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CZC2025 | June 9-11, 2025
Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Visit the conference page for details:

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Community of Practice: Nature Based Coastal Solutions
Atlantic - Pacific - Great Lakes - Arctic
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The Zone - CZC's Official Newsletter
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Coastal Zone Canada Association

The Coastal Zone Canada Association (CZCA) is a nationally incorporated non-profit society of coastal zone management professionals committed to promoting Integrated Coastal Zone Management practices in Canada and abroad. The CZCA was incorporated in 1993 with the objective of sponsoring Coastal Management conferences and otherwise promoting improvements in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) practices.

Our mission is to promote the adoption and practice of ICZM in Canada and worldwide.  ICZM includes the understanding and management of inter-related human activities and natural environments, physical processes, and living and non-living resources within the coastal zone.

SHARE

CZCA shares research, projects and news updates of the coastal zone conducted by our members to keep our members updated.

NETWORK

Our conferences and special events allow CZCA members to meet in person and virtually to discuss research, new projects and initiatives, and success stories from the coast.

IMPROVE

CZCA aims to improve coastal zone monitoring, science and management through sharing of information and networking online and offline.

Join our Mailing List today

Stay up to date with CZCA news and information, delivered right to your inbox!

Conference

CZC2025 in Charlottetown

We are excited to announce that conference planning is well underway for the 2025 in-person Coastal Zone Canada Conference being held in Epekwitk (Prince Edward Island), Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People. The beautiful coastal city of Charlottetown will be welcoming participants from June 9 to June 11, 2025. Visit the Conference page for more details.  The Call for Abstracts is now open!

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COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

Nature Based Coastal Solutions

The Nature Based Coastal Solutions (NbCS) Community of Practice (CoP) supports and stewards the effective use of living shoreline ideas and principles, in the context of a changing climate, for application in cold regions.

ASSOCIATION

CZC News and Updates

Submit Your Canadian NbCS Project Case Study to the Engineering with Nature ProMap Tool!
Jul 5, 2024

With a view to sharing lessons learned from NBCS projects in Canada and enhancing national and international cooperation, members of the CoP are asked to submit project case studies to the Engineering With Nature® Project Mapper (ProMap) tool, which includes …

Submit Your Canadian NbCS Project Case Study to the Engineering with Nature ProMap Tool! Read More »

Nature Based Coastal Solutions and Ecological Restoration Symposium June 23-27
May 28, 2024

The Nature Based Coastal Solutions and Ecological Restoration Symposium will take place June 23rd-27th, 2024, at Saint Mary’s University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is dedicated to creating a space for reflection and collaboration to support the continued advancement of …

Nature Based Coastal Solutions and Ecological Restoration Symposium June 23-27 Read More »

Webinar: May 22, 2024 Ocean wind-waves in a changing Arctic climate
May 16, 2024

Join us for our 2nd webinar related to climate change in the Arctic! Mercè Casas-Prat, PhD will be presenting on Ocean wind-waves in a changing Arctic climate. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, this session is packed …

Webinar: May 22, 2024 Ocean wind-waves in a changing Arctic climate Read More »

Countdown to the CZC2025 Conference

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ASSOCIATION

Board of Directors

Introduction

Our Board members represent all the major coastal regions across Canada. Click on the position title to learn more about their expertise and involvement with the CZCA.

President

Phil Osborne, President

Phil was elected President of the CZCA in 2023 and prior to that served as Vice President for the Pacific Region. He has more than 37 years of international experience in coastal research and consulting with subject matter expertise in coastal dynamics, sediment transport, and geomorphology. He has led metocean data collection and numerical modelling studies in every ocean and most seas on the planet. Phil has led a number of coastal and riverine geohazard assessments and nature-based designs to address erosion and flooding in the context of climate threatened communities, particularly at northern latitudes in the United States and Canada and is on the executive of the Nature-based Coastal Solutions Community of Practice.

Past-President

Peter Zuzek, Past-President

Pete was President of the CZCA from 2016 to 2023, and prior to 2016 served as the Vice President for the Great Lakes.  He has 30 years of experience working on coastal projects across Canada and Internationally involving coastal erosion and flooding, risk assessments, coastal zone planning, shoreline management plan development, water quality investigations, habitat protection and restoration, nature-based solutions and climate change adaptation.

