Phase
1
The first phase of this project was carried out in the winter of
2009. An initiative of the Gulf
Fisheries Center, with the collaboration of the Southern
Gulf of St.Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability (Coalition-SGSL),
this project sought to test out methodologies for collecting social
economic and cultural values in the Southern Gulf of St.Lawrence
region. This project is known as SECOA. The project also focused on
developing the methodology that would permit a visual
representation of those values geographically on maps. These maps
could then be used by decision makers to determine areas of
importance to the local populations. Once the methodology is
refined, it should be of use to various groups to facilitate the
inclusion of values in economic, social and environmental decisions
in the region.
Thereport from the first phase of the project
explaining the method and what the project entailed is now
available in PDF format (2MB) online.
Phase 2
One of the Coalition-SGSL’s academic
members, the Institute of Island Studies (IIS) at the University of
Prince Edward Island, undertook in collaboration with us and the
Gulf Fisheries Center, a second component of the SECOA project. The
IIS researchers, with cooperation from the North Shore Municipality
and the Prince Edward Island Department of Environment, Energy and
Forestry, tested a mail-out survey method for mapping social and
cultural values in the coastal zone of PEI, using research tools
similar to those used in the Coalition-SGSL's SECOA focus groups in
2009. This has permitted the refinement and extension of a
methodology that hopefully can reach a greater audience for
collecting values. This second test of the methodology based on the
first phase reinforces the importance of this approach to
decision making. If decision makers are to make choices that will
lead to the sustainability of the region and their communities,
gathering social and cultural data becomes essential for holistic
resource management and for land use planning and climate
change adaptation.
A video explaining the steps taken in the second phase and the
results can be viewed online soon.