A brief overview of the goals, scope, and activities of the CZCP

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1 The Coastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP): Supporting Integrated Coastal Zone Management with Earth Observations A brief overview of the goals, scope, and activities of the CZCP Hans-Peter Plag (1) and Paul DiGiacomo (2) (1) Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Initiative Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA (2) Satellite Oceanography and Climatology Division (SOCD) NOAA/NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) College Park, MD, USA 1

2 The Group on Earth Observations Ad hoc Group on Earth Observations established in 2003 by G8 in response to 2002 Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development; Mandat: Develop an Implementation Plan for a coodinated Earth observation system; After eighteen months and many meetings (including 2 Summits on EO): 10 Year Implementation Plan for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) was available. Vision: A future where decisions are informed by Earth observations

3 The Group on Earth Observations Group on Earth Observations (GEO) established at the EO Summit in February 2005 in Brussels One major objective: Establish a coordinated and sustained Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to enhance informed decision making (in nine Societal Benefit Areas) Participation: By now ~90 Member Countries and >60 Participating Organizations Implementation: Plenary, Executive Committee, Implementation Boards, Work Plan, Task Teams, Communities of Practice

4 The Coastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP) supports the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) in its goal to provide timely observations informing decisions concerning the coastal zone. High priorities for the CZCP related to the Global Earth Observing System of System (GEOSS) are improved forecasts of sea-level rise and the associated increase in frequency and extent of coastal inundation, which may be exacerbated by an increase in the frequency of extreme weather, as well as changes in water quality and ecosystem health and productivity. Sustainable development of the coastal zone is one of the frontlines in humanity's sustainability crisis (Motivated by Glavocic, 2013: The coast is the 'frontline' of humanity's struggle for sustainability ) 4

5 The CZCP brings together experts in an effort to support integrated coastal zone management through utilization of Earth observations and derived products. The CZCP focuses both on research and practical applications related to coastal zone management. It interacts directly with a number of GEO Participating Organizations and the Societal Benefits Implementation Board of GEO. 5

6 A Series of Regional Workshops, GEOSS Support for Decision-Making in the Coastal Zone: Managing and Mitigating the Impacts of Human Activities and Natural Hazards in the Coastal Zone, is one of the main activities of the CZCP 6

7 The first regional workshop focused on the Mediterranean and was held in June 2008 in Athens, Greece, with participants from Europe, Africa, and America. The workshop emphasized the importance of understanding and linking to decision makers, and produced a set of conclusions and recommendations, which are available at the CZCP web page 7

8 The second regional workshop focusing on West Africa was held in Cotonou, Benin, in conjunction with a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)/ International Hydrological Programme (IHP) Workshop on water and climate. The importance of capacity retention in addition to capacity building was emphasized, and the importance of bridging the gap between science and governance was reiterated. 8

9 Beyond Capacity Building : During the workshop, a growing dissatisfaction in Africa with the term capacity building and the perceived slow pace of progress was reported. It was suggested to plan in terms of: - Capacity retention: prevent existing infrastructure, individuals, and know-how from disappearing; - Capacity sustainability: the need for institutional and infrastructure longevity; and - Capacity empowerment: the need to make enhanced use of capacities that already exist. 9

10 The third regional workshop took place 9-11 March 2011 in Puerto Rico: Earth observation support for sustainable tourism in small island states : Conclusion: Many stakeholders have information needs that are not met Recommendation: Establish a Coastal Information System 1 0

11 Supported by the CZCP: International Conference on Oceanography: Climate Change and Coastal Sustainability in Tropical and Sub-Tropical Regions, November 2013, Calabar, Nigeria

12 Future Workshops: - Asia (Indonesia) - High-latitudes (Arctic) 1 2

13 Other CZCP activities include:! building on the legacy of the Integrated Global Observing Strategy - Partnership (IGOS-P) Coastal Theme Report;! populating the GEOSS User Requirements Registry;! support for relevant GEO Work Plan Tasks;! working with and helping to implement the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) and other observing systems related to coastal zones;! facilitating data sharing and access;! building of capacity;! address funding issues. 1 3

14 Capacity building through cyberinfrastructure Coastal Zone Information System (CZIS): - information on environmental, social and economic state of the CZ; - access to science, technology, and innovation knowledge; - crowd-sourcing tool; - democratizing of data, information, knowledge; - virtual stakeholder table (VST)? - support for deliberative governance; - disaster risk reduction; - increased resilience, adaptive capabilities. To what extent can this be related to/coordinated with ICAN? 1 4

15 CZCP and User Engagement