Second BSA Conference on Society, Environment and Human Health

An event by the BSA Environment & Health and Climate Change Study Groups

27 October 2017 (10am–4.30pm)
Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

Keynote speaker: Dr Ben Wheeler (University of Exeter) – ‘Natural Environments, Health and Inequalities: Evidence and Policy

We invite you to this day conference, which will explore current social research and theoretical perspectives upon the environment and health.

There are intricate interactions between the natural environment and human health and wellbeing.  This wide-ranging research area thus presents an important agenda for social analysis across the multi-disciplinary areas of environment and human health, and for public policy and activity.

Building on our successful conference in 2016, the second BSA conference on Society, Environment and Human Health will explore current social research and theory on this topic.  Papers include discussion of:

  • Social theories of environment and human health and/or wellbeing.
  • Climate change and human health.
  • Human rights, environment and health.
  • Experiences of environmental interactions with wellbeing.

Submissions for this event are now closed; a detailed event programme will be available shortly on the BSA web site.

For more details and links to register please visit: https://www.britsoc.co.uk/events/key-bsa-events/second-bsa-conference-on-society-environment-and-human-health/ 

SAVE THE DATE! GMC’s second ‘Society and the Sea’ conference in 2018

SAVE THE DATE

SOCIETY AND THE SEA 2018

THURSDAY 6TH AND FRIDAY 7TH

SEPTEMBER 2018

University of Greenwich, London, UK.

The Greenwich Maritime Centre in partnership with National Maritime is pleased to announce its second Society and the Sea conference:

“THE VALUES OF THE OCEAN AND COASTS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”

Download and share the PDF here

A first call for papers will be issued in November 2017 and abstracts will be drawn from an international audience. All papers should be submitted and presented in English. We are actively looking for people to host themed sessions. If you are interested, even if the subject is outside those indicated, please get in touch. More information, and a list of our conference themes, can be found on our website: http://www.gre.ac.uk/society-and-the-sea and you can email us at: gmc@greenwich.ac.uk

Conference Supported By:

         

      

    

 

The Greenwich Maritime Centre (GMC) is pleased to announce its second international conference on the theme ‘Society and the Sea’. News stories about the ocean and the coasts regularly make the headlines yet paradoxically there are also concerns that sea-blindness is a problem and people are not aware of the fundamental importance of the ocean. The aim of the GMC is to engage multiple stakeholders in an exploration of the value of the ocean and how that can be recognised, communicated and harnessed to contribute to the health, wealth and wellbeing of society. This requires using perspectives and developing partnerships across academia and industry and engaging in creative conversation about the ocean, coasts and their values for sustainable development.

The GMC in partnership with National Maritime is convening an international conference that will bring together industry and academia to explore the value of the ocean, key challenges being faced and opportunities for future development of the blue economy. The conference is supported by the National Maritime Museum, Seafarers UK, Marine Conservation Society, Thames Estuary Partnership, Coastal and Marine Research Group (RGS), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Coastal Partnership Network.

Society and the Sea 2018 will incorporate INVESTINBLUE 2018 the showcase event for the UK maritime industry. The conference will address the following themes but is not limited to them:

The Blue Economy: What is the potential from the ocean and the seas to develop the blue economy? Issues include: fisheries, tourism, Brexit, opportunities and innovation, coastal communities, participation, etc.

Maritime governance: What political and governance issues threaten the sustainable and equitable use of the ocean and seas, and what are the potential solutions? Issues include: power and politics, explorations of negotiations, conflicts, consensus building in maritime spaces, examples of maritime spatial planning, global / trans-national maritime issues, trade, etc.

Conservation and engagement: How can communities and society be meaningfully engaged and contribute to marine and coastal conservation and management? Issues might include community engagement in marine/coastal governance/management (including biodiversity, pollution, flooding, climate change, etc.); sustainable management approaches; use of local knowledge in governance; citizen science (e.g. fishers), community empowerment, etc.

Maritime environmental change: How is society experiencing and responding to a range of environmental changes associated with the ocean? Topics include global warming, ocean acidification, pollution, coastal erosion and sea level rise.

Maritime heritage and history: What is the role of history and heritage – both cultural and natural – for the relationship between society and the sea? Topics include heritage of fishing/coastal communities, tourism, museums & education.

