Scenario Planning and Protected Species: NOAA Fisheries Case Studies to Inform Recovery in a Changing Environment

Speaker: Diane Borggaard
Greater Atlantic Region Right Whale Recovery Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries Service
Webinar Link: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/739173514
Click here to join the webinar – you may join 15 minutes early.
Meeting Number: 198478199. This meeting does not require a password or registration.
Webinar Location: 134 Morrill Science Center
Scenario planning is a structured process used by organizations to explore and prepare for the future. In the field of natural resource management it can be used to explore the uncertainty surrounding changing environmental conditions and how these changes may affect natural resources through the development of plausible alternative futures built using the best available quantitative and qualitative information. This process encourages “out-of-the-box” thinking to identify science and management needs that can be implemented in the near-term to better prepare for the future. Here, we will report out on NOAA Fisheries use of scenario planning for two endangered species, Atlantic salmon and North Atlantic right whales, and highlight the importance of multidisciplinary groups to the process.
Diane Borggaard is currently the Right Whale Recovery Coordinator for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region in Gloucester, MA. Diane has worked for NOAA Fisheries on protected species (including marine mammal, sea turtle and fish) conservation issues along the U.S. Atlantic. Diane has also been involved in a number of NOAA Fisheries climate initiatives including development of the Northeast Regional Climate Action Plan.