Marine Protected Areas (marine parks, reserves) are an important
way of conserving our fragile marine ecosystems. Much of SEI's
coast and ocean activities takes place in marine protected areas
in the US and internationally. In the Caribbean we are designing
reserves based on ecological
principals and developing a monitoring program for
marine reserves in St. Barthelemy. In the US we are developing
ways to monitor and manage protected
areas because designating a marine protected area is not
sufficient to ensure the conservation of the organisms. Careful
monitoring and management are key
to the effectiveness of any marine protected area..
