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Healthy Ecosystems

The South Atlantic supports a diverse array of coastal and marine environments vital to the ecological and economic stability and sustainability of the Southeast. The Alliance will undertake activities to:

• Enhance and support ecosystem‐based management for the biological resources of the region;
  
  
• Improve ecosystem structure and function by developing and applying sound scientific data to support habitat conservation, enhancement, and restoration;
  
  
• Increase understanding of the scope and scale of the region’s human and natural resources; and
  
  
• Develop communication networks, research frameworks, and outreach/education initiatives.

Prioritized Action Items, Sept. 2011

• HE1A - Map known distributions of key estuarine/marine habitats/land use cover in each state: determine spatial extent (beach-out first), develop query template for states to capture all appropriate data elements, summarize, and identify common concerns.
  
  
• HE3A - Marine spatial plan for location of key coastal/marine resources and activities for multi-use management decisions: identify major activities (shipping lanes, artificial reefs, ocean disposal areas, sand borrow areas, military use, etc.), determine locations and what data exists, and determine common framework of mapping standards and how to bring data into portal.
  

Technical Team

Lead Mentor: Michelle Duval, NC Division of Marine Fisheries; michelle.duval@ncdenr.gov
Additional Mentor - Mary Conley, The Nature Conservancy
Additional Mentor - Christine Laporte, South Atlantic Regional Research Program

State Leads:
NC - Anne Deaton, NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NC DENR)
SC - Bob Van Dolah, Marine Resources Research Institute, SC DNR
GA - Pat Geer, Marine Fisheries Research and Surveys Unit, GA DNR
FL - Jan Landsberg, Florida Wildlife Commission

Members:
Melissa Rada - Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC)
Pace Wilber - NOAA Fisheries
Wilson Laney - US Fish and Wildlife Service
Anna Toline - National Park Service, USDOI
Tony Able - US Environmental Protection Agency