BIO: Melissa Foley is a senior scientist with Auckland Council. Her research focuses on understanding how connectivity across habitats, particularly at the land-sea interface, influences ecosystem structure and functioning in coastal habitats. She is also interested in understanding how connectivity is altered by natural and human-caused disturbances, such as wildfire, dam removal, coastal development, and climate change. She has also worked at the science-policy interface in NZ and the US on issues such as ecological thresholds, cumulative effects, ocean acidification, and ecosystem-based management, and marine spatial planning. Melissa has conducted research in New Zealand since 1999, starting with rocky intertidal reefs around the South Island. For the last four years, she has been involved in the Sustainable Seas Science Challenge to address issues around cumulative effects. Melissa earned her BS from Oregon State University and her PhD from the University of California Santa Cruz.
ABSTRACT: What will it take to save marine ecosystems?"
As human population continues to grow, the world’s ocean and coastal habitats are being used more heavily than ever and the strain on these systems is showing. Many of the environmental issues we are facing today have been important for decades. However, the accelerating rate of change in marine ecosystems has resulted in more focussed attention on coastal and marine issues. If we want these systems to continue to function and provide valuable ecosystem services, we need to get creative about how we solve these issues in an era of dwindling budgets, time, and resources. We also need to ensure the science we are doing is being used to inform resource management and policy in NZ and around the world. The solutions to the big issues facing marine ecosystems—including climate change, cumulative effects, and ecological thresholds—are multifaceted and complex and solving them requires working across multiple disciplines. Our ability to work together, to communicate effectively, and to implement novel solutions will determine our success in ensuring the presence and viability of marine ecosystems into the future.
Talk Time: Thursday 5 July 9.00am – 9.30am