Your One-stop Shop for Conservation Activities @ Esri UC 2023

[AlexaVlahakis]

The 2023 Esri User Conference is right around the corner, July 10-14, 2023, in San Diego, California! This massive annual event is for geographic information systems (GIS) users, professionals, researchers, students, etc. to come together and network, attend sessions, and more!

Our conservation team at Esri wanted to ensure we helped conservation professionals with a one-stop location for all conservation-focused sessions, SIGs, and more!

Conservation Special Interest Group Meeting:
Thursday, July 13 from 11:30am – 12:30pm (PT)

• Conservation SIG: Achieving 30x30
  • What: Join the Conservation Special Interest community at the 2023 Users Conference for a rich discussion on opportunities and challenges presented by the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Hear from and engage directly with conservation leaders from State Agencies, National Governments, and International Organizations who are advancing efforts related to Target 3 which aims to conserve 30% of land and waters by the year 2030. With over 196 countries committed to Target 3, this is an important opportunity to explore the realities and complexities of advancing effective management of conservation areas and conducting landscape-level conservation planning to conserve and restore the world’s biodiversity richness. With much work ahead on the 2030 agenda, join this important discussion on what’s working, where challenges persist, and how all of our efforts can contribute to ambitious conservation targets.
  • Who: TBD
  • When: Thursday, July 13 from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA

A few User Session recommendations:

• Advancing the America the Beautiful, 30x30 in the USA 
  • What: The USA along with 196 countries around the world are now committed to managing 30% of land and waters for conservation benefit by the year 2030. Working towards this ambitious target requires both an effective accounting of current conservation areas and presents the opportunity to organize vast spatial data holdings in simplified user-focused applications to inform, educate and engage local stakeholders working to advance the America the Beautiful. Learn how the USGS is supporting this important initiative and how to get involved.
  • Who: Roger Johnson and Lori Pelech with USGS
  • When: Tuesday, July 11 from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA
• Monitoring and Restoring Critical Areas for Migratory Birds in California
  • What: The State of California hosts a large diverse landscape with a wide array of rich biodiversity. It is also a globally ranked economy with vast agricultural regions facing increasing shortages of natural areas and water to support migratory animals. Learn how two projects in two very different regions in California are leveraging GIS to monitor and restore critical areas for migratory birds.
  • Who: Christina Van Oosten with LSA, Holly Torpey with GISCorps, and Daniel Orr with the National Audubon Society
  • When: Wednesday, July 12 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA
• Advancing Conservation Management Effectiveness and Impact
  • What: Designating a protected area is the beginning of a long and costly journey to effectively, and sustainably, manage conservation areas.  How can “management effectiveness” be measured and how can the actual impact of conservation interventions be assessed?  Learn from two leading organizations how they are approaching these challenges and obtain the tools and knowledge to approach these complex issues.
  • Who: James Hardcastle with IUCN, and Daniela Linero & Jorge Velasquez-Tibata with the National Audubon Society
  • When: Wednesday, July 12 from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA
• Monitoring the Conservation Landscape in South America
  • What: Few places in the world are experiencing more rapid degradation of natural areas than in South America. Tragically in many cases, this unmitigated development is at the expense of Indigenous Peoples whose livelihoods depend on natural landscapes and who have been proven to be the best global stewards of biodiversity. Learn how leading institutions are applying GIS to monitor critical ecological landscapes in South America in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples.
  • Who: Maria Martinez & Lais Sarlo with Conservação Internacional – Brazil, and Gabriel Yarleque Ipanaque & Lesley De Souza with the Field Museum of Natural History
  • When: Wednesday, July 12 from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA
• Prioritization Tools for Guiding Bird Conservation
  • What: Conservation organizations have limited resources in their efforts to protect the natural world. Making investments and directing programs to the areas that present the greatest returns for nature is a critical challenge. You will learn from two leading organizations who have developed GIS based tools to direct limited resources to the highest priority areas.
  • Who: Eliza Kronenberger & Victoria Elmore with the National Audubon Society, and Jes Skillman with Ducks Unlimited
  • When: Thursday, July 13 from 8:30 am – 9:30 am (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA
• Modernizing Protected Area Management Operations
  • What: Managing vast protected areas which by their very nature are rugged and remote requires technical solutions that are appropriately tailored and deployed. Despite this collecting real-time operational data and providing managers with dashboards to summarize complex events is proving to be extremely valuable in conservation management. Learn how leading organizations in Africa and Eastern Europe are leveraging GIS to increase the management effectiveness of the conservation of protected areas.
  • Who: Kennedy Muriithi, Alfred Kibungei, Benard Gituku, & William Njoroge with Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and Katarzyna Dqbrowska-Stanik with TPN, and Antoni Zieba with Natra National Park
  • When: Thursday, July 13 from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA

A few Technical Workshop recommendations:

• Ecology and Conservation Modeling in ArcGIS
  • What: This session demonstrates the power raster analysis to solve some of the most common real-world problems. Through a series of use cases and applications scenarios, we will highlight the frequently used components of the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst extension including terrain analysis, surface modeling, surface interpolation, suitability modeling, distance analysis, hydrologic analysis, and statistical analysis. We will tie this together with broader raster modeling concepts to help you understand how to combine tools into solutions to your spatial problems.
  • Who: Kevin Butler and Ankita Bakshi with Esri
  • When: Tuesday, July 11 from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA
• ArcGIS Solutions: Conservation and Natural Resources
  • What: This session will provide an overview of a set of natural resource and fish and wildlife solutions that help local and state governments conserve natural resources and promote outdoor recreational activities.
  • Who: Matthew Bullock and Chris Buscaglia with Esri
  • When: Wednesday, July 12 from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA

A few Special Presentation recommendations:

• Science Symposium
  • What: This event is a special gathering for all who engage in scientific research, education, and storytelling, emphasizing the geographic approach to a major scientific issue. This year Dr. Kelsey Leonard, a water scientist whose work focuses on Indigenous water justice, will discuss how GIS can be used in conservation and environmental justice.
  • Who: Kelsey Leonard with the University of Waterloo, and Dawn Wright with Esri
  • When: Tuesday, July 11 from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA
• Conservation Community Takeover at the Sustainable World Showcase
  • What: It was a moon shot: can Audubon bring together millions of bird locations to reveal migration patterns never before seen? Four years later, we launched the Bird Migration Explorer, a leading-edge app sharing the wonder of migration across the Americas. Sustained executive sponsorship, relationship-building with partners, and dedicated engagement from senior leaders made it possible. Hear from the Chief Technology Officer, Chief Scientist, Migratory Bird Initiative Director, and technology partners how data outreach and acquisition concurrent with product development made this app take flight. Stop by to say hello and join in the conversation at the spotlight theater in the Showcase.
  • Who: Chad Wilsey, Marco Carbone, Melanie Smith with The National Audubon Society, Nathan Henry with PostLight, and David Gadsden with Esri
  • When: Wednesday, July 12 from 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm (PT)
  • Where: San Diego, CA – Sustainable World Showcase

These are just a handful of the countless conservation-focused user sessions, technical workshops, and more that you can enjoy while attending the 2023 Esri User Conference.

One perk of planning your attendance in advance is that you can plan your schedule via the detailed online agenda! Just use the Esri account associated with your registration to sign in and add your favorite sessions and more to your own schedule! If your registration is not complete, you can sign in and select favorites to begin your planning.

Please check out more of the conservation-focused content that you can look forward to.

See you there!