Nearly 60 representatives from Cuba, Mexico and the U.S. convened in Havana in October 2009 to finalize a "Plan of Action" for future collaboration in marine research and conservation focused in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean Sea

HAVANA, Cuba — On October 25-26, 2009 the third meeting of a growing partnership of U.S, Cuban and Mexican institutions dedicated to strengthening collaboration in marine research and conservation convened in Havana, Cuba and has resulted in the near-finalization of a new five-year “Plan of Action,” a blueprint for future collaboration. The ongoing effort, led by The Ocean Foundation, the Center for International Policy, the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, and the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy has set the stage for an unprecedented level of collaboration among the three nations, including the creation of new projects and partnerships along with additional funding to support them.

The Plan of Action focuses on research and conservation priorities in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean, priorities considered nearly impossible without the concerted collaboration of all three nations. Because of the U.S. trade embargo imposed against Cuba, participation on the U.S. side has thus far been limited to nongovernmental organizations. The Havana meeting was the largest yet, bringing together a total of nearly 60 participants representing the three countries.

In November 2007, an international conference in Cancún, Mexico brought together high-level scientists and decision makers from Cuba and the United States for the first time to agree on marine research and conservation priorities. These priorities, covered in detail in the meeting proceedings and summarized below, establish a new framework for collaborative Cuba-U.S. research and conservation activities for the foreseeable future. The Cancún meeting was covered by the New York Times as the cover story in its Science section: Conserving Cuba After the Embargo and by 1planet1ocean: Historic Meeting Unites Cuba and the U.S., Taking Collaboration on Ocean Research & Conservation to a New Level.

Because of the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba, collaboration between U.S. and Cuban scientists has been difficult. Even though research is a permitted activity and U.S. scientists are allowed to travel to Cuba, the harsh logistical and political realities have prevented all but a few U.S. institutions from maintaining successful collaborative projects in Cuba. Recognizing the critical need for more scientific research in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean – and the key role that Cuban waters play in the ecosystem – the Cancún meeting brought together major institutions from both countries to establish research priorities and chart a way forward toward stronger and more comprehensive collaborative activities.

Three members of the Shark Research & Conservation Group discuss the Plan of Action: Left to right: Dra. Consuelo Aguilar Bentacourt (Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana); Dr. Robert Hueter (Mote Marine Laboratory); Dr. Fabián Pina Amargós (Centro de Investigaciones Ecosistemas Costeras, Cuba)

Scientists from both countries recognize that there is a need to step up collaborative activities in order to more effectively address the growing research and conservation needs of the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean.  It has become especially important to study these areas with a regional perspective in order to understand biological linkages and inform sound conservation policies at a regional level. The principal goal of the November 2007 Cancún meeting was to establish a set of consensus scientific priorities that would serve as the framework for a plan of action. Six key priority areas were identified and discussed:

• Research and conservation of coral reefs
• Research and conservation of sharks
• Research and conservation of sea turtles
• Research and conservation of marine mammals
• Research, conservation and management of fish resources
• Strengthening of marine protected areas

Working groups were formed around each of these priorities. Recognizing that better international communications are essential to the effort’s success, a committee was also formed to address Internet and telecommunications issues.

Following the successful prioritization process at the Cancún meeting, the group committed to a follow-up meeting to build on its efforts, transforming the list of priorities into a Plan of Action to identify specific projects and activities designed to advance the priorities. Such a Plan would serve as a road map and planning document for implementing new collaborative efforts.
The follow-up meeting was held successfully in Veracruz, Mexico in March 2009 and broadened the scope of the project to include full Mexican participation. A draft Plan of Action – based on the priorities established at the Cancún meeting – was drafted at the Veracruz meeting and a third meeting would be used to finalize the Plan and begin its implementation.

Panel Discussion on funding perspectives. Left to right: Steve Cornelius (John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation); Shari Sant Plummer (Code Blue Foundation; Summit Foundation; Deep Search Foundation); Tom McMurray (The Ocean Foundation); Mark Spalding (The Ocean Foundation)

The Havana meeting included the participation of members of the U.S. funding community, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Summit Foundation, Code Blue Foundation and The Ocean Foundation, to provide their perspectives and advice for the finalization of the Plan and ongoing efforts of the partnership. The meeting was coincident with the first-ever joint congress of the Latin American Association of Marine Sciences Investigators (ALICMAR) and the Cuban National Oceanographic Committee (NOC).  This  “double congress,” entitled ColacMarCuba 2009, included the 13th Latin American Congress on Marine Sciences (COLACMAR) and the 8th Cuban Congress on Marine Sciences (MarCuba 2009), held October 26-30, 2009 and included nearly 1,500 participants representing nearly 40 countries.

