nations to strengthen community land rights in their forests. Only when such rights are a reality on paper and in practice, will communities be able to do what they do better than anyone else—manage the forests and curb the unsustainable practices now threatening tropical forest nations worldwide."

The Rights and Resources Initiative is a global coalition of international, regional, and community organizations advancing forest tenure, policy and market reforms. RRI leverages the strategic collaboration and investment of its Partners and Collaborators around the world by working together on research, advocacy and convening strategic actors to catalyze change on the ground.

Contact:

• Coimbra Sirica
  csirica@burnesscommunications.com
  301-943-3287
  Burness Communications
• Jenna DiPaolo
  jdipaolo@rightsandresources.org
  202-412-0331
  Rights and Resources Initiative

 

Closure of this year's Spanish and French Bluefin Tuna purse seine fishery

The Bluefin Tuna purse seine season lasting from 16 May to 14 June came to an early end this year for France and Spain. The purse seine quota allocated to both countries was exhausted yesterday at 20:00 and both Member States have decided to call back their vessels to port. The Commission has closely cooperated with both Member states since the beginning of the fishing campaign and welcome their decision to act swiftly and rapidly.

The 6 Spanish and the 9 French purse seiners were operating together in Joint Fishing Operations, which has lead to a more rapid exhaustion of their quota.

This is a clear indication that the ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) and EU rules are effective since no vessels can continue to remain at sea once the quota is exhausted. The Commission, in close coordination with France and Spain as well as with other Member States continues to closely monitor the other fishing activities on Bluefin Tuna, namely done by small scale fisheries and by traps.

Contact: The Office of Maria Damanaki, EU Commissioner for Maritime Affaires & Fisheries.

 

Is California preparing for climate change?

Results from new climate adaptation survey

California Auto License Plate

A majority of California's coastal planners and resource managers now view the threats from climate change as sufficiently likely that practical steps on the ground need to be taken to protect against growing threats, according to results from a new survey published by Stanford University's Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) and the California Sea Grant.

Survey respondents acknowledge the need to prepare for changes along the coast that might result from rising sea levels and other impacts, such as more floods, loss of beach access, coastal erosion and potential damage to transportation infrastructure, including highways, roads and ports.

The new survey – an update on a similar one conducted six years ago – shows a strong uptick in California coastal professionals' attention to preparing and planning for climate change. Results reveal that managers are ready and willing to develop adaptation strategies, despite tighter belts in most local and state agencies in recent years. But lack of money to prepare and implement plans, insufficient staff and lack of technical know-how are significant challenges.

"Communities are willing to adapt to the reality of climate change, but they are struggling. This is a story that needs to be told when billions of dollars in assets are at risk," said Susanne Moser, Director of Susanne Moser Research & Consulting in Santa Cruz and a Research Associate of COS. She worked with colleagues at University of Southern California Sea Grant, California Sea Grant and the University of California, Berkeley, and an unprecedented collaborative of 12 other coastal organizations in California to systematically probe coastal professionals' knowledge and attitudes toward global warming, their level of preparedness for the future, and the challenges they face in taking action.

The survey shows that 40 percent of coastal professionals who are responsible for protecting natural resources, property and human safety have begun trying to understand the risks they face, and another 40 percent are actively planning for climate change impacts, such as sea level rise, coastal flooding and erosion. Yet, only about 10 percent are actually doing things on the ground that may reduce the full brunt of climate change.

"The big take-away from the survey is that coastal managers are knowledgeable and understand the importance of preparing for climate change," said USC Sea Grant Associate Director Phyllis Grifman, a co-author of the survey report, Rising to the Challenge: Results of the 2011 California Coastal Adaptation Needs Assessment. "And they are doing what they can even before there is a mandate to develop adaptation plans. They know it is important, and they are concerned, both personally and at work, but they need help."

Most of the nearly 600 coastal professionals who responded to the survey describe a work environment that is already consumed by other pressing issues and constrained by limited fiscal and staff resources. More than 70 percent also indicate that they believe the severity of their leading management challenges, such as protecting water quality and wetland habitats, will further intensify in the next five years, creating yet higher hurdles in meeting the state's call to prepare and plan for rising sea levels.

The survey also allowed coastal managers to identify the information, training needs and tools that would make their work more effective. According to Juliette Finzi Hart, Regional Research and Planning Specialist at USC Sea Grant and lead author of the survey report, "The organizations that worked together on this survey have an opportunity – and a responsibility – to help California coastal managers meet the challenge of climate change. Information alone won't solve the problem, but we can help build coastal professionals' capacity to make our coasts a safer place to live and work."

Today at the Headwaters to Oceans (H2O) Conference in San Diego, Grifman will moderate a discussion of the survey results at a session on climate adaptation and coastal management. Panelists include Hart and co-authors Monique Myers of California Sea Grant, and Julia Ekstrom, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley.

