SAMssPORT ELIZABETH 2017 THE 16TH SOUTHERN AFRICAN MARINE SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME 4 - 7 July 2017 • www.samss2017.co.za Boardwalk Convention Centre • Port Elizabeth • South Africa Theme: Embracing the blue l Unlocking the Ocean’s economic potential whilst maintaining social and ecological resilience SAMSS is hosted by NMMU, CMR and supported by SANCOR WELCOME PLENARY SPEAKERS It is our pleasure to welcome all SAMSS 2017 participants on behalf of the ROBERT COSTANZA - The Australian National University - Australia Institute for Coastal and Marine Research at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the city of Port Elizabeth. NMMU has a long tradition of marine COSTANZA has an H-index above 100 and >60 000 research and its institutional marine and maritime strategy is coming to citations. His area of specialisation is ecosystem goods fruition, which makes this an ideal time for us to host this triennial meeting. and services and ecological economics. Costanza’s Under the auspices of SANCOR, this is the second time we host SAMSS in PE and the transdisciplinary research integrates the study of theme ‘Embracing the blue – unlocking the ocean’s potential whilst maintaining social humans and nature to address research, policy, and and ecological resilience’ is highly topical and appropriate, aligning with Operation management issues. His work has focused on the Phakisa, which is the national approach to developing a blue economy. South Africa is interface between ecological and economic systems, at a cross roads and facing economic challenges. Economic growth and lifting people particularly at larger temporal and spatial scales, from out of poverty is a priority and those of us in the ‘marine’ community need to be part small watersheds to the global system. This includes of the solution – we can’t just hide in our ivory towers! Under this broad theme we landscape-level spatial simulation modelling; analysis will include six separate specialist workshops plus many contributions under three of energy and material flows through economic and broad subthemes: biodiversity and conservation, global change, and food security. ecological systems; valuation of ecosystem services, biodiversity, carrying capacity, and natural capital; and analysis and correction of dysfunctional incentive systems. The conference, like all such gatherings, is primarily an opportunity to network, exchange ideas and learn from local and international experts. This will lead to OMAR DEFEO - Universidad de la República - Uruguay debate and collectively coming up with new ideas. We are heartened to see the high proportion of young scientists attending - more than 200 students - which augurs well DEFEO has an h-index of 47 and >8000 citations. His for the future. To these emerging scientists we say that a symposium like this serves as specialisations are small scale and traditional fisheries a milestone and a recurring benchmark in one’s career; a chance to introduce yourself and coastal ecology. He has made substantial to the marine community and to meet and hear established experts (names that you contributions to sandy beach ecology, understanding previously only came across on books or publications). Besides the very important human impacts in coastal marine systems, fisheries informal networking, the formal vehicles for communication are through posters stock assessment and management, and population and presentations – we have 200 posters and 190 presentations, including three dynamics of exploited marine stocks. He is a Titular top international authorities and local experts giving plenaries on the subthemes. Professor at the Faculty of Sciences and also a researcher at the National Institute of Fisheries (now National Any symposium is also a meeting of colleagues. Much of our life as scientists and Direction of Aquatic Resources) in Uruguay, where he academics is spent interacting with colleagues locally or on opposite ends of the country/ was responsible for assessment of invertebrate stocks world. We go through challenging situations together and become good friends. Here and also served as coordinator of Research Area on Fisheries Development. He has we have the opportunity to renew contacts and celebrate our individual and collective supervised more than 60 postgraduate students. He was awarded a Distinguished achievements, while contributing to the intellectual advancement of the marine Marine Conservation Fellowship and a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation from science community and the objectives of the country as a whole. We don’t enter science the Pew Environment Group, United States. He has served as leader or coordinator to get rich but because we are passionate about it and want to make a difference. The for some 25 research projects