Seeing the bigger picture: understanding marine integrated management to support conservation and sustainability

There is international recognition of the need to conserve marine biodiversity and safeguard ecosystems, as reflected by international agendas and goal setting. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water, calls for the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. Achieving international goals will require unified actions across ocean sectors, necessitating integrated approaches to management. Currently, a mutually agreed upon definition of integrated management is lacking, and management tends to occur via individual sectors. If governments, industries, and conservation authorities hold different views on integrated management, the uptake of integrated approaches may be delayed and progress toward conservation and sustainability goals impeded. This research will review the diversity of views on integrated management within the scientific literature, and will analyze the influence of this scientific discourse on policy in European and Canadian contexts. This research is expected to advance the understanding of integrated management and to identify points of improved integration between conservation, industry, and policy. Where conservation and industry have historically collided, this research seeks to identify synergy that may facilitate integrated management, supporting progress toward Canada’s national and international conservation and sustainability goals.

Faculty Supervisor:

Rodolphe Devillers

Student:

Partner:

Université de Perpignan

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Program: