Abstract:
Advances in applied and theoretical science have greatly expanded our ability to address pressing challenges in ecosystem restoration, management, and conservation. Yet a critical element of success is often overlooked: how we collaborate effectively with the people who live with, manage, and are most affected by these systems. How do we translate - or activate - science so that it meaningfully informs conservation practice?
This talk explores two intersecting themes: translating scientific knowledge to meet real-world management needs, and placing people and communities at the center of conservation solutions. I focus on collaborative work with Indigenous communities across Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia, where we integrate contemporary scientific tools into traditional stewardship practices and governance. Through community-driven processes, we work together to define management goals, desired outcomes, and indicators of success.

Drawing on case studies from Ulithi Atoll and across Yap State with the NGO One People One Reef, I demonstrate how cultural values can guide adaptive, locally grounded management planning. By combining conventional reef surveys, cutting-edge “omics” approaches, high-resolution imagery, and traditional ecological knowledge, we are developing a richer, multilayered understanding of reef health - one that identifies coral reef characteristics associated with restoration success and resilience, sustainable fisheries, and informs practical management and governance decisions.

Finally, I broaden the lens to consider how scientific findings are incorporated into conservation and governance more generally. Using insights from early-career practitioners, I highlight emerging applications, opportunities, and challenges in applied conservation science, and introduce examples from the David H. Smith Conservation Fellowship as a model for supporting innovative, practice-oriented research.

Bio:
Nicole Crane is a Senior Conservation Scientist and co-lead with One People One Reef and Executive Director of the David H Smith Conservation Research Fellowship in partnership with the Society for Conservation Biology, a program that supports applied conservation postdoctoral fellows. Her primary areas of conservation focus are on community led coral reef conservation and management, developing and applying tools for coral reef assessments, and weaving traditional and western knowledge systems into conservation planning. The One People One Reef collaborative is focused on authentic collaboration and co-creation of action plans with indigenous and local communities, aimed at protecting and restoring reefs and the people who rely on them. She was the founder, PI and Director of the National Science Foundation Center for Excellence in Marine Advanced Technology Education and PI/Executive Director for Camp SEA Lab. Nicole is an associate at the California Academy of Sciences, a National Geographic Explorer and a Fellow National at the Explorers Club. She was a faculty and program director in the California Community College system for 27 years, including at Cabrillo College for 20 years.