ColacMarCuba 2009 provided an ideal venue for the project team to meet and take the first concrete steps toward implementation of the Plan of Action by building specific projects and partnerships from the Plan’s identified prioritized actions and activities. The large, diverse audience present at COLACMAR provided an important setting to formally announce the group’s recommendations and planned activities to the international scientific community for the first time, with the hope of building additional partnerships and projects. This special session was presented by Dr. David E. Guggenheim who has organized and led the three conferences. A fourth meeting is in the planning stages for 2010, to take place in Sarasota, Florida.

Participating institutions included:

Cuba: Acuario Nacional de Cuba; Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras; Centro Nacional de Áreas Protegidas; Centro Nacional de Áreas Protegidas; Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Medio (co-organizer); Ministerio de la Pesca; Universidad de La Habana, Centro de Investigaciones Marinas; Centro de Investigaciones Ecosistemas Costeras

Mexico: Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas; Comission Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas; Instituto Nacional de Pesca; Instituto Politécnico Nacional; Secretaria de Marina (co-organizer); Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México; Universidad Veracruzana

USA: The Ocean Foundation (co-organizer); Center for International Policy (co-organizer); Environmental Defense Fund; Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies; Mote Marine Laboratory; Chicago Zoological Society; The Nature Conservancy

Recent Media Stories About the Havana Meeting:

• Global Post: Can U.S. and Cuba work together to protect shared marine ecosystem?
• Reuters: U.S, Cuban scientists plan joint Gulf research
• NPR: Listen for a special NPR story to air in November/December 2009

1planet1ocean president David Guggenheim participated as a science advisor and submarine pilot. Analysis continues, but already it has been noted that half of the 14 deep sea corals documented during the expedition were never before seen in the Bering Sea. Nor were two thirds of the 20 or so sponge species documented. And the expedition provided the first record of black coral of any kind and the first record of stony coral in the Bering Sea. NOAA biologist Robert Stone participated in the expedition and co-authored a recent paper with Greenpeace scientist John Hocevar presented the new findings at the Alaska Marine Science Symposium. You can see a copy of the report online. The expedition was undertaken to collect information needed to inform conservation policies by the North Pacific Fisheries Council. The expedition team documented numerous examples of extensive damage to corals by fishing trawlers, which essentially clearcut the bottom with their nets.

The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (CIM) [Centro de Investigaciones Marinas] are leading a collaborative effort, Proyecto Costa Noroccidental [Project of the Northwest Coast], a comprehensive multi-year research and conservation program for Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico coast. Dr. David E. Guggenheim, president of 1planet1ocean, is a member of HRI’s Advisory Council and also serves as HRI’s Cuba Programs Manager and is co-principal investigator of the project with Dr. Gaspar González Sansón of CIM.

Proyecto Costa Noroccidental is assessing northwestern Cuba’s marine habitats, identifying and describing the principal human uses and threats, providing recommendations for the conservation of the region’s ecosystems, and establishing a framework for long-term cooperative research and monitoring. The project is designed to provide fundamental data on this understudied region of Cuba while also providing new insights regarding biological connectivity and conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. The project is expected to help secure science-based conservation policies in advance of the inevitable wave of development in the region.

Proyecto Costa Noroccidental is the first comprehensive study of Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico region

Cuba’s northwest coast has not been comprehensively studied, and the results of this project are providing an important advance to the natural sciences in Cuba and conservation of costal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. This research is gaining attention and participation from numerous Cuban institutions and is providing the basis for the research theses and dissertations for 16 students at the project’s lead Cuban institution, the University of Havana’s Centro de Investigaciones Marinas (CIM) [Center for Marine Research], the only Cuban institution where marine scientists are trained. Our understanding of the Gulf increasingly points toward a vast web of linkages throughout the ecosystem, linkages that span international borders. Collaborative scientific research is a permitted activity under the long-standing United States’ economic embargo of Cuba.

CIM researcher prepares samples for reference collection during second expedition

Up until now, Cuba’s northwest coast has not experienced the levels of coastal development seen elsewhere on the island, but as the country is now among the world’s fastest growing tourist destinations, there are growing pressures of tourism in the region, accompanied by accelerating impacts from fishing, agriculture, and now, offshore petroleum development.

The project is collecting data on corals and invertebrates, fish populations, and water quality. Ecotoxicological analysis is also being conducted to assess land-based pollution impacts. In 2007, a shark research component will be incorporated, including a planned October 2007 shark tagging expedition. Northwest Cuba has seen a ten-fold reduction in shark landings since the 1960s.

CIM researcher measures green sea turtle nesting at Guanahacabibes, Cuba

The project also includes a comprehensive sea turtle research and conservation component focused at Cuba’s westernmost point, Guanahacabibes. Through strong community involvement and education, it has dramatically reduced turtle poaching.

In 2007, in collaboration with several Mexican institutions, the project will include a genetic analysis of Cuban sea turtle populations in order to gain new insight into population dynamics. Also planned for 2007 is a broadening dialogue with Cuban policymakers to make use of the data obtained from this project.

At the December 2006 MARCuba conference in Havana (Cuba’s triennial marine research conference) a total of 22 presented papers and posters were based on the research outcomes of this project. Publication efforts will continue and intensify over the coming year.