CANSEE 2007

7th Biennial Conference
“Sustaining Communities and Development in the Face of Environmental Challenges”

July 26 to 28, 2007
Halifax, Nova Scotia

The 7th Biennial Conference of the Canadian Society for Ecological Economics (CANSEE) will reflect the focus of CANSEE in fostering transdisciplinary research activities and dialogue among natural and social scientists, government, the private sector and civil society, to deepen our understanding of the interactions between humans and nature, and to inform the sustainable stewardship of our natural resources and the environment.

These goals are particularly important in Canada given our rich endowment of natural capital, including forests, oceans, fish and wildlife species, biodiversity, productive soil, minerals, oil and gas, and freshwater. Our economy depends significantly on the use of these resources and society benefits greatly from the ecological services they provide. Stewardship of our environment and resources is needed to maintain the quality of life of Canadians and to support the people, economies and communities that depend on those resources for their livelihoods. Often, when the environment has already been degraded we are faced with difficult challenges of rebuilding ecosystems, while sustaining communities and economies.

The 7th Biennial Conference of CANSEE will provide a major forum to apply ecological economics in defining best approaches to achieve sustainability, in helping to address the myriad of environmental challenges we face, and in examining key issues of development both within Canada and internationally.

Conference sessions will focus on the contribution of ecological economics to the following:

• Management of marine and coastal environments and sustaining coastal communities
• Management of forest environments and sustaining forest-dependent communities
• Assessment and design of recovery strategies for species at risk
• Ethics, values and preferences for rehabilitation of biodiversity
• Social equity of environmental conservation (urban vs. rural, developing vs. developed nations)
• Accounting for natural capital in the measurement of regional and national welfare
• Recent advances in sustainability indicators and monitoring systems to support adaptive management
• Understanding the impacts of climate change and design of effective strategies for adaptation
• Project design in international development in support of poverty alleviation
• The role of Canadian institutions in education and capacity building for international development
• The engagement of society in the evolution and advancement of ecological economics

Conference sessions, papers and posters will directly address how an ecological economic approach can help society meet these challenges. Government, academics, NGOs, the private sector and the public are encouraged to attend.