Coral Reefs in the Gulf of Mexico Strengthening Protection Policies

Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Alcock, Frank

Keywords

Coral Reefs, Marine Resource Protection, Gulf of Mexico Corals

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

This thesis delves into coral reef protection policies as they exist today in the Gulf of Mexico, and how they can be improved in the future using existing and new legislation. My research describes the stressors, both anthropogenic and natural, that are affecting the health of the Gulf reef ecosystems, and goes into depth about the effects of each stressor and its causes. This thesis then goes into detail about the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas, including several examples both on a global scale and more locally, in the Florida Reef Tract. Many of the coral reef ecosystems in the Gulf would benefit from more protection, and chapter three delves into the different legislative tools that could be used to accomplish this goal, including those specifically created to protect marine resources and those that could be applied towards coral reef protection. One of the most unique and potentially useful protection policies that could be used to protect the Gulf's corals is the Antiquities Act, which is deta led in chapter four, including its legislative history, presidential uses, and existing marine national monuments. The fifth chapter of this thesis goes into detail about the Islands in the Stream proposal, detailing its goals and potential benefits to the Gulf corals. It will also detail the shortcomings of the Islands in the Stream proposal and suggest policy tools to best associate with it.. Finally, Coastal and Marine Spatial is discussed, explaining how it would be the ideal policy framework for protecting the coral reef ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. My research is drawn from a variety of sources, including draft proceedings from the Marine Policy Institute and a variety of information from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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