Maritime perceptions and representations: How can people’s perceptions, constructions and representations of the sea influence its use and management? Topics include people’s relationships with the sea, personal/place identity, philosophies/constructions of the sea, representation in art and other media, etc.

Marine engineering: How is technology helping to harness new value from the ocean? How are cutting edge advances in ocean technology changing our engagement with the ocean? How is technology helping to deliver a more sustainable future for the ocean and coastal regions?

Maritime human health and wellbeing: How can the seas and coasts be managed to create co-benefits for ecosystem and human health? Topics include the importance of marine and coastal ecosystem services, including cultural, to human health and wellbeing (both positive and negative, and both mental and physical health); aspects of biodiversity, climate change, resilience, etc.

Small-scale fisheries: How can the social and cultural value of fisheries be understood? Topics include exploring ways of valuing fisheries, sense of place, cultural ecosystem services, wellbeing, tourism, etc.

Download and share the PDF here

GMC’s Cathryn Pearce is New Chair of the British Commission for Maritime History

At the July 2017 meeting, Cathryn Pearce was honoured to accept the position of Chair for the British Commission for Maritime History. She is stepping into a role previously held by the University of Hull’s Dr David J. Starkey and the University of Greenwich’s Professor Sarah Palmer.

 

The BCMH was formed in 1991 as a charitable trust to encourage enthusiasts, historians, and students to research and study maritime history. Originally established as the British branch of the International Commission for Maritime History, (dissolved in 2016 upon its merger with the International Maritime Economic History Association), it maintains links with the newly formed International Maritime History Association. Trustees are drawn from museums, universities, maritime organisations, independent researchers, and publishers; they are all distinguished researchers and practitioners of maritime history. The BCMH is sponsored by such important maritime organisations as The Society for Nautical Research, The Maritime Information Association, and Lloyd’s Register. To support its mission for education, the BCMH  awards prizes to undergraduates, MA and PhD students, organises the public lecture series at King’s College London and Lloyd’s Register, as well as convening the annual New Researchers in Maritime History conference, held at various locales around the country. For 2018, the New Researcher’s Conference will be hosted in Bristol by the S.S. Great Britain Trust.

 

Cathryn will take the helm to guide the BCMH forward in this time of organisational adjustment, to increase support for its educational mandate, and to meet the exciting challenges offered by recent disciplinary transformations.

 

http://www.maritimehistory.org.uk/

An optimist’s guide to managing ecosystem services

Keynote Lecture Series: “An optimist’s guide to managing ecosystem services”

Wednesday, 6th September 2017 – 17:30 to 20:30
The Edinburgh Room (QA075)
Queen Anne Court
University of Greenwich
30 Park Row
Greenwich
London
SE10 9LS

This Valuing Nature Keynote Lecture will be given by Tom Oliver, Associate Professor in Landscape Ecology at the University of Reading. This 45 minute lecture will be followed by a panel discussion, Q&A and light refreshments. Members of the panel are Georgina Mace, Michael Winter, Charles Godfray and Rob Fish.

Please find more information here: http://valuing-nature.net/event/keynote-lecture-series-optimist%E2%80%99s-guide-managing-ecosystem-services 

Lecture Abstract

“Traditional conservation based on moral imperatives hasn’t worked. The new paradigm in conservation is to engage, rather than shun, the neoliberal market system by quantitatively integrating the value of nature into economic decision making.  Ecosystem services provided by nature are measured and this information is brought to bear on land use decisions, increasingly through monetary valuation”. We might think that this is a rational, pragmatic approach to conservation, compared to the naive optimism of ‘traditional’ approaches. Yet, is it equally idealistic? For example, how do we pick and prioritise which ecosystem services we want in a given location? How do we measure all the services that are important for society, not just a select few that are more amenable to measurement? How can we value and plan for the resilience of ecosystem services under environmental perturbations (e.g. extreme weather events, disease outbreaks etc.) that are likely to occur in the future? In this lively presentation, I will use selected scientific examples to make the case that seeking solely a quantitative economic approach to ecosystem service management is naïve and unrealistic. A reality check is needed, because whilst the advancement of quantitative accounting and valuation methodologies is still necessary, there is an urgent need to look towards more systemic and transdisciplinary approaches if we are to safeguard essential biodiversity and ecosystem services under accelerating global change in the Anthropocene.

