Hello, everyone! The recent CITES meeting made history for many reasons, including the first time a commercially exploited species of shark was protected by the Convention.
CITES COP16 was also noteworthy because of the extent that online outreach efforts were incorporated. This allowed interested citizens all over the world to follow along (and to some degree, participate in the discussion) in real time. Interested citizens could follow not only the debates over the policies made by delegates in attendance, but live expert commentary on those debates from scientists and policy experts. I've written a blog post summarizing online outreach efforts at CITES, along with my suggestions, predictions, and hopes for online outreach at future wildlife conservation and fisheries management meetings. The post can be found here: http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=14515 Please share with interested colleagues and friends. I welcome feedback on these ideas either as a comment on the blog or via e-mail. If you're willing, blog comments would be preferable because they allow others to see and participate in the discussion. Thanks! Sincerely, -- *David Shiffman* *Ph.D. Student, Research Assistant,* Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy <http://www.cesp.miami.edu/> R.J. Dunlap Marine Conservation Program <http://rjd.miami.edu/> [image: RJD] *e: *[email protected] | *p: *412.915.2309 *a: *4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami, Florida, 33149 *t: *@WhySharksMatter <http://twitter.com/#!/WhySharksMatter> | *b: *Southern Fried Science Blog <http://www.southernfriedscience.com/>
