NOAA s OCM: Services, tools and collaboration opportunities & Puerto Rico s NE Marine Corridor as a case study

Transcription

1 NOAA s OCM: Services, tools and collaboration opportunities & Puerto Rico s NE Marine Corridor as a case study Dr. Antares Ramos Álvarez NOAA s Office of Coastal Management September 15 th, 2016 Conservation and Management of Coastal Habitats in PR Meeting San Juan, PR

2 Office for Coastal Resource Management + Coastal Services Center = OFFICE FOR COASTAL MANAGEMENT

3 OUR PROGRAMS in PR Coral Reef Conservation Program Coastal Zone Management Program National Estuarine Research Reserve Digital Coast

4 Coral Reef Conservation Program Cooperative Agreement Government of PR DNER General Coral Reef Grant (currently open 1/2017) NGO Cooperative Agreement (501c3 requirement) Internal Spend Plan

5 Coastal Zone Management Program Cooperative Agreement Government of PR DNER Resiliency and Climate Change related grants

6 National Estuarine Research Reserve Jobos Bay - JobaNNER Cooperative Agreement Government of PR DNER Science and Community Outreach (CZM)

7 Digital Coast Data & Products Tools Training

8 Digital Coast Data and Benthic Cover Products C-CAP: Coastal Change Analysis Program High Resolution Land Cover and Change Nationally standardized, raster-based land cover inventory areas for PR at 1-5m resolution Coastal intertidal areas, wetlands, adjacent uplands USDA Soil Survey Geographic Database USFWS National Wetlands Inventory

9 Digital Coast Tools Habitat Priority Planner Habitat analysis that is consistent, repeatable & transparent Features: change and evaluate criteria and what if sc Essential Fish Habitat Mapper Displays essential fish habitat and habitats of particular concern Magnuson-Stevens Act Landscape Fragmentation Tool Map fragmentation of a user-specified land cover Creates value-added map layers that can be used to quantify and assess amount and type of fragmentation Useful when evaluating potential habitat impacts (ArcGIS)

10 Digital Coast Training Habitat Priority Planner Self-guided training Automated tool demonstration Information about tool functionality Guided simulation for running a test analysis Conserving Wetlands for Sea Level Rise Adaptation Implement natural infrastructure or nature based strategies to adapts to climate change (SLR) Geospatial data and technology are used to ID vulnerable wetlands & wetlands that have the potential to increase a community s resiliency to SLR Communities can prioritize conservation efforts & spend their conservation capital wisely

11 Digital Coast Training (cont.) Green Infrastructure Mapping Guide Shows spatial analysts how to incorporate nature-based solutions (green infrastructure) into GIS work GIS work-plan in provided with examples, process guidance, case studies and templates

12 Best Strategy? COLLABORATION, COLLABORATION, COLLABORATION!

13 NE Marine Ecological Corridor: Case study for Integrated Coastal Resource Management Estimated area: land = 19 square miles (4,125 acres), marine= square miles (65,582 acres)

14 DNER s request to NOAA Support in developing a management plan that includes zoning recommendations for the NE Marine Corridor (2011)

15 Importance of NE Marine ESA coral species Sea turtle nesting Corridor Potential ecological connectivity between PR and Culebra Cultural importance Recreational and economic activity

16 Primary Threats 75% of marinas are in the NE area Recreational boat users vessel groundings and irresponsible anchoring Land based sources of pollution: sewage and agricultural activity Tourism-Booze Cruises Fishing pressure

17 Management Focus Understand where the natural resources are and their dynamics as part of an ecological corridor, while assuring commercial and recreational use of the area takes place with minimal impact on the marine resources Management of marine corridor as an ecological unit Integrated Ocean Use; CROP

18 Project Components Ecological Assessment Hydrodynamic Study Socio-Economic Assessment Spatial Analysis Management Support

19 Ecological Assessment Where is the resource (benthic mapping) What is the resource we want to conserve What is the condition of the resource Where to concentrate efforts and resources ($$)

20 Hydrodynamics Connectivity between reefs along the corridor Connectivity between habitats Land based sources of pollution concern areas Where to concentrate efforts and resources ($$) caricoos.org (NECR currents) Courtesy of CESAM

21 Social-Economics Use of the area Conflicts between users User perspectives Management recommendations and buy-in

22 Spatial Analysis

23 Management Support Group Support DNER in the management of the area Land owners: DNER, National Parks (Seven Seas), US-FWS, Municipalities, Conservation Trust (Cabezas de San Juan) Jurisdiction: DNER, EQB, EPA, NOAA Federal Partners: US-Forest Service, US-FS IITF, NRCS, EPA, USGS, FWS, USCG, NOAA-NOS/NMFS, USCoE Other key partners: Coalición del CEN, UPR (Extensión Agrícola), Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña GOAL: Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration

24 Products (and more to come!) Benthic Map of the NE Reserves and Culebra Island Ecological Characterization Characterization of hydrodynamics of area Boater profiling and perspectives Marina profiling and perspectives Catamaran cruises profiling and perspectives Round-table with boaters & NOAA, DNER, USCG Mapping Ecological Priorities and Human Impacts ESTABLISHED AS A HABITAT FOCUS AREA

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26 Benthic Habitat Map

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28 Circulation Modeling of NECR Current: AMSEAS-CariCOOS Operational model currents Ongoing: ROMS-CariCOOS circulation modeling Ultimate goal: Particle tracking model for NECR. Below is an example of work conducted for Guánica Bay by the PI:

29 Next steps In situ characterization of ecological priority areas Larval connectivity and sedimentation flow (funding dependent NCCOS) Boat use characterization using satellite imagery Concessionaires Perspectives Community Involvement Official establishment of Management Support Group Write up of the management plan (October 2017)

30 Challenges Funding...collaboration has been key

31 Collaborative efforts Culebra Watershed Plan & sediment control practices Fajardo Watershed Plan NE Watershed Plan (in process) Governance study in NE Reserve and adjacent area Establishment of new coral nurseries CariCOOS buoy Habitat Blueprint HFA

32 Habitat Blueprint

33 New Initiatives under the HFA Coral Nurseries: Culebra and La Cordillera Watershed Plans & establishment of sediment control practices Community-based social marketing Blue Carbon in Los Machos (development stages) Implementation Plan (April 2016)

34 Key needs in NE Marine Corridor & Culebra Sedimentation and runoff control coastal erosion Coral habitat rehabilitation (coral nurseries and planting) coastal protection Living shorelines wetland protection Habitat connectivity management approach Ridge to Reef (including mangroves, seagrass meadows and shallow coral reefs)

35 PARTNERS