GMC’s New Visiting Professor

The Greenwich Maritime Centre is extremely proud to announce we have a new Visiting Professor:

SF

Prof Stephen Fletcher is the Head of Marine Programme at the United National Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre, UK – leading a team of marine scientists and policy specialists who provide expert marine analysis and policy support to the global community; as well as being a member of the UN International Resource Panel and Professor of Marine Policy at Plymouth University, UK.

Steve is an interdisciplinary marine scientist who has worked in the coastal and marine science-policy sector for the last 15 years. Steve is an expert in marine spatial planning, marine protected areas, economic aspects on marine management, marine policy analysis, and coastal and marine resource assessment and management. Steve has a track record of securing and leading large international projects focused on the use and management of marine and coastal resources in coastal zones, Exclusive Economic Zones and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.

Steve is a member of several global Steering Committees and Advisory Groups, including the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative, Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine Protection, the Global Coral Reef Partnership and the Global Island Partnership. Steve’s research has been widely published in the principal sector journals, with over 85 peer-reviewed papers and reports focused on marine science and policy, and has been an invited speaker at numerous national and global events.

You can follow Steve on Twitter: @drsfletcher

Seminar at National Maritime Museum: “Skidoos, snowshoes and climate change: curating ‘Polar Worlds’”

Dear all,

The next Card Library Seminar will be held on the 31st July at the National Maritime Museum

“Skidoos, snowshoes and climate change: curating ‘Polar Worlds’”

Jeremy Mitchell
Historic Photographs and Ships Plans Manager
&
Claire Warrior
Senior Exhibitions Interpretation Curator

More at: http://www.gre.ac.uk/ach/gmc/seminar-series/nmm-caird-library-seminar-programme 

GMC Partner: Lloyd’s Maritime Academy

We are pleased to announce that the Greenwich Maritime Centre has a new partner: Lloyd’s Maritime Academy.

LMA Logo

Learn from the maritime industry’s top experts and network with professionals from around the world.

Lloyd’s Maritime Academy is a highly respected name for professional development in the maritime sector. Their range of seminars, held year round, cover a range of niche topics relating to everything from the offshore industry to maritime law, environmental science and insurance. The unique approach LMA takes to learning in their seminars includes practical workshops, case studies, spotlight sessions, mock negotiations, site visits and interactive breakout sessions.

We look forward to working with Lloyd’s Maritime Academy and bringing you news and information on their range of courses. Click on the link below to see what they have lined up for the rest of 2017!

LMA Events 2017

The GMC’s new Featured Artist!

We are very happy to announce that artist Lizzie Cannon is the new Greenwich Maritime Centre Featured Artist.

Lizzie completed a B.Sc. in Geography at The University of St. Andrews, after which she re-focused her interest in human-environment interactions into her art practice. Since graduating with a BA in Textiles at Goldsmiths in 2006, Cannon has exhibited both internationally and in the UK. She was short listed for the Jerwood Drawing Prize in 2007, Art of the Stitch in 2009 and Jerwood Makers in 2014. Cannon engages with opportunities to work with museum collections and archives, undertaking the residency ‘Made in Bow’ with the Bow Porcelain Collection at Newham Archive (2013), collaborating with the Curator of Lichens at the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity, Natural History Museum, London (2011) and exhibiting at a ‘Behind the Scenes Event’ at the Horniman Museum, London (2009).

Lizzie will be exhibiting at the University of Greenwich later this year as part of the Featured Artist program and we will be sharing more details soon!

You can find out more about Lizzie and her work here: http://www.gre.ac.uk/ach/gmc/featured-artist/current-featured-artist

and her own website: http://www.lizziecannon.com


The Greenwich Maritime Centre would like to take this opportunity to thank our previous Featured Artist, Theo Crutchley-Mack for his time with us and all of his hard work. We wish him all the very best with his new exhibition and hope to have Theo back on campus in the next academic year to exhibit his paintings but in the meantime please do follow him on social media and check out his current and upcoming exhibition on his website: http://www.crutchley-mack.com/