Vice President Atlantic

Peter Ricketts, Vice President Atlantic

Dr. Peter J. Ricketts is the 16th President and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia University, and holds an academic appointment as Professor of Earth and Environmental Science.  Dr. Ricketts co-founded the Coastal Zone Canada Association and served as its President from 2002 to 2008, and again from 2012 to 2016.  Dr. Ricketts has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors of the International Coastal and Ocean Organization, the secretariat of the Global Oceans Forum, which works to develop ocean and coastal policy options within the implementation of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Vice President Arctic

This position is currently vacant.

Vice President Pacific

Rebecca Martone, Vice President Pacific

Over the past 20-years Dr. Martone has worked as an applied marine ecologist addressing a variety of issues in coastal ecosystems across the west coast of North America, including marine spatial planning, small-scale fisheries sustainability, cumulative impacts to coastal ecosystems, and monitoring to inform ecosystem-based management. She is currently the Marine Science Advisor for the Nanwakolas Council, working to support stewardship initiatives for the member Nations. Originally from the USA, Dr. Martone has a PhD from Stanford University in biological sciences, a Masters in environmental management from Duke University, and a B.A. in environmental sciences from Northwestern University. After moving to British Columbia in 2008 for a postdoctoral degree at UBC, Rebecca worked for the Province of BC as a marine biologist, supporting the Marine Plan Partnership and the Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area network planning process. She has also worked as the Executive Director of the UN Ocean Decade Collaborative Center for the Northeast Pacific with the Tula Foundation and the Assistant Science Director at the Center for Ocean Solutions at Stanford University in California, collaborating with diverse communities to help co-develop, communicate, and mobilize knowledge to inform coastal and marine stewardship, and help protect our coasts and oceans while supporting people’s livelihoods and cultural connections.

Vice President Great Lakes

Chris Houser, Vice President Great Lakes

Chris Houser is the Dean of Science and a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo.  His research focuses on nearshore, beach and dune interaction, and the physical and social dimensions of beach safety with a focus on coastal systems in the Great Lakes, Maritimes, Gulf of Mexico, and Costa Rica.  Prior to joining the University of Waterloo, he held academic and administrative positions at the University of Windsor and Texas A&M University.

Vice President Quebec

Christopher McKindsey, Vice President Quebec

Biography pending.

Vice President Communications

Danker Kolijn, Vice President Communications

Danker Kolijn has been on the Board of the Coastal Zone Canada Association since 2017, and was one of the co-founders of the CZCA Nature-based Coastal Solutions CoP, from which he stepped down in 2024. Danker was on the organizing committee for the 2022 Victoria CZCA conference and has assisted in organizing several CZCA affiliated workshops. Danker is a practicing Coastal Engineer and has had the opportunity to work on all of Canada’s great coasts from the Atlantic, Great Lakes, Arctic to Pacific. Danker is presently acting in the role of VP of Communications.

Vice President Liaison

Larry Hildebrand, Vice President Liaison

Larry is one of the co-founders of the CZCA and has served as President and Vice President Liaison throughout the organization’s existence. He has over 45 years of experience in coastal and ocean management and has served the Government of Canada, the United Nations, several other NGOs and country clients at the policy, management and evaluation levels. Larry is currently senior consultant to the EU and UN.

Secretary & Treasurer

J.G. Michael Parkes, Secretary and Treasurer

Mike has been Secretary/Treasurer of the CZCA since 2016, and prior to that time was a CZCA Board Member at large. He has many years of experience in coastal zone matters as a federal government executive, an academic, and as a consultant. A geographer by training, his prime area of focus is coastal zone security, risk identification and integrated coastal zone management. He is a Professional in Critical Infrastructure Protection and has completed major studies on the potential impact of climate change in relation to the provision of emergency management services. He has edited and contributed to US and Canadian coastal zone publications. Mike was a member of the National Research Council of Canada’s Associate Research Committee on Shorelines, and is currently based in Ottawa, ON.

Directors

Directors

  • Enda Murphy
  • Jody Willis
  • Al McDougall
  • Alexandra Forsythe
  • Kevin Grootendorst
  • Kristin Worsley
  • Patricia Manuel
  • Ronald Pelot
  • Sheldon Peddle
  • Soroush Kouhi
  • Joseph Kim
  • Acacia Markov

We want to hear from you!

Do you have a question, comment or suggestion for the Association? Please contact us.

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