Viva
El Océano!
Written
by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
After more than 50 years of political discord, the United
States and Cuba have agreed to join forces to protect the ocean and sea life
within their shared coastal waters.
Just before the holidays U.S. and Cuban officials met in
Havana and signed an Environmental Accord to work together to safeguard
the precious marine ecosystems that exist within the 90 miles separating the
two nations.
Among the sea life covered in the accord
are 6,000 marine species including sea turtles, Caribbean reef fish, manta rays
and whale sharks.
Plus the world's third largest barrier reef, salt domes rising from the ocean floor and mangrove forest and seagrass meadow habitats.
Kathryn Sullivan,
Chief of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), emphasized that the agreement would have
a lasting impact, saying, "We all share the same ocean and face the same
challenges of understanding, managing and conserving critical marine resources
for future generations."
National ParkService Director Jonathan B. Jarvis added,
"This is a great way to preserve our shared natural heritage of the wider
Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico regions. After all, fish, marine mammals, sea
turtles, birds and other marine life exist in ecosystems that rarely fall
within maps drawn by man.”
SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and
Patti Kishel learned that scientists from marine sanctuaries in Florida and
Texas will be working with their counterparts at Cuba's Guanahacabibes
National Park and the Banco de San Antonio to conduct research and
develop sustainable practices.
As part of the agreement, NOAA stated that the U.S. and Cuba
will share technical and scientific data and promote education and outreach
initiatives.
This new Caribbean alliance fits perfectly into NOAA's
far-reaching mission, "To understand and predict changes in the Earth's
environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun."
Focusing on the ocean has brought two nations closer...and
brought the world closer – for nature and mankind.
Peace on Earth
Paz
en la tierra
Please post your comment below.
Comments will appear the next day.
Sunny
Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted
material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com
Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites
as long as credit is given.
No comments:
Post a Comment