project journal

BCMCA RFP for Marxan in MaPP study area

from August 24th, 2012

The British Columbia Marine Conservation Analysis (BCMCA) is requesting qualified consultants to respond to this request for proposal for GIS and Marxan analyses. The selected consultant(s) will complete a series of Marxan analyses in support of marine planning for the North Pacific Coast. 

The objective of the project is to complete a series of Marxan analyses for the MaPP study area. Marxan scenarios will focus on identification of areas of high conservation value consistent with the approach used by the BCMCA for the Marxan scenarios for Pacific Canada. Marxan analysis will employ data from the BCMCA online data library and additional data provided by marine planning partners. The project is intended to commence in September 2012 with a final completion date of December 31, 2012.

Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae and a proposed project work plan that includes identified timelines, tasks and a budget breakdown on or before Friday, September 14 , 2012.

Please see the complete request for proposal which has more information about the required qualifications and the proposed tasks.

Local Marine Planning Process Use of Products

from July 17th, 2012

West Coast Aquatic (WCA) and the BCMCA are collaborating on the use of Marxan for marine spatial planning in Barkley and Clayoquot Sound. The Marxan tool will be used to identify potential candidate Ecologically Significant Areas (ESAs) in the Barkley and Clayoquot Sound areas.

There are several steps involved including the following:

New Data and Reports Posted

from February 15th, 2012

Under the direction of the Data Manager, Carrie Robb, the BCMCA website continues to improve. Since the summer of 2011, content has been added to the marine atlas and data library and the document library. We have been working hard behind the scenes to prepare more data and information for download!

There have been many updates to the human use features available through the data library. You can now download GIS compatible data (in shapefile format) for features in these sectors: commercial fisheries, shipping and transportation, sport fishing, tourism and recreation, and ocean energy.

We also posted many information files, known as metadata, that describe the data sources and processing steps used to compile each feature. Metadata files were posted for: commercial fisheries (35 features), shipping and transportation (14 features), sport fishing (4 features), tenures (6 features), tourism and recreation (4 features), and ocean energy (4 features).

Marxan metadata files are similar but they describe how data were processed into the BCMCA planning units and prepared for use in Marxan analyses. Marxan metadata files have been posted for: commercial fishing (35 features) and shipping and transportation (10 features).

The remaining human use data and metadata files are still in the works and will be posted as they are completed.

Recent additions to our document library include:

We are also continually updating and improving the BCMCA Custodian Restrictions Spreadsheet [note: now replaced by our online Custodian Index].  This spreadsheet documents all the custodians of the original data sets that the BCMCA drew upon to create the features you see illustrated in our marine atlas and data library. If you are looking for data that the BCMCA does not have permission to share or distribute, this document tells you who to request permission from.

The BCMCA will continue to improve and to update the results available at www.bcmca.ca to ensure that the best information is provided to marine planning agencies, organizations and the marine user communities.

Marxan Report: Ecological Scenarios

from January 15th, 2012

The BCMCA is in the final stages of preparing our Marxan analysis report on results. We have posted the report A Series of Marxan Scenarios for Pacific Canada that describes how we used Marxan to identify areas of high conservation value and areas important to human use. The 60-page report illustrates the results for 6 different ecological scenarios that drew on 170 ecological features to identify areas of high conservation value.

The results for our human use scenarios are still under review. The BCMCA is currently meeting with the Human Use Working Group sector representatives to review Marxan results for each sector, receive their comments and request approval to post maps of these results. The six sectors included in the review process are recreational fishing, commercial fishing, recreation and tourism, ocean energy, shipping and transportation, and tenures.

BCMCA anticipates the review process will be complete this winter. As sector representative approvals are received, BCMCA will update the full report and post results online. So… stay tuned!

 

Project Team Renewal

from December 15th, 2011

As of November 2011, the Project Team welcomes a new C0-chair, Rob Paynter, from the provincial Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Rob joins Karin Bodtker, the other BCMCA Co-chair, who works for the Living Oceans Society and is also the environmental non-government representative.

The Project Team’s purpose is to develop, coordinate, and implement the BCMCA in a way that is collaborative, inclusive, and transparent. Members of the Project Team come from diverse backgrounds and together have a wide range of expertise. Currently, the Project Team is made up of the following representatives:

The Project Team also includes representatives who have chosen to participate as observers. The West Coast Vancouver Island Aquatic Management Board is an observer. The following First Nation Observer representatives are also on the Project Team:

New Goal Relates to Access and Use

from November 15th, 2011

While the overall purpose of the BCMCA project is to collaboratively identify marine areas of high conservation value and areas important to human use in Canada’s Pacific Ocean, the project has entered a new phase as of the summer 2011.

