Category Archives: Workshop

Off to new horizons: Blue Planning in Practice in Suriname

Written by Carolin Hoffmann (Blue Solutions Initiative) and Hanneke Van Lavieren (WWF Guianas)

The Crew! Copyright: WWF

WWF Guianas, within the context of the EU-project ‘Promoting Integrated and Participatory Ocean Governance in Guyana and Suriname: the Eastern Gate to the Caribbean’ the Blue Solutions Initiative and the MarViva Foundation have cooperated to convene a training course on Marine Spatial Planning in Suriname. From 22 to 26 October 2018, more than 20 representatives of different institutions and stakeholders involved in the planning process of coastal and ocean use participated in the course held in Paramaribo. The diverse group included policy makers, planners, government technicians, civil society, academics and the private sector.

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Marine Spatial Planning in Bakul – implemented in Equatorial Guinea

Written by Carolin Hoffmann, Blue Solutions Initiative

What do Equatorial Guinea and Bakul have in common? – Both are tropical coastal states that are blessed with an abundance of marine and coastal biodiversity, a diverse range of ecosystems and natural resources. In both countries, several sectors and stakeholders use the marine and coastal space and depend on the resources it provides, which raises questions on how the sustainable use of these resources can be guaranteed in the future.

Whereas this is the reality of Equatorial Guinea, Bakul is the fictitious venue and place of learning in the Marine Spatial Planning training course of Blue Solutions. From August 20-24, Bakul received a group of visitors from Equatorial Guinea that took part in the “Blue Planning in Practice” course. Here is what happened:

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The art of convening Blue Training Courses

Written by Tabitha Stimpfle and Carolin Hoffmann, Blue Solutions Initiative

After five eventful years, the Blue Solutions project is in its final year of implementation and will come to an end in late 2018. To ensure the long-term availability, implementation and adaptation of the Blue Training Courses*, a workshop dedicated to “The art of convening Blue Training Courses” was conducted in June 2018. The workshop was jointly organized by the Blue Solutions Initiative, the Mami Wata Project, the MARISMA Project and convened in collaboration with the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Continue reading →

Handing over the “Blue Training Courses”: A Workshop Event

Written by Tabitha Stimpfle, Blue Solutions Initiative

After five eventful years, the Blue Solutions project is in its final year of implementa-tion and will come to an end in late 2018. To ensure the long-term availability of our Blue Solutions training courses, we are planning a workshop on “The Art of convening Blue Training Courses”.

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Blue Planning in Practice course applied in Europe: MSP for the Mediterranean Sea

Blue Planning in Practice course applied in Europe: Maritime Spatial Planning for the Mediterranean Sea

Written by Susanne Altvater, s.Pro

This article has been contributed by Susanne Altvater from S.Pro. She participated in our Blue Solutions training of trainers in Bali last year and gives insights on how she integrates the Blue Planning in Practice training into her work on Marine Spatial Planning in the Mediterranean Sea basin:

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Follow-up MSP training workshop in Myanmar

Follow-up Marine Spatial Planning training workshop in Myanmar

Written by Kyaw Thinn Latt, WCS, and Tabitha Stimpfle, Blue Solutions Initiative

As part of the recent MSP roadmap in Myanmar, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Blue Solutions Initiative conducted the first national level MSP training in the end of 2017.

This first training workshop was very well received and has created a big interest in further training activities within different institutions in Myanmar. A second 2-day Blue Planning in Practice training was already held from 8th to 9th February 2018 at the Central Forestry Development Training Center (CFDTC). 20 Forest Rangers from five coastal regions all over Myanmar participated in the training.

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Building Capacities for Marine Spatial Planning in Myanmar

Written by Barry Flaming, WCS

During November 27 – December 1, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in collaboration with the Blue Solutions Initiative, conducted a training on marine spatial planning to 20 representatives of Myanmar’s inter-agency National Coastal Resource Management Committee (NCRMC). The training workshop introduced participants to key blue planning concepts through case studies, presentations, discussions, and participatory exercises.

Participants of training in Myanmar with trainers Britta Heine, Hedley Grantham and Sonia Gautreau
© WCS Myanmar

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Blue Planning in Practice: a Brazilian trip to Bakul!

Written by Jan Kleine Büning, Blue Solutions Initiative

The Blue Solutions Initiative and the Brazilian Navy jointly convened a training on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) from 20-24 November 2017 near Rio de Janeiro. Representatives of the federal inter-ministerial working group on MSP participated in the course and jointly discussed potential pathways for integrated marine and coastal policies in the country.

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Nairobi Convention Workshop at the stunning Seychelles: all eyes on area-based planning!

Written by Carolin Hoffmann, Blue Solutions Initiative

The Nairobi Convention, a multi-institutional partnership dedicated to a prosperous and healthy Western Indian Ocean Region, organized a series of back-to-back meetings dedicated to Marine Spatial Planning, Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction and a number of further marine-related topics. Together with a number of involved institutions (UNEP-WCMC, WIOMSA, IUCN, IOC-UNESCO) Blue Solutions co-organized a workshop on Marine Spatial Planning on 13-15 November 2017.

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Focus on conservation finance – test training in Frankfurt

Written by Pia Wiesner, Blue Solutions Initiative

The Blue Solutions Initiative is currently designing a training course on conservation finance in cooperation with the Conservation Strategy Fund. From October 11 to 12, 2017, a test run of the newly developed course took place in Frankfurt, Germany. Participants from Freshfields, GIZ, GRID-Arendal and IUCN – among them experts in conservation finance and planning – learned about different mechanisms to finance biodiversity management activities. They discussed these mechanisms based on exercises and provided useful feedback, which will be reflected in an adapted version of the training course.

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