In a second panel today, co-author Adina Abeles of COS will moderate a session of several survey partners addressing what California coastal managers need, in terms of information, training and tools, to deal with sea level rise and other climate change impacts, and how these organizations are helping to provide this technical assistance.

The current survey revealed a strong increase in adaptation activity compared to the very low level observed at the time of the first coastal adaptation survey conducted in 2005/2006. That survey – conducted by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, including Moser – found that among the local governments in coastal areas that were surveyed, only two counties at that time had begun considering climate change in their planning efforts, and another six cities and four counties were in the process. Five years later a marked shift is evident: today 93 percent of all survey respondents (including representatives from local, regional, state and federal entities) say they are in the process of understanding their climate change risks, assessing their adaptation options, or implementing a strategy.

"The survey results are timed perfectly with ongoing state efforts to update the 2012 California Climate Adaptation Strategy," said Abe Doherty, a project specialist at the Ocean Protection Council, one of the 15 organizations that collaborated on the survey. Others include the California Coastal Commission, NOAA Coastal Services Center and Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System.

"It is important to get feedback on what coastal managers are using for information and what they need for technical assistance and training," said Doherty, who is currently drafting the ocean and coastal resources portion of the climate adaptation strategy. "The barriers are mostly fiscal for communities. We know we have limited funds, so what is the best approach for moving forward? We have to craft strategies and focus staff time strategically. The survey results help us prioritize staff time and resources."

The USC Sea Grant and California Sea Grant programs are part of a national network of 32 programs of marine research, outreach and education activities and part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce. Sea Grant is dedicated to helping citizens use scientific information to support a vibrant economy and ensure ecological sustainability.

The Center for Ocean Solutions is a collaboration among Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment and Hopkins Marine Station, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Across these institutions, COS draws from about 80 scholars, researchers and educators who work on coastal and ocean ecosystems in the natural, physical and social sciences. COS also works with experienced conservation practitioners and policy experts. Located at Stanford and in Monterey, California, COS is uniquely positioned to leverage expertise and develop practical solutions to the most urgent and important ocean conservation problems.

Contact: Susanne Moser
promundi@susannemoser.com
831-234-8219
Stanford University

Co-ordinated action points the way ahead for EU's LIFE Program

Karl Falkenberg, Director General of DG Environment. © EU

In an address at Green Week in Brussels on 24 May, Karl Falkenberg, Director General of DG Environment, said that integrated projects which co-ordinate actions with other funding streams represent the way forward for the LIFE programme.

Speaking at the session, ’20 years of LIFE – the past, present and future of water policy funding’, Mr Falkenberg said that the limited LIFE budget means that projects will have to use “multiplier effects” to achieve an impact that is not merely local but one that spreads across Member States, he said. The EU will favour cross-border initiatives, while partnerships for research will give access to additional finances, he added.

Mr Falkenberg praised those who set up the LIFE programme 20 years ago, saying that they had a “good understanding of the demonstration potential” of the instrument.

Dr. Lynne Barratt, ASTRALE, LIFe External Monitoring Team. © EU

Speaking ahead of the Director General, Dr Lynne Barratt, ASTRALE (external monitoring team for the LIFE programme) gave an overview of the strengths and opportunities of the programme. “LIFE projects excel in policy implementation but not in all areas of the policy lifecycle,” she said.

Dr Barratt emphasised that the programme could play a greater role than it has done in influencing policymaking. Mr Falkenberg concluded his address by reaffirming this point. We need to work towards making LIFE a source of knowledge that can help revise policy, he said.

Mr Falkenberg concluded the session by presenting the two winners of the ‘Best of the Best’ and three winners of the  ‘Best’ LIFE Environment projects with their plaques.

‘Best of the Best’:

• ‘INSU-SHELL – Environmentally Friendly Facade Elements made of thermal insulated Textile Reinforced Concrete’ (LIFE06 ENV/D/000471) This German project demonstrated a new technology to minimise the amount of concrete necessary in the construction of the facades. The beneficiary, the Rheinisch - Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen, developed a high-tech, thermally insulated textile reinforced concrete (TRC) technology, which reduces the C02 produced by more than half.
• Moveable HEPP – Demonstration Plant in the Kinzig River: Moveable Hydroelectric Power Plant for Ecological River Improvements and Fish Migration Reestablishment (LIFE06 ENV/D/000485). This German project demonstrated ‘Moveable HEPP’, a new hydropower technology that doesn’t adversely affect natural ecosystem functions of river habitats. The technology is economically advantageous event at low turbine heads.

‘Best’:

• ‘ES-WAMAR – Environmentally-friendly management of swine waste based on innovative technology: a demonstration project set in Aragón (Spain)’ (LIFE06 ENV/E/000044)
• ‘BATinLoko – Environmental performance indicators and their relation with economic factors in textile BAT implementation’ (LIFE07 ENV/P/000625)
• ‘Lake recult. in Gniezno’ – Recultivation of Jelonek and Winiary lakes in Gniezno by inactivation of phosphorus in bottom sediments’ (LIFE07 ENV/PL/000605)

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