The goal of this phase of the BCMCA is to ensure that marine planning agencies, organizations and the marine user community understands and have access to the expert-driven and peer-reviewed BCMCA products. The three main objectives are to ensure British Columbia marine planning processes are aware of and have access to the BCMCA products, to provide new or revised data products and analysis work, and to strengthen collaborative relationships between BCMCA and the marine user community in British Columbia.

The BCMCA is currently requesting expressions of interest from marine planning processes within British Columbia. The BCMCA intends to assist several processes over the next year with use and access to BCMCA products. 

BCMCA Hires New Manager

from October 15th, 2011

BCMCA hired a new Project Manager, Gillian Saxby, last fall. Gillian comes to the BCMCA with a strong background in project management and has over twenty years experience in working with governments, NGOs, and First Nations. She also has extensive experience working with project teams, collaborative processes and informal problem solving including consensus decision making.

Her education and professional experiences have focused on preserving and protecting the natural environment including coastal ecosystems and working with the marine resource sectors. Gillian has a graduate degree in planning and an undergraduate degree in economics. In addition, she is a professional mediator and brings an expertise in collaboration and working with teams of people at a distance.

BCMCA looking for new Project Manager

from July 21st, 2011

The BCMCA is on the hunt for a new Project Manager! Our new phase of work focuses on delivery and support for the products we have produced, including our marine atlas and data library. We’ll miss Dave Nicolson’s careful oversight and we thank him for his dedication to the project, which is ongoing through this transition. Please circulate this BCMCA job description – Project Manager July 2011 (0.2 MB PDF) widely to those seeking challenging and rewarding project management and outreach work in B.C.’s marine sector.

Lunch-time workshop at the International Marine Conservation Congress in Victoria

from May 3rd, 2011

The BCMCA Project Team would like to invite you to a lunch-time workshop at the upcoming International Marine Conservation Congress conference here in Victoria. The workshop will be held on Sunday May 15, from 12:15-2:15 pm downtown at the Victoria Conference Centre in the Esquimalt room on the first floor. We will have the first copies of our printed atlas, Marine Atlas of Pacific Canada, hot off the press.

This workshop is an opportunity for users to share their perspectives on the BCMCA Data Library and Marine Atlas. Several speakers from different agencies and organizations will kick off the workshop with short talks about how they have used BCMCA maps or data products or how they plan to incorporate them into upcoming projects. Then we will break into smaller groups to discuss improvements in design and delivery of products, additional data needs, and ideas for long term efficient access. We’ll be there to listen to you!

To help us improve our products and delivery of them, please take this short survey [linked removed]. We will report on results at the workshop and in this journal, so you don’t need to attend the workshop to take the survey.

Although an RSVP is not absolutely necessary, if you plan to attend please email Tanya [address removed] so we can ensure enough space for the breakout groups. Please feel free to bring your own lunch, as lunch is not provided as part of the workshop. There will be a cash & carry lunch option available daily at the exhibit hall (Crystal Gardens) just across the street.

Looking forward to seeing you there and hearing your comments on the BCMCA products!

Announcing the BCMCA Data Library and Marine Atlas

from March 11th, 2011

The BCMCA is excited to announce the launch of the BCMCA Marine Atlas and Data Library.

The BCMCA Marine Atlas and Data Library is an online, open access resource where you can browse, view, or download ecological and human use maps, data and metadata for the Canadian Pacific. The Data Library and Marine Atlas is designed to inform coast-wide integrated marine planning and management initiatives.

A key feature of the Data Library and Marine Atlas is that it is a comprehensive, digital collection that holds over 260 maps in more than 20 different categories, illustrating both ecological and human use marine features of the Canadian Pacific. Currently, all the ecological content is available, while some human use pages are still under review and will be available shortly.

The human uses that are mapped fall into these categories: commercial fisheries, recreational fisheries, shipping and marine transportation, energy, recreation and tourism, and marine or foreshore tenures such as aquaculture or log booms. The ecological features fall into these categories: physical representation, plants, birds, fish, invertebrates and mammals.

The content of the Data Library and Marine Atlas is the result of several years of assembling, collating and reviewing data. This assembly and review process relied upon experts from a variety of backgrounds including governments, First Nations, user groups, stakeholders, academia, non-governmental organizations, and consultants and we thank all those who generously gave their time.