PICES Strategic Plan- PICES - North Pacific Marine Science Organization

Approved at the 2011 PICES Annual Meeting on October 22, 2011, in Khabarovsk Russia (Decision 2011/A/4)

PICES Strategic Plan

The Nations surrounding the North Pacific Ocean depend on its waters for food, economic benefit, transportation, and recreation. The coastal areas support human habitation. Human activities both influence and are influenced by the North Pacific Ocean’s living marine resources, and the abundance and productivity of these resources are also driven by natural processes and variability. Effective resource management by each Contracting Party requires comprehensive scientific understanding, including for example, the role of the ocean in climate variability and change. Furthermore, human populations residing in coastal regions are growing, and sustainable use of marine resources and the associated food security concern is a global priority. The potential for disrupting the marine ecosystems is increasing, but mitigation and effective use is possible with sufficient information on the effects of human activities. The North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) has a role to advance scientific knowledge on the North Pacific Ocean, along with its marginal seas, and to make predictions that will improve human conditions and bring benefits to the Contracting Parties. Such a goal can only be achieved by multi-national scientific cooperation. PICES synthesizes and disseminates knowledge and designs multi-national research programs that respond to identified needs.

The PICES Mission

	The Organization was created to:

		promote and coordinate marine scientific research in order to advance scientific knowledge of the area concerned and of its living resources, including but not necessarily limited to research with respect to the ocean environment and its interactions with land and atmosphere, its role in and response to global weather and climate change, its flora, fauna and ecosystems, its uses and resources, and impacts upon it from human activities; and
		promote the collection and exchange of information and data related to marine scientific research in the area concerned.

	The Organization will:

		Provide leadership on scientific issues and identify research priorities and appropriate approaches for their solution;
		Plan, coordinate and implement integrated, inter-disciplinary research programs and related activities to be undertaken through the national efforts of the participating partners;
		Promote the collection and exchange of data and information related to marine scientific research;
		Assess ecosystem status and trends and project future changes;
		Synthesize scientific information and make it available to a broad user community and the public;
		Respond to requests from the Contracting Parties and other organizations to provide advice on scientific issues;
		Develop capacity within the scientific communities of the Contracting Parties;
		Foster partnerships with other organizations and programs that share a common interest.

The PICES Strategy

To implement this mission, PICES has developed a strategy built upon five central themes: (A) Advance scientific knowledge; (B) Apply scientific knowledge; (C) Foster partnerships; (D) Develop capacity, and (E) Ensure a progressive organization. Specific goals are identified within each of these themes as explained below.

	Theme A. Advance scientific knowledge

	*Goal 1.*	*Understand the functioning, resilience, and vulnerability of marine ecosystems*
		PICES scientific activities are dedicated to understanding and quantifying the physical, chemical and biological processes of North Pacific ecosystems, which underlie ecosystem resilience and vulnerability. These processes are also key to understanding how the oceans respond to and are affected by climate change.

	*Goal 2.*	*Understand and quantify how marine ecosystems respond to human activities and natural forcing*
		Being a part of the ecosystem, humans are affected by natural processes, and in turn impact marine ecosystems. This goal addresses ecosystem effects of climate variability and change, catastrophic events, and anthropogenic stressors in coastal and offshore regions.


	Theme B. Apply scientific knowledge

	*Goal 3.*	*Provide scientific advice pertinent to North Pacific ecosystems*
		For the scientific knowledge to be applied, it first must be made available. PICES provides periodic products on the status, trends and future state of North Pacific ecosystems and develops reports addressing critical and emerging issues. PICES also considers and responds to specific requests for scientific advice from Contracting Parties and other organizations as appropriate. This information provides a basis for user communities to modify their actions.


	Theme C. Foster partnerships

	*Goal 5.*	*Collaborate with organizations and scientific programs relevant to PICES*
		Collaboration and communication lies at the heart of creating scientific knowledge and using it effectively PICES develops close relationships with scientific organizations and programs that have shared goals, by carrying out joint activities and exchanging observers.

	*Goal 6.*	Strengthen communication and engagement with users of PICES scientific products
		For scientific products to be useful, PICES engages user communities from the early stage of the product development through dissemination of the final product.


	Theme D. Develop capacity

	*Goal 7.*	*Advance methods and tools to improve and enhance scientific activities*
		Investments in collecting, recording, managing and analyzing scientific data are enhanced if the observations made by scientists from the Contracting Parties are directly comparable. The quality of science benefits from harmonization of methods and techniques. PICES facilitates and provides opportunities for development of international standards, inter-calibration of methodology and sampling equipment, as well as collaborative opportunities to develop new, creative methodologies.

	*Goal 8.*	*Foster collaboration among scientists within PICES*
		Capacity building will make it possible for scientists and institutions from all Contracting Parties to participate fully in, and benefit fully from, the cooperative programs that are developed by the Organization. PICES provides venues, organizes activities and develops procedures that facilitate the formation of new collaborations and maintenance of existing productive partnerships. PICES expedites the involvement of young scientists in PICES activities.

	*Goal 9.*	*Create education and training opportunities*
		A central element of capacity building is education and training. PICES develops training courses to meet the interests and needs of its members in scientific areas such as, methods and skills in data management, modeling, and environmental monitoring.


	Theme E. Ensure a progressive organization

	*Goal 10.*	*Provide an effective infrastructure to support PICES activities*
		The activities in support of the primary mission of PICES require effective support and implementation, as well as broad participation from the scientific communities of the Contracting Parties. An efficient organizational structure and good internal communication ensure a vibrant science enterprise. An effective Secretariat that supports the mission and goals of the Organization is essential to its success.

Implementation

The actions and activities required to meet each of these goals will change over time, and will be implemented through Action Plans. Three-year Action Plans will be prepared for the Executive Committees, Scientific and Technical Committees, and the Secretariat. These plans will describe specific actions and tasks needed to achieve the goals identified above. To monitor performance, the Action Plans will be reviewed at each annual meeting, and revised if necessary.

The PICES Strategic Plan will be reviewed and updated, as required, every five years.

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