INTERNATIONAL COASTAL ZONE CANADA CONFERENCE 2012

Participate in the 10th Edition of the International Coastal Zone Canada Conference

The Coastal Zone Canada Association will hold the 10th biennial international Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) Conference on June 9–14, 2012, in Rimouski, Quebec.  Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Université du Québec à Rimouski will host this major event, which brings together citizens, elected officials, managers, representatives of local, provincial, and federal governments, academic and gorvernment researchers, scientists, engineers, and students.

Coastal Zone Canada 2012 will take a look back at the progress made in recent decades and will examine promising approaches for addressing new challenges in oceans and coastal zones management. The conference, which carries the theme “Time for Action!”, will explore a dynamic, proactive and participatory vision of integrated coastal and ocean management.

The health and prosperity of coastal areas and oceans have been a focus of discussions in recent years in Canada. The importance of protecting coastal areas and oceans and of applying the principles of integrated management is beyond any doubt and has generated interest in all sectors of society. Coastal Zone Canada 2012 will move the process towards action by proposing concrete, innovative ideas leading to veritable leadership and community engagement in the management of what is now recognized as global commons.

The discussions will build on those of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio +20, which marked an important step in evaluating how the ways we think and act in the environmental field have evolved.

Word of welcome from the co-chairs

On behalf of the Coastal Zone Canada Association (CZCA), we are very pleased to welcome you to Coastal Zone Canada (CZC) 2012 and to the spectacular region of Rimouski.

This is the second time Rimouski will play host to the international Coastal Zone Canada Conference. The 1996 conference, also held in Rimouski, was one of the most important of all of the CZC conferences and we hope that this year’s conference will be just as successful.

Under the theme “Time for action!”, Coastal Zone Canada 2012 continues the Coastal Zone Canada Association’s tradition of providing a forum for the exchange of ideas between oceans and coastal zone experts, practitioners, decision-makers and other interested parties. Such a forum provides an opportunity to identify practices that facilitate decision making and policy development, to improve knowledge, to increase understanding and communication among the various communities of practice or interest, and to explore mechanisms and tools for coastal community capacity building.

We wish you a successful conference and pleasant stay in Rimouski.
Regards,

Gilles H. Tremblay
Co-chair, Organizing Committee
Vice-president Quebec, Coastal Zone Canada Association (CZCA)
Coordinator, Integrated Oceans Management, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Steve Plante
Co-chair, Scientific Committee
Director, Alliance de recherche universités-communautés – Défis des communautés côtières (ARUC–DCC)
Professor, Regional, Social and Territorial Development, Université du Québec à Rimouski