World Wildlife Fund

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 8, 2008 – Dr. Patrick N. Halpin, a leading expert in marine conservation, will discuss “Protecting the Large Pelagics: New Technologies for Marine Conservation in the Open Ocean” at World Wildlife Fund on Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 4:30 p.m.  The lecture is part of the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Seminar series, which brings distinguished scientists from a variety of fields to Washington, D.C. to present cutting edge research of central importance to international conservation. 

Ship strikes, entanglements, fisheries by-catch and sonar interactions are but a few of the growing threats facing critical pelagic, or open ocean, species.  These threats are spread over wide areas of our oceans and often occur outside of the jurisdiction of established marine protected areas and territorial waters.  Keeping marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds out of harm’s way will require novel approaches and advanced technologies applied in a fluid ocean context. 

Dr. Halpin’s presentation will address pelagic species protection and new directions in marine conservation, featuring the latest in:

• Marine information systems
• Forecasting models
• Technological applications

Dr. Halpin’s research focuses on ecological applications of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing; marine conservation and ecosystem-based management which links spatial and temporal patterns in marine ecosystems to ecological processes. His work is specifically directed toward applied science that directly informs marine conservation and management problems. Dr. Halpin sits on a number of international scientific and conservation program steering committees; including the U.S. National Committee of the Census of Marine Life, the international Scientific Steering Committee of the Census of Marine Life; the Ocean Biogeographic Information Systems international committee and the Google Oceans Advisory Council. He is leading the Mapping & Visualization Team responsible for assisting with the final synthesis and production of the "First Census of Marine Life." In addition, Dr. Halpin is the lead on several other marine conservation and management initiatives funded by NSF, NASA, The A.P. Sloan Foundation, the D.L. Packard Foundation and the G.B. Moore Foundation.

When: 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (lecture); 5:30 – 6:30 (reception), Thursday, July 10, 2008
Where: World Wildlife Fund, Russell Train Conference Center, 1250 24^th St. NW (between M and N streets). Admission is free: Click Here for a Map.

Registration at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/science/fellowships/fuller/item1816.html

Who: Professor Patrick N. Halpin, Gabel Associate Professor of the Practice of Marine Geospatial Ecology and Director of the Geospatial Analysis Program at the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University

This lecture is funded through the Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund, which honors Kathryn S. Fuller, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund from 1989 to 2005.