NSU researcher helps international team create plan to protect the biodiversity of US waters

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Marine biodiversity is in crisis around the globe.

Climate change, overfishing, habitat destruction and other extractive industries are causing species losses at an alarming rate. Scientists, managers and governments are taking steps to protect marine life, but this requires a network of protected areas that are ecologically representative, foster connectivity between habitats and consider the dynamic nature of coastal and marine habitats.

These ecosystems have been the subject of an internationally recognized program led by researchers at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center.

This program, DEEPEND, is led by Tracey Sutton, Ph.D., an NSU professor and director of the DEEPEND Research Consortium. Sutton was among 28 scientists, economists and marine policy experts worldwide who were invited to assess the U.S. strategy for marine biodiversity protection. Sutton participated in a series of dialogues and workshops over the last three years, the results of which have just been published as a framework for biodiversity protection in U.S. waters.

A fundamental challenge to marine biodiversity protection is the poor understanding of the diversity and distribution of marine life, making it more difficult to designate protective measures and assess their success.

“The marine environment presents unique challenges: the world ocean is vast, much of it is distant from human populations, its life is often hidden from view and sampling presents formidable logistical difficulties,” Sutton said. “As a result, observations of ocean life are a fraction of those on land and are especially sparse in the water column and deep sea.”

You can find resources related to this research below:

• The Paper
• Fact Sheet
• Blog

“It’s important to know that this research continues,” said Sutton. “There is so much more to learn and understand about the world’s oceans, and we’re committed to the research and the work, as we must do all we can to help keep our oceans healthy and vibrant for future generations.”

Sign up for NSU’s RSS feed so you don’t miss any of our news releases, guest editorials and other announcements. Sign up HERE. You can also follow us on Twitter @NSUNews.

###

About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): NSU is a dynamic, private research university that provides high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate and professional degree levels. Established in 1964, the university includes 14 colleges, facilities for start-ups, scale-up and entrepreneurs, the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation, the Center for Collaborative Research, the private PK1-12 grade University School, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, one of Florida’s largest public libraries. Students learn at our campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach and Tampa, Fla., as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and online globally. With more than 200,000 alumni across the globe, the NSU community has a worldwide reach. Classified as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of 59 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. It is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Visit www.nova.edu for more information.