U.S., Cuba Collaborate on MPA Conservation, Management

Less than a hundred miles south of the reefs and mangrove forests of Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary lay the marine ecosystems of Cuba. Though managed by different nations, these ecosystems are bound together by ocean currents and animal migrations.
 
This week, NOAA administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan and Pedro Ramos of the U.S. National Park Service joined with officials from Cuba's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment to sign a first-ever pledge to protect the invaluable marine ecosystems our two nations share. The agreement formalizes NOAA's commitment to collect and share scientific data, develop technical tools, promote marine education, and cooperate on international marine protected area (MPA) management decisions. The announcement comes nearly a year after President Obama opened the door to restoring diplomatic ties with the nation.
 
The agreement also includes a sister MPA relationship, which will initially focus on Guanahacabibes National Park in Cuba, including its offshore Bank of San Antonio, and the Flower Garden Banks and Florida Keys national marine sanctuaries, and the Dry Tortugas and Biscayne national parks.
 
"Our national marine sanctuaries and Cuba's marine protected areas are like the bookends for the ecological encyclopedia of the Gulf of Mexico," said William Kiene, a policy analyst for national marine sanctuaries' Southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region.
 
"Working together to preserve these spectacular concentrations of marine life in key areas of the Gulf will not only help us to strengthen the connections between them, but to also help us to strengthen the connections between our societies, which both rely on the ocean we share."
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