Gulf And Caribbean Fisheries Institute Inc

PURPOSE: THE AWARD SUPPORTS ONGOING COORDINATION OF THE MPACONNECT LEARNING NETWORK OF MARINE PROTECTED AREA (MPA) MANAGERS BY THE GULF AND CARIBBEAN FISHERIES INSTITUTE (GCFI) IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NOAA CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM AND ALL OF THE 40 MEMBER MPA SITES. GCFI AND NOAA WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES THROUGH MPACONNECT AND FACILITATE THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION BETWEEN MPACONNECT MEMBERS AND THE WIDER MPA AND CORAL REEF CONSERVATION COMMUNITY. THIS INCLUDES SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO DETECT, MONITOR AND RESPOND TO CORAL REEF DISTURBANCES SUCH AS THE OUTBREAK OF STONY CORAL TISSUE LOSS DISEASE (SCTLD) AT CORAL REEF SITES WITHIN THE MPACONNECT NETWORK AND SURROUNDING AREAS. MPACONNECT WILL REPORT ON ASSESSMENT FINDINGS AND CAPACITY-BUILDING EFFORTS.

THIS PROJECT WILL STRENGTHEN AND EXPAND A PEER LEARNING NETWORK OF CARIBBEAN MARINE PROTECTED AREAS (MPAS) KNOWN AS MPACONNECT. IT RESPONDS DIRECTLY TO AN INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT (IAA) BETWEEN NOAA AND THE US AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE (USAID) THAT CALLS FOR NOAA AND USAID TO WORK WITH THE GULF AND CARIBBEAN FISHERIES INSTITUTE (GCFI) TO PROMOTE REGIONAL STABILITY OF MPAS IN THE CARIBBEAN REGION. GCFI WILL INVITE NEW MPA SITES TO THE MPACONNECT NETWORK AND ASSESS THEIR MANAGEMENT CAPACITY TO HELP GUIDE CAPACITY BUILDING AND NETWORKING ACTIVITIES. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NOAA CORAL REEF CONSERVATION PROGRAM (CRCP), GCFI WILL COORDINATE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES THAT RESPOND TO THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF NEW AND EXISTING MPACONNECT MEMBERS THROUGH PEER EXCHANGES, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND SMALL GRANTS. IT WILL ALSO ADDRESS REGIONAL MPA MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES AND EMERGING ISSUES WITH AN EMPHASIS ON PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE FINANCING AND RESPONDING TO STONY CORAL TISSUE LOSS

STRENGTHENING ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT FOR PRIORITY CARIBBEAN CORAL REEF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

MPACONNECT IS A MARINE PROTECTED AREA (MPA) LEARNING NETWORK THAT HELPS BUILD MPA CAPACITY ACCORDING TO NEEDS DESCRIBED IN THE 2011 AND 2017 CARIBBEAN MPA MANAGEMENT CAPACITY ASSESSMENTS. AS MPACONNECT ENTERS A GROWTH PHASE, THIS PROPOSAL INCLUDES NETWORK COORDINATION TO COMPLEMENT OTHER CO-FUNDING OF ACTIVITIES. IT INCLUDES THE COORDINATION OF NETWORKING ACTIVITIES, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE THIRD, FIVE-YEARLY RE-ASSESSMENT OF MPA MANAGEMENT CAPACITY AND THE UPDATING OF PRIORITY CAPACITY BUILDING NEEDS AMONG PARTICIPATING SITES, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF REGIONAL PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING EXCHANGES AND AN ANNUAL SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM TO ADDRESS CAPACITY NEEDS IN SUPPORT OF EFFECTIVE MPA IMPLEMENTATION BY CORAL REEF MANAGERS IN THE WIDER CARIBBEAN REGION. MPACONNECT WILL COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH NOAA CRCP AND WITH MPA MANAGER MENTORS TO COORDINATE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES THAT RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF 31 PRIORITY MPAS AND TO STONY CORAL TISSUES LOSS DISEASE WHICH A CRITICAL NEW R

BUILDING MPA MANAGEMENT CAPACITY IN THE WIDER CARIBBEAN REGION WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON MPA IMPLEMENTATION IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN

CONSOLIDATING MPA MANAGEMENT CAPACITY BUILDING IN THE WIDER CARIBBEAN REGION

IMPLEMENTING CAPACITY BUILDING IN THE MESOAMERICAN REEF MPA COMMUNITY

BUILDING MPA MANAGEMENT CAPACITY AND CORAL REEF RESILIENCE IN THE CARIBBEAN???S MESOAMERICAN REEF REGION

GCFI PROJECT

REDUCING MARINE LITTER IN THE WIDER CARIBBEAN: DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING BEST WASTE MANAGMENT PRATICES

IMPROVING STOCK ASSESSMENTS OF LIVING MARINE RESOURCES IN THE CARIBBEAN REGION

CARIBBEAN REGIONAL INVASIVE LIONFISH CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES INCLUDING WORKSHOPS AND SYMPOSIA

SUPPORT OF THE 67TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GULF AND CARIBBEAN FISHERIES INSTITUTE

INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE SURVEY CAPABILITIES OF LIVING MARINE RESOURCES AND THEIR HABITATS

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION PLANNING IN THE SOUTH FLORIDA MARINE ENVIRONMENT USING SCENARIO PLANNING