[Coral-List] International MPA Network in the Gulf of Mexico: "Islands in the Stream" Initiative

[Jim Hendee]

Greetings,

    About a hundred scientists from around the Gulf of Mexico met January 23, 2008 at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, to consider the question of a network of environmentally "connected" Marine Protected Areas, extending from the Florida Keys to Belize.  The network, referred to as "Islands in the Stream,"  is one of a number of ideas being proposed to the U.S. Administration for consideration for possible Presidential action. The overall consensus was that the science is more than adequate to support the areas identified as being of critical biological and ecological importance in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as in supporting the connectivity among them. The proposed network was viewed as a refreshing ecosystem-based first step to achieving a stable and sustainable ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico.

    For a review of some of the reefs, banks and islands that are under consideration, you may wish to visit:

    http://www.gulfbase.org/reef/

    Cheers,
    Jim