Alaska-based Stantec scientist co-edits new book examining the importance of partnerships

Amidst a rapidly changing world and compounded social and ecological effects, building and sustaining partnerships is more important than ever. A new book—Partnerships in Marine Research: Case Studies, Lessons Learned, and Policy Implications—presents a thorough assessment of the key elements of successful partnerships by examining lessons learned and policy implications from 9 case studies contributed by 37 authors from 7 nations across governmental (federal and state), private, academic, nonprofit, and tribal sectors.

The book is co-written and co-edited by Dr. Francis Wiese, Stantec’s technical leader for marine research, and Dr. Guillermo Auad, senior research coordinator at the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Partnerships in Marine Research guides the sustainable planning and implementation of future ocean science and technology projects and provides a fundamental tool for researchers, engineers, and decision makers involved in collaborative research.

“We all need to think more collaborative, but building and maintaining partnerships is hard work,” Wiese said. “Our intent was to document what we have learned from all these efforts and thus help others that are looking to do the same, while also highlighting how institutional and governmental policies could better help to facilitate partnerships moving forward. As such, these lessons learned go far beyond just marine research.”

The book opens by introducing the topic of partnerships from a historical perspective, and conceptually as social systems, and identifies the problems faced by researchers as they conduct marine science investigations. Then the book leads into case studies that show how different approaches to partnering can all lead to successful outcomes while overcoming obstacles and adapting to challenges and opportunities. The book introduces an experience-based framework for sustainable partnerships and science, highlighting four key elements: flexibility of the partnership system, diversity (of partners and functions), redundancy, and connectivity. A high-level chapter addresses policy implications focusing on how policy and partnerships can influence each other. The last chapter looks at present-day conservation challenges from the perspective of a 2050 scenario, showing how global collaborations have paved the way to rebuilding global marine biodiversity.

“Like trees, robust partnerships need roots, a trunk, branches of different sizes, and leaves to successfully host all the required social processes,” Auad said. “This structural design, a nature-based solution, sustains the partnership while resources are accessible.”

Highlights of the 250-page publication include:

• Chapters from a diverse group of contributors, enabling a broad and deep perspective
• Case studies to connect the reader to successful marine research partnerships
• Key elements of resilient and sustainable partnerships throughout different project phases and a framework for supporting research partnerships in the future
• Lessons learned and conclusions toward a plausible 2050 scenario to advance and reach sustainable development goals while aiming to rebuild marine life in the Global Ocean

Partnerships in Marine Research is published by Elsevier, a global leader in information and analytics for researchers and healthcare professionals. It can be purchased from a variety of national booksellers.

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