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A helpful step for Gulf of Mexico |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 03 April 2006 |
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But Alliance's action plan needs specifics
Gulf state governors released a three-year action plan on Tuesday "for healthy and resilient coasts." The report recommends improving water quality monitoring, increasing habitat restoration, reducing nutrient pollution and educating coastal and inland residents.
Good, good, good and good.
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance, comprising Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, represents an innovative approach to deal with issues that affect the entire region. But the Alliance governors' plan lacks a key component: funding to implement its valuable recommendations.
This missing piece of the puzzle has been criticized by noted scientists and academic leaders. The lack of funding was also criticized by several participants who attended the three-day State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit in Corpus Christi, Texas, according to the Houston Chronicle. Without clearly identified funding to accomplish its lofty goals, the plan loses its punch.
The Gulf fuels the region's economic engine, which relies heavily on tourism and marine-related industries. Well-documented problems paint a not-so-pretty picture of the Gulf of Mexico:
A red tide algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico and the bays off Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and Lee counties lingered for most of 2005, sickening sea life, killing fish and driving coughing tourists away in droves. The plan pledges to improve detection and forecasting of red tide blooms.
An area of hypoxia -- better known as a dead zone -- in the Gulf has grown to 2,000 square miles, about the size of New Jersey.
When the Gulf is hurting, coastal states face trouble, too.
During a yearlong series of workshops, participants in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida (Sarasota hosted an event) listed habitat loss as a critical concern. In the Sarasota session in September, lack of funding was identified as the priority, followed closely by habitat loss.
The governors' plan also identified restoration and conservation as priorities. Barrier islands and wetlands protect the Gulf and provide natural buffers to lessen hurricane-related storm surge threats, the report said.
Unfortunately, the strategies for restoration are vague: Establish a regional team, hold workshops and develop a master plan.
The governors' plan represents a first step in a useful attempt to coordinate efforts to protect the Gulf. Coastal residents need the plan to be more specific, soon, by spelling out how these strategies will be accomplished and funded.
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Florida News