UPCOMING EVENTS

Coastal Zone Canada 2006 Conference and Youth Forum

Theme is "Arctic Change and Coastal Communities"; raising awareness about the unique challenges faced by residents of the Arctic coastal zone in the face of rapid changes occurring in Arctic marine ecosystems

Event Date: August 14-18, 2006

Venue: Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada

URL: http://depts.washington.edu/mpanews/conflist.html

Coastal Zone Asia Pacific Conference, CZAP 2006

Many Asia Pacific countries initiated coastal zone management programs through their development plans. Such programs aim to promote economic growth and equitable development through industrialization, economic development and exploitation of coastal resources. Uses of coastal resources will increase, because many development sectors, such as tourism, fisheries, marine industries, transportation and mining will come to dominate the cost.

Rapid economic development in Indonesia as well as in other Asia Pacific countries has mostly occurred on the coasts, and has been achieved primarily at the expense of the coastal environment. Increasing degradation occurs across a variety of industry and government sectors: for example, fisheries and tourism because of urban expansion. Many interest group, coastal communities and government agencies are involved in utilizing these resources. Expansion of mariculture, hotels, and resorts, tourism activities, reclamation areas and infrastructure has led to competition for resources and conflict arising from management by different interest groups.

Constitutionally, all coastal resources belong to the state. However, many stakeholders assert their rights to access the benefit stream from coastal resources. Often, public or private property rights override traditional property rights. Outside users may also assert access to the rights and exploit the resource. Hence, the coastal resources effectively belong to everyone.

The different types of property rights determine the framework for coastal management and they provide the context in which management operates, how property rights contribute to or are modified for successful coastal management. The ambiguity of property rights in turn leads to user conflicts and jurisdictional conflicts between various interests. User conflicts arise between stakeholders who use the same resources or marine space. Jurisdictional conflicts arise between central government, provincial and district/city government agencies, private operators and local communities. Once user and/or jurisdictional conflicts arise, many coastal communities and local governments’ lose their stewardships and abrogate protection of resources. The cost to maintain the sustainability of the resource is higher than the benefits that accrue from conserving the resource. There is then no incentive for them to maintain the sustainability of the coastal resources. Those resources become exploited excessively by locals, because if they do not take them, then the intruders will deplete the resources. This situation becomes another ‘tragedy of the commons’. Such ambiguity of property regimes triggers conflicts; and such conflicts jeopardize the sustainable management of coastal resources in Asia Pacific countries.

Event Date: August 29-September 2, 2006

Venue: Batam, Republic of Indonesia

URL: http://cdc.fish.ku.ac.th/czap_06/index.htm

30th International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE 2006)

Themes include coastal environment, sustainable coastal development, and shore protection

Event Date: September 3-8, 2006

Venue: San Diego, California, USA

URL: www.icce2006.com/

Water Pollution 2006: 8th International Conference on Modelling, Measuring and Prediction of Water Pollution

Topics include coastal areas and seas, oil spills, monitoring and remote sensing, pollution prevention, decision analysis, and environmental impact assessment

Event Date: September 4-6, 2006

Venue: Bologna, Italy

URL: www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2006/water06/index.html

41st European Marine Biology Symposium

Including sub-themes on marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, and climate change

Event Date: September 4-8, 2006

Venue: Cork, Ireland

URL: www.EMBS41.ucc.ie/

California and the World Ocean Conference 2006

Addressing all ocean and coastal subjects applicable to resource management and policy, with a focus on implementation of the California Ocean Protection Council's strategic plan and other California ocean policies

Event Date: September 17-20, 2006

Venue: Long Beach, California, USA

URL: resources.ca.gov/ocean/cwo06/

Oceans 2006 Conference

Conference and exhibition for ocean engineering, science, and technology

Event Date: September 18-21, 2006

Venue: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

URL: www.oceans06mtsieeeboston.org/

6th European Coral Reef Conference 2006; European Meeting of the International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS)

Covering all aspects of research, use, and management of reefs with a focus on European and European partner contributions from tropical shallow waters to high-latitude deep continental shelves

Event Date: September 19-22, 2006

Venue: Bremen, Germany

URL: isrs2006.zmt.uni-bremen.de/

International Pelagic Ecosystems and Billfish Symposium

Exchanging information on pelagic ecosystems and their components, including a thematic focus on black marlin and the Great Barrier Reef

Event Date: September 27-29, 2006

Venue: Cairns, Queensland, Australia

URL: www.cpgfa.asn.au/symposium/home.html

Third International Tropical Marine Ecosystems Management Symposium (ITMEMS 3)

Discussing management of coral reefs and related ecosystems, and the implementation of the ICRI Framework for Action

Event Date: October 15-20, 2006

Venue: Cozumel, Mexico

URL: www.itmems.org

General Meeting of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI)

Proposed themes include MPA networks, ocean acidification, and reef resilience

Event Date: October 22-23, 2006

Venue: Cozumel, Mexico

URL: www.icriforum.org/secretariat/gmcozumelhome.html

2nd International Conference on the Management of Coastal Recreational Resources: Beaches, Yachting and Coastal Ecotourism

Conference theme of coastal ecotourism includes issues of sustainability, carrying capacity and coastal nature reserves

Event Date: October 25-27, 2006

Venue: Goto, Malta

URL: mcrr2.icod.org.mt/

International conference on Business GIS : b-GIS@India

The conference focuses on “business of GIS” and “businesses with GIS”. Aspects discussed in the business context of an organization. By inviting a closer look at the organizational level, it is expected to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian GIS industry, and help to devise strategies for consolidating existing strengths and address the weaknesses. The term “organisation” is used in a generic sense without any distinction as to government, private, NGO,  academic, and profit oriented or otherwise.b-GIS@India provides a common platform for professionals, academicians, businesses and the government to come together and take their cue to address the existing situation in the best interests of the industry and overall economic growth of the country. It also attempts to bring businesses closer to the technology by delving into the business domain and demonstrate the scope and role of GIS in organisations - be it government, private or NGOs - (“business of GIS”) as well as optimising both profitability and competitiveness of organisations (government, private, or NGOs) in its entirety by leveraging GIS (“businesses with GIS”). This understanding will, in turn, help businesses to leverage their resources for knowledge outsourcing.

Event Date: December 06-08, 2006

Venue: Technopark , Trivandrum

URL: http://www.gisesociety.org/bgisindia/index.htm