The primary objective of this project is to develop a short synthesis report assessing 11 habitats, using a variety of ecological indicators. The report will be one tool that the South Atlantic LCC can use to inform decision-makers, stakeholders, and the general public about the health of South Atlantic habitats. To achieve this project, six discrete project tasks have been identified and are outlined in the next section.
1) Project start-up and pre-workshop preparation: IAN will carefully review the Conservation Blueprint habitats and the indicators used to assess the health of these habitats. We will become familiar with the thresholds and data analysis that the South Atlantic LCC is using for their project. This information will include geographical and indicator data taken directly from South Atlantic LCC. This information will help IAN visualize what kinds of graphics are needed and what kinds of layout would work best for the available data. A brief summary of the findings from this task will be delivered to South Atlantic LCC for review prior to use in Task 2. 2) Plan, organize, and facilitate Workshop 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina: IAN will organize and facilitate a three-day workshop to layout and design a sixteen to twenty page document that synthesizes and integrates eleven different habitat types in the South Atlantic region, as well as mock-up a variety of graphics (e.g., infographics, conceptual diagrams) that will be in the report. This workshop will include partners, data providers, and key stakeholders in the project. This participatory approach encourages ownership over the final product. All notes and files will be assembled and summarized immediately following the workshop, and emailed to each participant for further deliberation. At the conclusion of the workshop, whiteboard and butcher paper storyboarding activities will fully illustrate the development of the report components. Following the workshop, IAN will work directly with the South Atlantic LCC to finalize workshop products and develop task assignments to move the project forward.
3) Data scoring, synthesis, and report design: IAN will develop data scoring methods that will build from and complement current indicator data analysis methods for the indicators project. IAN assumes that data compilation and the bulk of analysis will be completed prior to the project initiation, and that only limited data analysis will be required to develop scoring that will allow synthesis of results. IAN will develop synthesis methods for each of the 11 ecosystem types. Based on synthesis results, and results from the Workshop 1, IAN will prepare a draft report that presents the overall status of each ecosystem type, as well as (if applicable and relevant) an overall status of that South Atlantic coastal region.
4) Plan, organize, and facilitate Workshop 2 in Raleigh, North Carolina: IAN will facilitate a 2-day workshop in January 2015 to review drafts of graphics and the overall mockup of the report. Additionally, there may be changes to some indicators as the South Atlantic LCC indicator revision process will be ongoing until approximately January 2015. This workshop will allow accounting for these changes, and will result in final revisions necessary for the final report completion.
5) Report production: IAN will professionally design and layout the report, which will include: –A description of the South Atlantic LCC project, Blueprint, and indicator process,–Descriptions of the 11 ecosystem types, including conceptual diagrams and brief discussion of their importance, and results of data synthesis for each habitat and the larger South Atlantic region. We currently envision that the resulting document will be approximately 16 pages in length, although this may change with feedback from the workshops and as the project progresses. With a 16-page format, one page would be dedicated to each ecosystem type and the overall results. Two pages would be dedicated to the South Atlantic project, Blueprint, and indicator project/process description. The front cover will be designed with photos to encourage reader engagement with the report. The back cover would identify citation information, workshop participants, links to additional resources, and references. Several report examples that IAN has prepared previously are at http://ian.umces.edu/press/publications/329,331,359,425,439.6) Virtual meetings: Virtual meetings as conference and video calls, as well as electronic edits will be necessary throughout the project period. These meetings will incorporate ongoing edits and revisions and will allow frequent engagement from partners, participants, and stakeholders. The review and edits from all stakeholders is important for buy-in and engagement with the Conservation Blueprint and other programs of the South Atlantic LCC. Keeping all partners apprised of the progress of the report throughout the project period builds momentum for the release of the report to the public.