Behind every breakthrough in ocean research is a network of people sharing knowledge and resources. Recognising this, the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) launched the Community of Practice Fund to connect people across disciplines and regions, creating spaces for knowledge sharing and joint action that move Canadian ocean science forward.
What is a Community of Practice?
Communities of Practice (CoPs) unite people and organisations around shared interests, creating spaces for regular interaction to advance research and action. CoPs are proven tools for knowledge exchange and have become essential for managing and leveraging expertise across sectors. In Canada’s vast ocean landscape, CoPs help bridge geographic and institutional gaps, ensuring that knowledge flows freely and equitably.
Since MEOPAR launched its CoP Program in 2017, these groups have strengthened collaboration across the ocean sector and beyond. They have supported evidence-based decision-making, co-produced innovative projects, and created opportunities for students and early-career professionals to learn. By investing in CoPs, MEOPAR is investing in the future of ocean governance – one that is informed, inclusive, and responsive to community needs.
MEOPAR awarded funding to 12 Communities of Practice for 2025-2028. Here’s a look at the recipients and the diverse ways they’re contributing to MEOPAR’s vision of a coordinated approach to Canadian ocean science:
Recipient 1: All in the same canoe – Creating and Restoring Coastal Connections: Resilient Regions through Reconciliation (RRtR)
Reflecting the East, West, and North coasts, this Indigenous-led Community of Practice brings together First Nations Rights and Title Holders, First Nations organizations, and aspiring allies to enhance coastal resilience by deepening connections to Indigenous cultures and Indigenous Ocean Knowledges.
Recipient 2: The BC/WA mCDR CoEx (Community of Exploration)
This CoP focuses on responsible, inclusive marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) in British Columbia and Washington State, serving as a forum for research, knowledge sharing, and policy engagement.
Recipient 3: Canada Network for Offshore Wind Research (CNOWR)
By bringing people together, both in person and online, CNOWR will connect partners across Canada to support sustainable energy transition with offshore wind.
Recipient 4: Canadian Marine Plastics Action & Collaboration CoP (CAMPAC)
CAMPAC strengthens national collaboration, knowledge sharing, and coordinated action among researchers, practitioners, industry, policymakers, and communities working to understand the sources, impacts, and solutions for marine plastic pollution.
Recipient 5: Communauté de pratique – Politiques publiques et maritimité
This CoP seeks to improve coherence and effectiveness of public policies involving the St. Lawrence river and coastal communities in maritime Quebec and Atlantic Canada, who are facing challenges related to maritime socio-ecological transition.
(fr) La CdP-PPM a pour but de faire émerger une vision ouverte et intégrée des politiques publiques impliquant le Saint Laurent, afin d’accroître leur cohérence et leur efficacité, de même que la capacité des communautés côtières du Québec maritime et du Canada atlantique à relever les défis de la transition socioécologique reliés à la maritimité.
Recipient 6: COMREN CoP
COMREN is a national hub for a diverse network of ocean mapping experts, students, and stakeholders from academia, government, industry and coastal communities, with the primary objective of increasing Canada’s ocean mapping capacity.
Recipient 7: Foxe Basin Research and Stewardship Network (FBRSN) Community of Practice (CoP)
FBRSN aims to strengthen cross regional Inuit-led stewardship of Foxe Basin’s land and marine ecosystems through sustained collaboration between Inuit communities, Indigenous Guardians, academic researchers, and key regional stakeholders.
Recipient 8: National Kelp Ecosystem Learning and Practice Alliance (NKELPA) Community of Practice (CoP)
NKELPA seeks to grow the understanding and care of kelp ecosystems across Canada’s Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic coasts by co-developing regional kelp action plans, grounded in science, Indigenous knowledge, and local priorities, that collectively contribute to a unified national framework for stewardship, policy, and sustainable blue-economy growth.
Recipient 9: NEMO Cop
NEMO enhances coordination between ocean modelling groups across Canada. This includes sharing the latest developments, training the next generation of practitioners and allowing Canadian highly qualified personal and early career researchers to be more involved in NEMO modeling activities.
Recipient 10: The Ocean Acidification Community of Practice (OA CoP)
This CoP unites researchers, sectors, individuals, and organizations to mobilize OA knowledge to enhance capacity for OA research, evidence-based decision-making, and adaptation planning.
Recipient 11: QEN,T IPCA Stewardship Network CoP
This CoP aims to support Tsawout First Nation in ongoing work to establish long-term, socio-ecologically informed stewardship plans and actions within their QEN,T Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA), an area of focused effort toward (re)instating Tsawout’s primary role in conserving their traditional homelands and waters.
Recipient 12: Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence CoP
The goal of this CoP is to strengthen regional collaboration, knowledge exchange, and capacity for the study, conservation, and restoration of eelgrass meadows on the St. Lawrence.
Recipient 13: Sustainable Arctic Shipping Knowledge Exchange (SASKE) Community of Practice (CoP)
SASKE will create a space for dialogue on the risks and impacts of increased shipping activity across Inuit Nunangat by facilitate the sharing and mobilization of knowledge on shipping risks and impacts, supporting collaborative learning and action across regions.
These new CoPs join a growing network supported by MEOPAR. Together, they are shaping how knowledge is shared and applied, creating pathways for innovation that extend beyond the ocean sector. By connecting people, ideas, and resources, CoPs demonstrate why collaboration remains the cornerstone of progress.
