Terms of Reference

National Advisory Process to Review the Marine Component of the 2010 Ecosystem Status and Trends Report (ESTR)

1-4 December, 2009

Montréal, Québec

Chairperson: Patrice Simon

Context

In 2001, the Canadian Council of Resource Ministers (CCRM) named biodiversity reporting as a priority.  As a result, the Biodiversity Outcomes Framework was developed to identify and link current and future priorities related to sustaining Canadian biodiversity, to engage Canadians on the planning and implementation of these priorities, and to report on progress.   In 2006, the CCRM identified the completion of the Ecosystem Status and Trends Report (ESTR) as an early deliverable under the Biodiversity Outcomes Framework.   ESTR will be released in 2010 and will address the “Assess” and “Ecosystem” components of the Biodiversity Outcomes Framework. A federal/provincial/territorial Steering Committee has been organized to produce ESTR; Environment Canada is the coordinating lead, however Fisheries & Oceans Canada (DFO) is the designated lead for the marine components. 

ESTR will report on the assessment of 25 Canadian ecozones (15 terrestrial, 1 large lake system, and 9 marine).  The nine marine ecozones have been approved by DFO Regional Science Directors and are as follows:

• Pacific Ocean – Strait of Georgia, West Coast Vancouver Island, and North Coast (Hecate Strait/Haida Gwaii);
• Arctic Ocean– Beaufort Sea, Canadian Archipelago, and Hudson Bay/James Bay/Foxe Basin; and
• Atlantic Ocean– Newfoundland-Labrador Shelf, Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf, and Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Within DFO, Science has led the coordination of the science-based marine technical reports which correspond to each of the marine ecozones, including their biological and ecological aspects.  Each of the technical reports will be a compilation of available scientific and technical information on the condition, trends, drivers, and stressors of Canadian marine ecosystems. 

A Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) science advisory process will convene to examine the information compiled for each of the aforementioned marine ecozones, identify key highlights, and determine recurring themes among the marine ecozones as well as appropriate terrestrial ecozones.

Objectives

The primary working papers for consideration at this advisory meeting are the technical reports corresponding to each of the marine ecozones, which have been coordinated by the relevant DFO Regions.  Please note that the three Arctic marine ecozones are included in the same chapter, however they are addressed separately within it.  The technical chapters will provide a comprehensive overview of the status and trends of each marine ecozone.  In addition, 4-5 page summaries for each marine ecozone will be available which provide a concise summary of the technical reports, including key highlights.

The draft key highlights report for the terrestrial chapters will be made available prior to the meeting so that participants may consider its relevance, if any, to the marine ecozones.

The meeting participants will discuss the following:

1. Do each of the ESTR technical reports reflect the current status of the ecosystems and are the indicators included appropriate for measuring the status and tends of the health of the ecozones?
2. Are the technical report summaries adequate and do they reflect the appropriate key highlights of each marine ecozone?
3. Are there recurring themes among the various marine ecozones?
4. Are there linkages in regards to key highlights and/or recurring themes between the marine ecozones and the terrestrial ones?

Outputs

Outputs from the Workshop will include:

• CSAS Research Documents consisting of the technical reports corresponding to the marine ecozones;
• A CSAS Science Advisory Report which will include a summary of each ecozone, key highlights, recurring themes, and any linkages to the terrestrial ecozones.  This report will form the basis of the DFO submission to Environment Canada for inclusion into the national 2010 Ecosystem Status and Trends Report; and
• CSAS Proceedings (to document the discussion of the meeting).

Participation

This science advisory process will follow the standard CSAS National Advisory Process (NAP) and will include experts from DFO Science and potentially other sectors of the Department, members of the national ESTR Steering Committee, and a range of invited external participants.  The invited experts will be selected for objectivity and credibility among peers and balanced across the diverse perspectives.