07 Jun Science with impact, public policy and coastal development will be central themes in seminar series in the decade of the oceans
The opening session—scheduled for June 8, World Oceans Day—will feature a panel of researchers from international and national public institutions, including NOAA, UNDRR, UNESCO, ANID, SHOA, CONA, and the Ministry of the Environment, as well as research centers such as CIGIDEN, (CR)2, CEDEUS, and SECOS, along with members of the Chilean Senate.
A scientific, institutional, and political perspective on disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, sustainable development, and local governance in coastal areas—alongside an emphasis on collaborative work—is the focus of the four-part scientific seminar series: “Science with Impact for Building Resilience in Coastal Areas,” which will be held virtually throughout June 2021.
This series is the result of a joint effort between four centers funded by Chile’s National Agency for Research and Development (ANID)—the Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN), the Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR)2, the Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CEDEUS), and the Millennium Institute for Coastal Socio-Ecology (SECOS)—in collaboration with the Chilean Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service (SHOA).
It also receives support from the National Oceanographic Committee (CONA) and ANID, and is sponsored by UNESCO’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. According to the leadership of ANID’s FONDAP and Millennium centers, the aim of this event is to place the development of public policy based on scientific evidence at the heart of the conversation. This is science with impact—emerging from research centers to serve decision-makers and the public—not only through the generation of knowledge, technologies, reports, and studies, but also through new ways of sustainably coexisting across a geographically and culturally diverse Chile.
Collaborating science
State-funded research centers, the directors explain, aim for research questions to drive action by various decision-makers, always with a focus on social well-being and environmental respect. To this end, the seminar series will center discussions around interdisciplinary research, the necessary collaboration among ANID Centers of Excellence, and how scientific work must be connected to public policy, current events, and both global and national agendas—while remaining grounded in the needs that emerge from local territories.
The opening session, taking place on June 8 in celebration of World Oceans Day, will run from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and will feature researchers from public institutions such as NOAA, UNDRR, UNESCO, ANID, SHOA, CONA, and the Ministry of the Environment, as well as from the research centers CIGIDEN, (CR)², CEDEUS, and SECOS, along with members of the Chilean Senate.
In this first session, Christa G. Von Hillebrandt-Andrade, representative of UNESCO-ITIC-NOAA, will present the challenges of the “Ocean Decade,” while ANID Director Aisén Etcheverry will address the challenges faced by the institution. Raúl Salazar, Head of the UNDRR Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, will speak on the International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction in our region. Additionally, Rear Admiral Patricio Carrasco, Director of SHOA, will present the current Tsunami Warning System, and Juan Fierro, Executive Secretary of CONA, will provide an overview of the National Oceanographic Plan.
The directors of the FONDAP and MILENIO centers—Rodrigo Cienfuegos, Maisa Rojas, Juan Carlos Muñoz, and Stefan Gelcich—will also participate in various sessions. The day will conclude with a roundtable discussion showcasing the experiences of scientific advisory processes under the Urban Wetlands Law framework, as well as the current efforts of the Coastal Observatory—composed of scientific centers, NGOs, and organized communities—to propose a new Coastal Law in Chile. You can download the full program for the opening session here.
The remaining sessions in June will feature keynote lectures by international experts in coastal area management, climate change adaptation, and rapid wave forecasting, along with a robust schedule of presentations from scientists affiliated with the four ANID centers and representatives from the political sphere. The UN declared the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) with the aim of creating a shared framework to ensure that ocean science can fully support countries’ efforts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The decade also seeks to foster international cooperation to generate scientific research and apply innovative technologies that connect ocean science with the needs of society.
Cicle seminars ANID – SHOA
Sesión 1 inaugural [8 de junio de 2021 | 09.00 a 13.00 horas] Sesión 2 [15 de junio 2021] “Pronósticos y aplicaciones de oleajes y eventos hidrometeorológicos” Sesión 3 [22 de junio 2021] “Zonas costeras y adaptación al cambio climático” Sesión 4 [29 de junio 2021] “Desafíos para la transformación sostenible y la adaptación al cambio climático”