Beginning June 2008, the University of Puerto Rico Sea Grant Program (UPRSG) initiated a Caribbean-wide assessment of the research priorities and needs of marine resource managers, users, and scientists in the United States territories and adjacent countries that comprise the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem (CLME). In response to the present resource management problems that exist, UPRSG began a regional assessment to identify and prioritize critical areas of research and information associated with the sustainable use of marine resources that are applicable to the development of better management strategies. Read more...
The historical perspective on mangroves is becoming extremely important for understanding the so-called “natural history” of coastal ecosystems. The Martunnizi et al (2008) paper I discussed in the previous entry in this blog (click here to read about it) is an example of such a perspective. Dahdouh-Guebas and Koedam (2008) published an interesting article on [...]
The debate on the amount of mangrove cover lost in Puerto Rico throughout the twentieth century continues unabated. A recent article by Martinuzzi et al (2008) [1] revives the issue with new data, maps, remote sensing images, corrections of past estimates, and trend analyses of mangrove cover. The paper, published in Forest Ecology and Management, [...]
The term “biodiversity” has become a household name within the scientific community and has been used to describe habitats and organisms as varied and diverse as cacti in deserts to birds in mangrove coastlines. On February 1-4, 2011, the VII Congress of the Caribbean Biodiversity (sponsored by the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo) celebrated the [...]
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently declared Latin America and the Caribbean as a Biodiversity Super Power, stated in their recently published report on the economic contribution of biodiversity and ecosystem services of the region (Bovarnick, A., F. Alpizar, C. Schnell, Editors. The Importance of Biodiversity and Ecosystems in Economic Growth and Equity in [...]
Several researchers from the academic sector have made efforts to understand the complexity of marine ecosystems and have contributed much to our scientific knowledge on the importance of conserving these resources. However, there are pending issues that need to be addressed in order to efficiently manage and conserve our resources. On November 6 and December [...]
Based on the current needs for sustainable resource use of fisheries, we find that environmentally-friendly practices of aquaculture are important issues that should be addressed in the Caribbean. With this in mind, we carried out a discussion session on December 9, 2010 with local stakeholders and experts to share their insights on novel research and [...]
The US Virgin Islands is known for its richness in marine biodiversity, which is one of the main attractions for visiting tourists. However, conservation of the mangrove coastlines, seagrasses, coral reefs, and fishes are essential to sustaining these ecosystems. To date, we continue to search for more information on the best strategies needed for the [...]
Coastal and marine resources are coupled. Upland precipitation that produces runoff and carries sediment and chemical contaminants often has detrimental effects on coastal marine habitats. Coral reefs, beaches, mangrove forests and seagrass beds are among the most affected and provide essential habitat for important marine species. Therefore, surveying the community of water resource users, including [...]
The richness in biodiversity, both terrestrial and marine, is characteristic of our region. Hence, conservation of our mangrove coastlines, seagrasses, coral reefs, and fishes are essential to sustaining our ecosystems. The US Fish & Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries are federal agencies that aim to conserve and provide services to Puerto Rico’s natural reserves and [...]
The passing of a hurricane through the Caribbean islands is a keen reminder of how water can affect our lands and coasts. Hurricane Earl, with winds reaching 145 mph, brought over 1 foot of rain throughout the Lesser Antilles islands, meaning river overflow, large amounts of runoff and sediment discharge. Ironically, while the hurricane made [...]
For a more detailed description of the objectives of our project and several key questions that we seek comment on, please read our informational brochure here. |
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