This is X-posted from consbio; sorry about any duplications.
Stefanie
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NEWS FROM MARINE CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Mathews-Amos
(703) 276-1434
Dr. Elliott A. Norse
(206) 883-8914
SHORT-CHANGING THE SEA: NATIONAL NEGLECT OF
VALUABLE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS REVEALED IN FY 1998
BUDGET PROPOSAL
Washington DC (February 11, 1997)... Marine Conservation Biology
Institute's new Washington, DC office today disclosed stark disparities
in our nation's commitment to natural resource protection on land and
in the sea. Although most of the Earth's surface is covered by
seawater, our National Marine Sanctuaries receive less than 1 percent
of the funding provided for National Parks, as outlined in the Clinton
Administration's FY 1998 Proposed Budget to Congress released this
week. The percentage is even smaller when other land management
areas such as National Forests are included.
"Whether we live in Ocean City Maryland, Prairie Village Kansas or
Cactus Arizona, we depend on the sea for resources vital to our
survival," said Amy Mathews-Amos, Program Director for Marine
Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI), a nonprofit organization
dedicated to advancing the new science of marine conservation biology
to maintain the sea's biodiversity. "Unfortunately, the old saying out
of sight, out of mind' fits here. Estuaries, coastal waters and oceans
comprise more than 99 percent of the Earth's habitat for animals and
plants. But because people live on land, we including our government
tend to overlook life in the other 99 percent."
"We can no longer afford that luxury," said marine ecologist Elliott A.
Norse, President of MCBI, based in Redmond Washington. "We rely
on the sea for everything from the air we breathe to the food we eat. It
benefits us in sickness and in health, as a source of new medicines and
favorite vacation spots. But the health of the sea itself is declining and
we often don't understand why. Mysterious toxic red tides appear
along our coasts. Florida coral reefs bleach and die. Alien species
from Europe and Asia are overwhelming native animals in San
Francisco Bay. Deadly diseases kill hundreds of dolphins and manatees.
And the cod fishery that fueled the growth of New England is gone.
Whether we realize it or not, millions of Americans those who catch
fish and market seafood, make boats and tooth paste, sell coastal real
estate and diving gear depend on the sea for their livelihood. Given the
importance of marine ecosystems to our well-being and economy, we
need to make understanding and conserving our marine resources a
greater national priority."
President Clinton's FY 1998 Proposed Budget shows just how far we
have to go. It includes $1.6 billion for the National Park Service to
administer approximately 133,000 square miles in 374 units managed to
protect natural, cultural, and recreational resources for the use and
enjoyment of future generations. According to MCBI's
Mathews-Amos, that's money well spent. But in contrast, the budget
request for the Marine Sanctuaries program is just $13.2 million to
administer only 12 underwater protected areas totaling approximately
18,000 square miles, an area smaller than San Bernardino County,
California. That represents only 0.6 percent of marine waters under
US jurisdiction. These Sanctuaries, administered by the Commerce
Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are
designated to protect marine environments that possess conservation,
recreational, ecological, historical, research, educational, or
aesthetic qualities of special national significance. In 1980, President
Jimmy Carter declared National Marine Sanctuaries "the marine
equivalents of Yosemite, Big Bend, the Great Smokies, and the
Everglades."
However, Marine Sanctuaries are far less protected than National
Parks. For example, many Sanctuaries allow bottom trawling for
seafood that scours the seafloor with heavy nets that crush, bury, and
dangerously expose marine life on or in the seabed. In this respect,
Sanctuaries more closely resemble National Forests, in which other
uses such as logging, livestock grazing and mining often get priority
over resource protection. Yet we have 159 National Forest units
totaling 298,000 square miles with a proposed budget of more than
$3.1 billion, or 235 times that of National Marine Sanctuaries.
"The resources we devote to protecting biological diversity on land
contribute to the well being of the entire planet, including the oceans,"
said Mathews-Amos. "But it is becoming increasingly clear that the
sea deserves greater protection in its own right. Our federal
government is short-changing the marine environment, and it's coming
back to haunt us."
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Established in 1996, Marine
