Mapping the value of marine conservation
A spatial economic analysis of fishing and tourism benefits in the Galapagos Marine Reserve
The Galapagos archipelago is world-renowned for its unique flora and fauna and for inspiring Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. The islands display high degrees of terrestrial and marine endemism that have resulted from their geographic position at the nexus of three ocean currents, isolation from the mainland of Ecuador, and ongoing geologic activity. The importance of the islands as a living laboratory of evolution with an assemblage of species and ecosystems found nowhere else in the world has been officially recognized by UNESCO, which designated the Galapagos as a World Heritage Site in 1978.
The Bren School of Environmental Science & Management has partnered with National Geographic's Pristine Seas project to investigate how expanding no-take zones in the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) will augment the economic benefits of marine conservation. Our team of Bren master's students will conduct a bio-economic analysis of the current GMR zoning scheme and potential re-zoning schemes. Through our work, we seek to inform stakeholders of the value of expanding marine conservation in the Galapagos and support Pristine Seas in their mission to preserve the last wild places in the ocean.
Pristine Seas is a National Geographic project with the mission is to find, survey, and help protect the last
wild places in the ocean. Their main goals are to create marine reserves and to provide effective management solutions to improve the resilience of marine systems near human populations.
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The Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at University of California, Santa Barbara trains its graduate students to solve environmental problems using an interdisciplinary and hands-on approach. In their second year, all Master's students either complete a group project where they work with real clients to help solve real problems or an Eco-entrepreneurship project. GeoMar is one of the 17 group projects being completed by the 2016 Bren cohort over the coming year.
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