Climate change is causing a need for adaptation in natural resource dependent communities around the world, however resource users and decision-makers are not always aligned in their views of drivers of change and solutions for adaptation. These misalignments can be due to different knowledge systems; for example, resource users often have highly localized and specific knowledge of past ecological change which guides their views of the future.  This talk uses the Maine lobster fishery as a case study to investigate the ways in which resource users’ ‘mental models’ differ from scientists and decision makers, the local ecological knowledge and climate history that informs these views, and the implications for adaptation planning.

I am an interdisciplinary scholar engaged with ocean history, historical ecology and marine conservation. My research integrates natural science, social science and humanities to quantify and describe ecological change and human drivers over centuries and across large areas. This applied historical research has had direct present-day conservation benefits, providing information needed to halt declines and promote recovery of marine fisheries and ocean animals.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Zoom Webinar. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.