Expert: Dan Laffoley

Species: Homo conscious

Websites:

Dan is currently the Senior Advisor, Marine Science and Conservation for the Global Marine and Polar Programme, and is also Marine Vice Chair for the World Commission on Protected Areas. In the Global Marine and Polar Programme Dan provides knowledge, innovation and leadership on new ways for delivering marine conservation which lever greater action and attention for the ocean. This involves working with leading scientists to create initiatives that bring new knowledge into policy on issues such as coastal carbon sinks, climate change and ocean acidification. He has a keen interest in how information technology can help protect the ocean and recently co-originated and helped deliver Google Ocean, showing the public for the first time how the ocean is protected, benefitting in excess of 500 million people with a new perspective on the seas.

In the World Commission Dan was elected as a Vice Chair in 2006. WCPA is one of the six voluntary IUCN Commissions and with over 1,200 members in 140 countries it is administered by the Protected Areas Programme at the IUCN Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland. He is currently taking WCPA through a major strategic review to radically develop the role and focus of the marine work through the development and implementation of the WCPA - Marine global Plan of Action. The WCPA mission is to promote the establishment and effective management of a worldwide system of network of terrestrial and marine protected areas, as an integral contribution to the IUCN mission.

For nearly 25 years Dan has been responsible for the creation of many key national, European and global partnerships and alliances that underpin marine conservation. He served as chief scientific advisor for the marine environment in Natural England, for over a decade headed-up the marine conservation programme for English Nature, and has also worked in a variety of roles including special marine environmental advisor for the Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Strategy Unit, and for the European Commission. He currently chairs the International Ocean Acidification reference User Group and is a member of several marine science Councils and advisory boards in the UK. He is currently an independent special advisor to the UK Government on marine science.

Suggested petition:

http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/saveourmczs

IUCN

3 Nov 2012

Download Whale of a Time Festival 2012 - Presentation (pdf)

Marine Protected Areas (MPA), Innovations in ocean conservation outreach, Explores new ways of connecting people to the ocean and its conservation needs