CENECCA Project
“There will come a time when diligent and prolonged research will bring to light things that are currently hidden. The life of a single person, even if entirely devoted to the heavens, would be insufficient to investigate a subject so vast… Therefore, this knowledge can only be developed over successive ages. There will come a time when our descendants will be amazed that we ignored things that are so clear to them… Many discoveries are reserved for future ages, when the memory of us has been erased… Nature does not reveal its mysteries all at once.”.
Séneca. Naturalium Quaestionum Libri
As described in the President’s Action Plan in 2013: “Data and scientific insights are essential to help government officials, communities, and businesses understand and manage the risks associated with climate change.” Following the enduring words and philosophy of the poet Seneca, the Sea Grant Program at the University of Puerto Rico (PSGUPR) is determined to bring to light the results of years of research within the vast field of the ocean and all its complex processes. As we educate the public about the complexities of Climate Change, we are confident that more questions will arise, and emerging research topics will be addressed by new generations of scientists, always committed to sharing their knowledge about the “mysteries” of nature and applying it to the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and coastal ecosystems.
The main goal of this project is to forge a whole-island program that addresses the need for scientifically oriented information to develop actions, programs, activities, and policies related to Climate Change (CC), including Natural Hazards (NH) and Sea Level Rise (SLR), in order to minimize potential adverse social and environmental impacts. Most of the scientific knowledge related to climate change in the Archipelago of Puerto Rico is scattered and does not focus on capacity building for those who have the authority to manage resources and protect both public and private interests. There is an urgent need for decision-makers in coastal municipalities to learn more about climate change and begin developing long-term adaptation strategies. This project will contribute to one of our Program’s goals: “Supporting the development of resilient communities” (Strategic Plan 2014-2017: 16). CENECCA will be the engine that disseminates the science of climate measurement and adaptation, and the development of tools for relevant climate decision-making, by focusing on increasing the availability, accessibility, and utility of scientific tools and information to respond to both long-term climate impacts and short-term effects of extreme weather.
Sea Grant, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico, and CariCOOS have fulfilled this role over the years and have shared this responsibility with a number of constituents and organizations that have a genuine interest in educating their peers, the public, resource managers, decision-makers, and government officials. This project will benefit from this previous experience to develop a center for climate change education, which will be called CENECCA. The center will be located at the Cabo Rojo Lighthouse and will serve as a stronghold, a focal point, for instruction, education, capacity building, and policy design aimed at developing actions to form an informed public and a resilient coastal zone that faces the challenges of climate change, natural hazards, sea-level rise, and human activities.
Climate change: Flooding in Salinas de Cabo Rojo worries Puerto Rico – PSGUPR marine extensionist and coordinator of the Center for Climate Change and Environmental Education (CenECCA), Lillian Ramírez, spoke with CNN en Español about the impact of climate change on Las Salinas de Cabo Rojo.
Community Coastal Development
The Community Coastal Development Program (CCD) aims to establish sustainable development as a fundamental principle for the use and development of our coasts. CCD works with coastal communities, non-governmental organizations, key decision-makers in coastal affairs, government agencies, the private sector, and the general public to promote training in the areas of sustainable economic development, smart development, and conservation of coastal resources.
Due to population growth, accelerated development along our coasts, and the lack of effective development patterns and planning, CCD aims to encourage our communities to conserve and protect our natural and coastal resources through sustainable development. CCD works on training and education regarding new tools and technologies available in planning, smart development, urban sprawl, and sustainable economic development issues.
Guayama Community Manifesto
Manifesto of the organizations directly linked to the communities of Guayama demanding the immediate closure of the coal plant.
Social Memory in the Face of Disasters: Project 1867
Project 1867: Disasters and Memory in Puerto Rico is a compilation of documents, videos, and writings about little-known natural disasters since the year 1867 and subsequent events, both of great magnitude and those of lesser magnitude (but greater occurrence). The objective is to preserve the memory and encourage dialogue on the topic of disasters on the island and to emphasize the importance of developing management plans at different levels in the face of their possible arrival.
Coastal Hazards
Coastal hazards constitute another key thematic area in which the Sea Grant Program combines its efforts in research, extension, education, and communication. As a Caribbean archipelago, Puerto Rico faces a variety of natural hazards such as hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, and storm formation. Our coastal hazard experts strive to raise awareness about the vulnerability of coastal communities to these hazards. To achieve this, they utilize applied research and extension activities. Often, the vulnerability of these communities worsens due to poor construction practices, destruction of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, and non-compliance with environmental laws. The main challenge we face lies in reducing risk and human and material losses through the dissemination and transfer of information and technologies developed by Sea Grant researchers and marine advisors involved in risk management and mitigation.
The Sea Grant Program at UPR actively participates in the promotion and implementation of a tsunami warning system for the Caribbean similar to the one in the Pacific region. Through investment in research projects that have produced tools for tsunami simulation, flood models, and maps, we stimulate socio-economic analysis that, in turn, brings to public light the risks, economic impacts of coastal hazards, and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. We also aim to promote an assessment of coastal flooding and short- and long-term coastal erosion hazards in the Caribbean.
The websites mentioned below present much of the information and tools developed in our coastal hazards program.
Links related to coastal hazards
Coastal Hazards – Videos
Digital Tools for Researchers
Coastal conservation and climate change must be closely monitored to demonstrate the economic and social impact on coastal communities. Here are some links to coastal maps and other tools for researching our coasts:
- TNC: Atlas of Ocean Wealth
- Información USVI NOAA C-Cap Landcover Atlas
- NFWF: Coastal Resilience Evaluation and Siting Tool
- Environmental Response Management Application
- NOAA Essential Fish Habitat Mapper
- USCACE Sediment volume change Mapper
- USDA NRCS: Soil Data viewer
- United States Interagency Elevation Inventory
The Porto Rico 1930 Georeferenced project: A Coastal Mosaic
The Porto Rico 1930 Georeferenced project: A Coastal Mosaic consists of georeferencing aerial photographs from 1930-1931 (referred to as 1930) for the coast of Puerto Rico, specifically for the area covering at least one kilometer inland from the coastline.
The georeferenced aerial photographs from 1930 are organized into fifteen photomosaics covering different coastal areas of Puerto Rico. Compiled by https://prgeoref.weebly.com/
