The third case, an arrangement between Federal and state partners in the Puget Sound region, reflects a common approach to conduct environmental monitoring that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive. The South Florida ecosystem has been under severe environmental stress for several decades. Wetland losses, seagrass die-offs, declines in the numbers of wading birds, pervasive algal blooms and damaged corals are symptoms of expanding human populations and economic growth throughout South Florida. The type of information obtained through monitoring programs is essential to developing and evaluating strategies for water and land management that reestablish the natural ecosystems while addressing economic growth and societal needs in this region. Within this structure, a Core Group of 12 representatives from Federal, state, and local agencies is carrying out the South Florida Ecosystem Monitoring Integration Project, a partnership among NOAA, the Florida Marine Research Institute and the Florida Bay Program Management Committee.
Mangroves benefit the environment by preserving water quality and reducing pollution.
Through a structured process involving workshops, focus groups and peer reviews, a strategic plan is being developed that will integrate ongoing efforts to monitor the coastal ecosystem in a more efficient and effective way and provide this important information to South Florida managers. At a second workshop in May 1997, more than 70 managers and scientists used the GIS to identify gaps and overlaps in current monitoring and then developed strategies for integrating regional activities and sharing information. Through the work of six focus groups, the strategies are being refined, and a monitoring plan will be written. Managers and scientists are developing an integrated monitoring plan for the South Florida marine ecosystem. This cooperative monitoring effort in the Carolinian Province is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and regionally extensive program that has required the input of literally hundreds of individuals working together.