Experts

The Experts List is a list of climate adaptation practitioners who can be contacted for questions or guidance. These are experts who have kindly offered a limited amount of free advice to support climate vulnerability assessments, adaptation planning and implementation work for marine and coastal protected areas. If listed, please first contact the experts within your agency or organization.

The experts included in this list are climate change adaptation practitioners who are volunteering their time with the goal of supporting good adaptation work and improving the management of valuable coastal and marine resources. They can be contacted with specific questions or challenges related to your climate change vulnerability assessment, adaptation planning and implementation work for marine and coastal protected areas in North America.

These experts are volunteers and their time is limited. Please do your own appropriate research beforehand. An expert may choose not to help, may provide limited assistance, may suggest another person to contact, or may even encourage you to hire a consultant or adviser depending on the scope of a request. Your understanding is appreciated.

Finally, it is the responsibility of the requester to use their own professional judgement and follow their own institution’s regulations and policies when using advice and information provided by an expert. The exchange of information and advice between requester and expert is to be conducted independently and EcoAdapt has no responsibility for its process, content and outcome.

Please contact [email protected] if you would like to be included as an expert or if you have other questions about the Experts list.

The list is organized by categories of expertise. Information about an expert’s availability is included in the Expertise Description column. Some experts may be limited in what they can provide outside their agency or institution depending on their organization’s rules and policies.

Expert Institution Expertise Description 
Adaptation/Vulnerability Assessment
Directing Scientist
Languages: EN
Bainbridge Island, Washington USA 
Regional Focus: Global 

Can assist with vulnerability assessments, adaptation actions, and development of MPA vulnerability and adaptation tools.

Support Availability: Limited; Internal/External; Subject Matter; Hire

Conservation and Climate Program Coordinator
Languages: EN
San Francisco, California USA
Regional Focus: USA

Can assist with vulnerability assessments, adaptation actions, and development of MPA vulnerability and adaptation tools; can assist with species/ecosystem/habitat projects (focus on kelp/algae).

Support Availability: Internal; Subject Matter

Scott Covington
Senior Ecologist
Languages: EN
Virginia, USA
Regional Focus: USA
Scott Covington is a synthesizer and translator of climate science on projects across the country from coastal to interior. Scott is currently drafting Vulnerability Assessments for "Big River Refuges" along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and can assist with research to support implementing on-the-ground adaptation projects.
 
Support Availability: Limited, Internal
 
Management/Policy/Legal/Planning
Acting Chief Policy and Planning Division
Languages: EN
Silver Springs, Maryland USA
Regional Focus: USA

Can assist with legal & policy planning, analysis and development, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement.

Support Availability: Limited; Internal

Species/Ecosystem/Habitat
Marine Ecosystem Specialist
Languages: EN, FR
Gatineau, Quebec Canada
Regional Focus: Canada

Can assist with legal & policy planning, analysis and development, can provide scientific advice on marine and freshwater ecosystems, on adaptation or restoration project planning (monitoring, research, objectives and outcome).

Support Availability: Limited, Internal, Subject Matter

Marlow Pellatt
Ecosystem Scientist
Languages: EN
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Regional Focus: Canada

Can assist with species/ecosystem/habitat projects. Subject expertise includes: Coastal ecology, coastal carbon (blue carbon), ecological restoration, Canada National Marine Conservation Areas, paleoecology, salt marshes, carbon in eelgrass and saltmarsh systems.

Support Availability: Limited, Internal, Subject Matter

Directora de Estrategias de Cambio Climático
Languages: ES, EN 
Ciudad de México, México
Regional Focus: México
Diseño participativo e implementación de medidas de adaptación con base en ecosistemas (AbE) para áreas protegidas, a escala local y de paisaje.
 
Experto del tema; Portero
Valeria Petrone Mendoza
Especialista en adaptación
Languages: ES, EN 
Ciudad de México, México
Regional Focus: México

Análisis de Vulnerabilidad a escala de paisaje y diseño participativo de medidas de adaptación con base en ecosistemas (AbE).

Experto del tema; Portero

Other
Climate Services Support Desk
Languages: EN, FR
Gatineau, QC, Canada
Regional Focus: Canada
Multi-disciplinary team with expertise across a broad range of climate-related disciplines. We help Canadians understand, and become more resilient to climate change by: delivering climate services driven by user needs; providing access to climate information; building local capacity; and offering training and support.
 
Support Availability: Canada only. Can respond directly to some inquiries but will seek out experts for topics that fall outside of our expertise.