2023 MCNAG Conference
Conference Details
Breaking Waves
Marine Conservation for Norfolk Action Group (MCNAG) 2023 Conference hosted by NWT
Saturday 5th August, 9am-6pm at NWT Cley Marshes
Our third conference is again being held during National Marine Week, hosted by Norfolk Wildlife Trust at NWT Cley Marshes.
You're invited to Cley for a day of presentations, panel discussions and activities as we celebrate the importance of the Norfolk coast for wildlife and people, explore the challenges our marine environment faces, and discuss how we can all work together to protect it into the future.
The event is aimed at everyone from marine enthusiasts, conservationists and professionals to those who simply enjoy the Norfolk coast. There is something for all with the sea at heart no matter your area of expertise and level of knowledge. The need for effective marine conservation is urgent but we're also including several purely positive presentations celebrating Norfolk's sea and its residents simply for the love of them to inspire and entertain.
We invite you to learn about and discuss important issues for our marine environment, including:
- How do we raise the issues of marine conservation effectively with the right audiences to encourage action?
- Are environmental policies being used effectively for our marine environment?
- How can conservation and fisheries work together to protect marine wildlife?
MCNAG is an action group so we’ll be reporting on our actions on the issues of coastal litter, seabed damage, lost fishing gear, habitat loss, representation, and sewage.
We’re also inviting others to describe their actions for marine wildlife and to highlight the importance of acting now.
Our keynote speaker is Paul Naylor, author of British Marine Animals - for many the definitive spotters' guide to underwater wildlife for 20 years...
Other speakers include the RSPCA, RSPB, Seasearch East, Sea Shepherd UK, BDMLR, Exo Engineering and many more.
Itinerary
Schedule and presentation titles subject to change. We assume that speakers will be
present for the whole day. If this isn’t possible, please let us know. Please check
www.mcnag.org for the most up-to-date schedule
Morning Schedule
8.00am Before the conference please feel free to join us on the beach.
Whether you walk, sea-watch, birdwatch, swim or simply quietly contemplate it's a great
way to start the day. This isn't a led or supervised part of the event, just a social
gathering – make the most of a day by the coast!
Each session will be followed by 15 minutes of questions to the session panel led
by a chairperson, who may take questions.
9.00am Arrive, register and refreshments
9.25am Welcome, Taking the Sea Seriously – Helen Baczkowska, Norfolk Wildlife Trust
9.30am Keynote: Paul Naylor, author of Great British Marine Animals which celebrates
20 years as THE diver's guide to UK wildlife this year
10.10am Morning session 1: The state of play
The fisheries authority can't join us , so we'll present a summary of their conservation
work
2. The Coastline Runner - Luke Douglas-Homes
3. Is there enough marine protection? - Jacques Villemot, RSPB
4. What have we done? Are we trapped in a paper park?! MCNAG Chair
Panel – Chaired by Norfolk Wildlife Trust TBC
11.15am Break, accompanied by ‘Plankton of Norfolk’s Coast’ on the screen
11.30am Morning session 2: Beach cleaning, THE audit of human impact
1. Litter data that isn't rubbish - Elizabeth Beston - MCNAG Beach Cleaners
2. Organising my army - Emma Sturman, Norfolk Beach Cleans
3. Entanglements: Their impact on wildlife – Ben Nurse, BDMLR
Panel – Chaired by TBC
12.30pm Lunch time, accompanied ‘Norfolk’s Marine Top 10’ and ‘Skomer Marine
Reserve’ on the screen
If you haven’t booked lunch before the conference date please pre-order from the
visitor centre menu ASAP
Afternoon Schedule
1.15pm Afternoon session 1: How conservation data powers change
1. Recording change underwater – Dawn Watson, Seasearch East
2. Microplastics: An unseen threat to North Norfolk Salt marshes – Benjamin Grover,
UEA
3. The Wash, far from a dead end! - Robert Pell, Wash Waders Group
4. Birder's binocular network. Shoreline monitoring that counts! Robin Smith
Panel – Chaired by Steffan Aquarone, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for
North Norfolk
2.30pm Afternoon break, accompanied by ‘My favourite Norfolk dive’ on the screen
2.45pm Afternoon session 2: Understanding the threats
Managing the North Sea for the future – Bex Lynam, North Sea Wildlife Trusts
2. Seal and bird losses - Evangelos Achilleos, RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre
3. Natural features? How broken chalk kills the reef – Rob Spray:
Seasearch East/MCNAG gear recovery
4. 30 years of monitoring Skomer Marine Reserve - Blaise Bullimore
Panel - Chaired by TBC
4.00pm Afternoon break, accompanied by ‘Snorkelling creatively!’ on the screen
4.15pm Afternoon session 3: Prospects for the future
1. Even hardware can be home: 2 case studies – William Coulet, Exo Engineering
2. Beachcombers and the Crab Pot Pearls – Precious Plastic East
3. Full spectrum activism – How to get governments to move - Nic Clifford,
Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK
4. Our children and their connection to the sea – Libby Scarfe, Seaside Explorers
Panel – Chaired by MCNAG
5.30pm Closing addresses and overall plenary Q and A – NWT and MCNAG
Followed by relaxing networking and time for questions in person, perhaps drinks and
small talk on the terrace or maybe we'll simply head to the beach for cake and
swimming like we did last year... (Dive slack at 7pm!)
6.00pm Close
Remote Presentations
Last year we welcomed remote speakers via Zoom. That was challenging, so this year we are including their video presentations (unless impossible for a technical reason when we will make every effort to accommodate different methods). We are happy to help optimise video settings etc.
There is the potential for remote participation in the post session panels the link for that will be https://mcsuk.zoom.us/j/9541770051 Meeting ID: 954 177 0051
There will be a waiting room and speakers will need to be clearly identified when they arrive. We intend to record the conference.
Presentations should be submitted 7 days ahead of the conference so they can be preloaded onto the conference IT system to allow efficient speaker changeovers and optimal presentation live, remote and for recordings. In person presentations should be in Powerpoint (ppt) or Open Document Presentation (ODP) format. If you have embedded media please let us know so that we can confirm that the correct drivers are present. Video presentations should be in .mp4 or .mpg format – if you use something else please let us know and we will try to accommodate you.
Food
It is possible to pre-order food with your ticket, this can be done when booking. Food will be delivered during lunchtime to minimise waiting. A full menu will be available from NWT Cley Marshes café but serving times will be dependant on public demand. You are welcome to bring a considerately packaged lunch. We'll aim to have good stuff going during lunch which you will miss if you don't book or come prepared!
Ticketing
Parking
Attendees will receive a day pass for car parking at the centre.