Project Timeline
| Project Phase | Progress / Detailed Achievements & Milestones | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (2022–2023) | Inception, Co-Creation Setup & Recruitment • Establishment: Initiated 5 core regional case studies (Canada, China, Costa Rica, West Africa, Netherlands) and expanded into associated projects in Africa and South Asia. • Personnel: Recruited and trained over 50 undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral researchers, plus staff/technicians. • Governance: Formed a multi-layered structure (Steering Committee, Case Study Teams, Thematic Integration Teams, ECR Network) that distinctly prioritizes “co-creation” by elevating non-academic partners (e.g., Tla’amin Nation, NGO MarViva) to leadership roles. • Financial Stewardship: Exceeded the 35% SSHRC minimum contribution requirement, securing 62.9% of total costs through partner/institutional contributions. Established websites, social media, and management tools. | Complete |
| Year 2 (2023–2024) | Participatory Workshops, Baselines & Framework Development • Canada: Integrated research into the Tla’amin Nation’s 2023–2028 Comprehensive Nation Plan (Goal 19: Food Security). Applied the “Seeds” framework, identifying a food processing facility and Marine Plan as highly adaptive. Discovered a viable site for restoring ancient mariculture (clam gardens). • West Africa: Completed a full year of seasonal (wet/dry) fieldwork across 6 Nigerian coastal states to assess microplastics and IUU fishing. Advanced research on integrating women’s voices into fisheries policy. • Costa Rica: Co-developed “desirable futures” with fishing communities (Isla Chira, Costa de Pájaros) using the Nature Futures Framework (NFF) and Three Horizons. • China: Updated SEW-ED models with CMIP6 climate data and identified 20.8 million km² of ocean suitable for seaweed cultivation. • Netherlands: Developed Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) to map complex feedback loops and tipping points in Dutch fisheries/aquaculture. | Complete |
| Year 3 (2024–Early 2025) | Midterm Stocktaking, Policy Wins & Phase II Launch • SSHRC Evaluation: Officially passed the formal Midterm Review, exceeding expectations and securing funding through 2028. • Major Convening: Hosted the International Partnership Meeting in Costa Rica (Feb 10–13, 2025) featuring researchers, global stakeholders, and a Canadian Embassy diplomatic dialogue event. • Policy Impact: Research efforts aligned with Ghana’s parliamentary approval to extend the Inshore Exclusive Zone from 6 to 12 nautical miles for small-scale fishers. • Knowledge Mobilization Over-performance: Exceeded targets, producing 60+ core/495+ related peer-reviewed articles, 85+ presentations (planned: 3), 240+ popular media articles, and 35+ broadcast interviews. • NFF Expansion: Hosted a Jan 2025 workshop in West Africa training researchers on mapping desirable marine futures, plus a Benin-Togo workshop utilizing Indigenous Local Knowledge and Voodoo rites for mangrove sustainability. | Complete |
| Years 4–5 (Mid 2025–2027) | Scenarios, Global Synthesis & High-Level Policy Engagement • Decision Support: Tara Martin’s team is actively applying the Decision Support Framework (DSF) to navigate food vs. biodiversity trade-offs, while a Global Nutrition Study links West African and Canadian data. • 2025 Milestones: - March: Canadian workshops on Tla’amin Nation modern treaty negotiations. - May: Lagos grant-writing workshops; “Blue Transformations” keynote. - June: UN Ocean Conference (Nice, France) high-profile “Blue Zone” researcher-fisher alliance event and release of “Blue Food” policy brochures. - August: Co-PIs Cheung and Sumaila appointed as authors for IPCC AR7. - Sept/Oct: West Africa mid-progress meeting; Tla’amin cross-case synthesis; Scenarios team at Oppenheimer Research Conference. - Nov: Co-PIs named to Clarivate’s top 1% Highly Cited Researchers list. • 2026 Milestones: Published updated Regional Briefings (Jan). Co-PI Sumaila appointed to The Nature Conservancy Global Board (March). Finalizing the cross-case NFF Synthesis Paper. | In Progress (2025–2027) |
| Year 6 (2027–2028) | Final Outcomes, Post-Project Impact & Conclusion • Modeling Integration: Finalizing the incorporation of the “people dimension” into quantitative frameworks and deepening research into the “Equitable Co-existence of Biodiversity, Fisheries, and Aquaculture.” • Final Conference: Hosting a partnership-wide meeting in China in 2027 to officially summarize key findings, finalize the “Nature Futures Framework” global synthesis paper, and translate regional discoveries into global policy recommendations. • Project Wrap-Up: Formal conclusion of the 6-year SSHRC mandate in 2028, establishing long-term legacy structures for ongoing policy impacts (e.g., WTO, IPCC, CAP). | Upcoming (2027–2028) |