CIFAL Quito - Adaptive MAnagement of Vulnerability and RISk at Conservation Sites (MARISCO)
The Adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites (MARISCO) MARISCO represents an approach to adaptive ecosystem-based management. If facilitates the integration of a dynamic risk and vulnerability perspective into the management of conservation projects and sites.
The workshop aims to provide a venue to discuss ecosystem services, likely impacts of climate change, as well as other direct and underlying threats. The discussions are supported by further knowledge, such as scientific data that is collected beforehand and presented in an easy to understand way during the workshop.
At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe the MARISCO approach
- Define conservation targets, with regard to biodiversity and human well-being
- Recognize current and future threats, as well as contributing factors
- Identify low-risk strategies that can be incorporated into existing management plans
The workshop addresses the following topics:
Conceptualisation
- Ecosystem diagnostics analysis
- Define the geographical scope of management
- Determine conservation objects: biodiversity objects
- Determine conservation objects: (biodiversity-dependent) human wellbeing objects
- Define the initial management vision
Systemic vulnerability and risk analysis
- Assessment of the current status of the biodiversity objects
- Determine the key ecological attributes and functionality of the target systems
- Threats: understanding the drivers of stress and the vulnerability they cause to biodiversity objects
- Contributing factors to threats
- The systemic conceptual model
The workshop is facilitated by a coach who supports participants throughout the workshop by tailoring the process to their needs, explaining and facilitating individual steps, providing theoretical input where needed, and catalysing the process should the team get stuck in discussions.
The method is aimed at practitioners and students who want to learn more about modern and effective conservation management in the context of global change, and who are interested in applying the method or even potentially guiding exercises themselves.
The targeted audience is comprised of technicians and practitioners from local and provincial governments from Ecuador.