Adapting to Surprise in Our Coastal Ocean: Lessons from Ecology, Archaeology and Indigenous Knowledge

Spring 2016 Public Forum
Adapting to Surprise in Our Coastal Ocean: Lessons from Ecology, Archaeology and Indigenous Knowledge

Dr. Anne Salomon, PhD
Simon Fraser University

Balancing the needs of people and nature is among the central challenges of our time. Yet, it has been for millennia. Coastal ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest have sustained human well-being for thousands of years. Consequently, indigenous people have exploited, overexploited and learned how to adapt to abrupt changes in coastal ecosystems. By drawing on examples from kelp forests, ancient clam gardens and the Pacific herring fishery, we will explore the key links between humans and the ocean, focusing on the factors that confer their resilience, that is, their ability to learn, re-organize and adapt in the face of sudden change.

Anne Salomon is an Associate Professor in the School of Resource & Environmental Management and directs the Coastal Marine Ecology & Conservation Lab at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She and her colleagues work to understand how human disturbances alter the productivity, biodiversity and resilience of coastal marine ecosystems, in order to inform marine conservation. Dr. Salomon strives to engage coastal communities and government agencies in collaborative research and encourage constructive dialogue among stakeholders to navigate a balance between conservation and resource use.

Public Forum events are free and open to the public, but seating is limited and registration is required.
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The Barbara and Richard Rosenberg Institute for Marine Biology and Environmental Science Public Forums bring leading local, national, and international scientists to a public forum at RTC to speak about the latest advances in their field. The Public Forum Series provides an opportunity for the public to engage with renowned scholars and to deepen their understanding and awareness of environmental issues and solutions. Forum events are held twice a year, in the spring and fall.