There will be a Food For Thought seminar on 12 March 2019 (Tuesday), from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (GMT +8 hours) at the Auditorium, WorldFish HQ. The presentation will be given by Prof. Katie Fiorella on ‘Fisher catch and fisher adaptations in Cambodia’s rice field fisheries’. The session will also be streamed live via Skype for Business for audiences participating remotely at the following hyperlink: https://bit.ly/2XNv1KD
Presentation Abstract:
Ninety percent of fishers are small-scale fishers who are largely fishing in developing countries. The fisheries they rely on face myriad challenges to their productivity, ranging from overfishing to climate change. A social-ecological systems perspective allows us to examine the sustainability of these vital fisheries, and their outcomes for human health and well-being. The research presentation will examine multiple studies conducted as a part of collaboration between WorldFish and Cornell University using data from the Rice Field Fisheries Enhancement Project. We will consider the factors that affect biomass and biodiversity within Community Fish Refuges, or freshwater protected areas designed to increase fishery productivity. In addition, we will examine how rising temperatures within Cambodia’s rice field fisheries are already affecting fish catch and fisher behavior. Our results have broad implications for understanding the ways that climate change may impact the 10% of the global population that relies on small scale and understanding strategies that may bolster community resilience.
Speakers' Biography:
Dr. Kathryn Fiorella is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences and the Masters in Public Health Program at Cornell University. She is also a faculty fellow of the Atkinson Center for Sustainable Future, the Center for Health Equity and the Southeast Asia Center. Dr. Fiorella holds a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management and Masters in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, and an AB from Princeton University in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Dr. Fiorella was an Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell University and a Postdoctoral Immersion Fellow at the Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC).
Dr. Fiorella’s research examines the interactions among environmental change and livelihood, food, and nutrition security. Her work aims to foster a deeper understanding of how ecological and social systems interact, the ways communities and households adapt to and mitigate environmental change, and the links between human well-being and ecological sustainability. She particularly focuses on fishery food systems, and small scale, inland fisheries. The challenges of addressing both persistent inequalities and unprecedented global environmental change drive her work. Dr. Fiorella’s research includes global analyses and field studies, and draws from interdisciplinary methods and approaches from ecology, epidemiology, sociology and economics. Her field work has focused on the rice field fisheries around Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia and the basin of Lake Victoria in Kenya.
Please come along to what promises to be a stimulating and interesting talk. Hope to see you there!