On Wednesday, July 26th, we convened a virtual discussion featuring the leadership of the Marine Biodiversity Dialogues Task Force I and Task Force II. This event showcased their extensive multi-year efforts, dedicated to exploring the intricate connections between marine biodiversity, ecosystem health, and resilience. We also delved into their shared vision for how managers can harness this invaluable knowledge to navigate the challenges posed by our ever-changing oceanic environment.
This session was moderated by Emily Knight and Charlotte Hudson, both from the Lenfest Ocean Program, in collaboration with Kris Sarri, the Managing Director of Go Blue Strategies. Our distinguished panel of participants included Gabrielle Canonico from the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System and the U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observation Network, J. Emmett Duffy from the Smithsonian Institution, Sarah Gignoux-Wolfsohn from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Patrick Halpin from Duke University, and Steven Scyphers from the University of South Alabama. Following the presentation, we welcomed questions from our attentive audience during the Q&A session.