as coordinator in Uruguay and Mexico and a key collegiality we develop along the way is one of the greatest rewards from this approach! collaborator in international projects carried out in Chile, Ecuador and the USA (Biodiversity Support Program). An international authority in small scale and traditional On behalf of the hosts, CMR and NMMU, and the organizing committee, fisheries and coastal ecology, he is familiar with the South African situation and has we would like to thank all who have contributed to making this a success. In a track record of collaboration with South African marine scientists. particular we recognize: Tanya Schmidt and her team at Eastern Sun, colleagues who have served and assisted on the LOC, sponsors Aegean, CMR, NMBT, NMMU, CALLUM ROBERTS - University of York, United Kingdom Faculty RTI, NRF, SANCOR and scientific committee members who assisted with screening abstracts and compiling the program, and the NMMU management ROBERTS has an h-index of 63 and >17 000 citations. for their support. We are grateful to all those individuals that contributed in any His specialisations include marine conservation biology, way to make this conference a success. It is a pleasure to host everyone here. fisheries management, marine protected areas, marine reserves, biodiversity and coral reefs. His work examines Finally, we wish all participants a stimulating a rewarding meeting that will generate the impact of human activity on marine ecosystems, new partnerships, local and international, to address critical issues across disciplines. particularly coral reefs. He has studied the effects of marine reserves closed to all fishing, showing both the Profs Ronel Nel & Anton McLachlan scale of human impacts on the sea, and the means of protecting marine ecosystems from such effects. He works to gain a wider acceptance for marine reserves LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE and advise fishermen on how to promote the concept within the industry and to politicians. He has also been active with the Coral Reef Ronel Nel (Chair) – NMMU Pieter Swart – NMMU Fish Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). With colleagues, he Anton McLachlan – NMMU Linda Harris – NMMU has developed global maps of the biodiversity distribution of reef fishes and other Carmen Visser – SANCOR Malcolm Smale – Bayworld faunal groups. He was awarded a Pew fellowship in marine conservation in 2000 to Nicky James – SAIAB Patrick Vranken – NMMU tackle obstacles to implementing marine reserves, and in 2001 he was awarded a Shaun Deysel – SAEON Hardy fellowship in conservation biology at Harvard University. ORGANISERS SPECIAL SESSIONS NATIONAL SPEAKERS Janine Adams – NMMU (Estuaries) COLEEN VOGEL - University of the Witwatersrand Margaux Noyon – NMMU (Indian Ocean) Mike Roberts – NMMU & University of Southampton (Indian Ocean) Coleen Vogel has recently re-joined the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Pierre Pistorius – NMMU (Top Predators and Spatial Data) after spending time at the University of Pretoria. Professor Vogel was also a “visiting” Steve Kirkman – DEA/O&C (Top Predators and Spatial Data) Professor with the University of Stellenbosch working on climate change adaptation Steve Holness - NMMU (Department of Zoology) and trans-disciplinary. She is a climatologist by training but has increasingly Judie Mann-Lang – SAAMBR (Science Communication) worked in the social dimensions of climate change, focusing particularly on climate Penny Haworth – SAIAB (Smell of Science) change adaptation. She has chaired and been the vice-chair of international global Vanessa Rouhani – SAIAB (Smell of Science) environmental change scientific committees (e.g IHDP and LUCC and involved in the Earth System Science Programme), groups that preceded the current Future Earth developments. She has assisted in several government-related development SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE activities in South Africa and was a contributor to the Disaster Management Act process in South Africa. She was one of the chapter lead authors of the Fouthr IPCC Greg Hofmeyr (Chair) – Bayworld Azwianewi Makhado – DEA/O&C (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Africa Chapter and part of the final Judy Mann – SAAMBR Maelle Conann – NMMU synthesis author panel of that report and was a chapter author contributing to the 5th Juliet Hermes – SAEON Kerry Sink – SANBI Asessment of the IPCC, working on a chapter dealing with Human Security. A Nobel Anusha Rajkaran – UWC Fiona Mackay – ORI Peace Prize was awarded to the author team together with Al Gore for the efforts made Laura Blamey – UCT Prideel Majiedt – SANBI in compliling the 4th assessment report. She has also received the Burtoni Awards Sven Kerwath – DAFF Motebang Nakin – WSU for international excellence in adaptation