Hello All, I thought some of you might be interested in the following course:
Apologies for cross posting Registration is open for the Introduction to Marxan course on 1-2 October and the Marxan for Managers workshop on 3 October 2012 in Washington, DC! Below is information about the course and workshop - please forward this to anyone who might be interested. The two-day hands-on technical course will provide participants with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to use Marxan in a marine conservation planning exercise (also applicable to terrestrial and freshwater cases). The following topics are covered in the Introduction to Marxan: - Key concepts in systematic conservation planning - Creating planning units - Creating the essential Marxan input files with ArcGIS - Parameter setting in Marxan - Understanding and using Marxan results - Zonae Cogito (front-end software to support Marxan) - A brief introduction to Marxan with Zones The course time will be split between lecture (~30%) and hands-on exercises (~70%). Experience with ArcGIS and MS Excel are prerequisite. Computers with ArcGIS 10 will be provided for participants unless you would like to bring a laptop. The one-day interactive and discussion-based Marxan for Managers workshop will provide a high-level background on marine and terrestrial systematic conservation and land/sea use planning, and will cover the questions of when, where, and why to use Marxan and other decision support tools. If you will be choosing the parameters of a Marxan analysis, working with stakeholders, and/or presenting results, this is highly recommended! Although each workshop will be tailored to specific interests, mandates, and problems of the group, it will cover topics such as: - Key approaches and tools to conservation and resource planning - Setting targets - Stakeholder considerations - Cost considerations - Planning with uncertainty We will highlight and explain essential elements of successful planning processes, provide case studies of initiatives around the world, and lead a discussion on approaches and good practices and managerial-level experience for systematic conservation and land/water use planning. This workshop is not technical and will not involve computers. The technical course runs from 9am - 4pm and costs $625, with a $30 discount for early registrants (payment of $595 completed at least 2 weeks prior to the course - 17 Sept). The first five students to register will receive a 40% discount ($375), and the next 5 students will receive a 20% discount ($500). Lunch and coffee breaks are included and computers will be provided for participants (with ArcGIS 10). The managers workshop runs from 9am - 4pm and costs $215, with a $25 discount for early registrants (payment of $190 completed at least 2 weeks prior to the course - 17 Sept). The first five students to register will receive a 40% discount ($130), and the next 5 students will receive a 20% discount ($170). Lunch and a coffee break are included. Both events will be held at the Conservation International office at 2011 Crystal Dr. in Arlington, VA 22202. When you are ready for payment, please go to this site: http://pacmara.org/events-workshops (please only register when ready to pay unless you are paying by check or cash, in which case contact us for details). Note that we use paypal for registration, but it is not necessary for you to have a paypal account (click on "Don't have a Paypal account?" towards the bottom of the page). Cancellation Policy: - Up to 2 weeks before a course: full refund less $30 admin fee - 1-2 weeks before a course: 50% refund - Less than 1 week before a course: no refund unless you can find a replacement for your space in the course (we will change names for no fee). Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to suggest courses/workshops in other areas. Thank you, Heather About Marxan: Marxan (Ian Ball and Hugh Possingham, 2000) is a software program used to support the design of marine and terrestrial reserves worldwide. Using Marxan, planners can identify an efficient system of conservation sites that include a suite of biodiversity targets at a minimal cost. Marxan provides a unique method for designing reserves that is systematic and repeatable. It is the most used conservation planning tool worldwide; over 60 countries, 1100 users, and 600 organizations use Marxan to support the design of terrestrial and marine reserves. For example, it has been used to help zone the Great Barrier Marine Park, design marine reserves in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and set spatial priorities in the Romanian Carpathians to protect large carnivores. Please contact: Heather Coleman, Science Advisor PacMARA (Pacific Marine Analysis and Research Association) PO Box 49002, Victoria, BC V8P5V8 Office: 778.300.1801 [email protected] http://pacmara.org pacmara.org/tikiwiki Best Regards, Andrew
