Maritime Awards Society of Canada

Call for Papers & Contributions

People in Places: Engaging Together in Integrated Resource Management

June 26-29, 2011 | Halifax, NS, Canada

The Coastal Community-University Research Alliance (Coastal CURA) announces a conference in June, 2011, focusing on the inclusion of resource dependent communities, including Aboriginal communities, in processes of spatial planning, integrated management and natural resource management. In addition to resource-based and aboriginal communities, the meeting will be of interest to governments, universities (academics and students), community based management and networking organizations, civil societies and NGOs, and small scale natural resource industries – all those interested in finding ways to engage together to better manage natural resources.

Conference Overarching Theme: How can place-based communities become better engaged in natural resource integrated management?

Conference Subthemes:

1. Participatory action research towards innovative change
2. Knowledge mobilization and transformative learning
3. Engaging with power, relationship building and governance
4. Enhancing resilient livelihoods and natural environments

The focus of the conference on “People in Places: Engaging Together in Integrated Resource Management” reflects the Coastal CURA emphasis on building knowledge and capacity to support community initiatives and community involvement in managing coasts and oceans, and specifically to support the ecological, social and economic well-being of place-based communities, through cooperative research and capacity building, and through building community-oriented governance of local natural resources. A partnership of First Nations communities, fishery-related organizations and university participants, the Coastal CURA (www.coastalcura.ca) carries out site-specific and policy-level research relating to local-level use and management of fisheries, coasts and oceans. A key goal for the 2011 meeting is to achieve a synthesis of what we have learned over the past several years, by engaging with others from around the world who are dealing with similar issues.

The “People in Places” conference will promote productive discussion, brainstorming, frank exchanges and collective learning among all those with an interest in better local resource management. The focus will be on sharing experiences to promote collective learning, critical thinking about key management problems, and creative thinking about new policy options. The meeting will balance attention to spatially-defined resource management (e.g., oceans, watersheds, and coastal zones) and sectoral resource management (e.g., local fisheries, community forestry, wildlife management).

Call for Contributions: All those with an interest in the themes of this conference are welcome to attend. In addition, those who wish to present a specific contribution at the conference are welcome to submit a proposal by the deadline January 31, 2011.

Since this conference will go well beyond a typical academic format, to include not only sessions of contributed paper presentations but also a range of innovative formats for sharing information and ideas, organizers are encouraging ‘creative thinking outside the box’ in participant contributions. Therefore, proposed contributions (whether individual or group) can take a variety of forms, such as:

• Poster and Paper Presentations
• Community Forum Sessions on “hot button issues”
• Evening Short Film and Documentary Sessions
• Facilitated Discussions
• Cultural Productions (Video, theatre, photo displays, poems, etc.)
• Story-telling and Community Testimonials
• Knowledge Sharing: Project experiences and field reports
• Innovative Technology Displays for Industry Partners
• Student-led Sessions or Discussion Groups
• Other – We are open for suggestions!

Participants will be notified by February 28^th, 2011, about acceptance of their proposal, and will be asked to confirm their attendance through payment of the registration fee by March 31, 2011. There will be a limited number of travel bursaries available to offset direct costs of conference attendance for those in need of financial support.

Submission Requirements:

Please submit your abstract online at http://www.coastalcura.ca/peopleinplaces2011.html

More information on the Coastal CURA and our upcoming conference can be found on our website: www.coastalcura.ca. Any additional inquiries can be directed to:

Madelaine Patterson, Coastal CURA Coordinator
Room 213E Atrium Building, Saint Mary’s University
923 Robie St., Halifax, NS B3H 3C3
t: 902.420.5003  f: 902.491.6406
coastalcura@smu.ca