Habitat Conservation and Restoration

Ecosystem services and function throughout the Gulf of Mexico region are being disrupted. Loss and degradation of wetlands and coastal habitats, watersheds, and the offshore marine environments are ongoing and have been for decades. Ecosystems are naturally dynamic, being driven by climatic, oceanographic, geologic, and biologic forces. The tendency of human influence is to remove variability and uncertainty to create more predictable ecosystems, which has yielded may unintended results. It is necessary to understand the scope and scale of these changes on ecosystem function and environmental productivity in a historical context to understand their impact on the region today.

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s ultimate goal for this priority issue is to further the conservation and restoration of habitats, ecosystems, and associated watersheds of the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance Environmental Education Network (GOMAEEN) hopes to generate a sense of stewardship for the unique coastal ecosystem in which we live. Guiding both formal and informal instructors to resources that offer experiential learning opportunities. The digital library highlights conservation programs and restoration projects that illustrate the process and products of science.

Problems