Home > Explore Data & Reports > Mapping Ecological Priorities and Human Impacts to Support Land-Sea Management of Puerto Rico's Northeast Marine Corridor

Citation:

Pittman, S.J., C.F.G. Jeffrey, C. Menza, G. Kågesten, A. Orthmeyer, D.S. Dorfman, D. Mateos-Molina, A. Mabrouk, S.D. Hile, V. Ransibrahmanakul, and A. Ramos Álvarez. 2017. Mapping Ecological Priorities and Human Impacts to Support Land-Sea Management of Puerto Rico's Northeast Marine Corridor. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 218. Silver Spring, MD. 71 pp. doi:10.7289/V5/TM-NOS-NCCOS-218

Data/Report Type:

NOAA Technical Memorandum

Description

This report describes a spatial characterization conducted to support the development of an integrated management plan for Puerto Rico's Northeast Marine Corridor. The Northeast Marine Corridor is a large, landsea reserve network, making it unique in the region for both its size and the integrated land-sea geographical scope. Here we map and model ecological priorities and threats to support managers with risk assessment and prioritization of management actions. The best available data, including local expert knowledge of special ecological places and threats, were compiled to map key marine features, important habitat types and marine species of concern. Ecological priority areas were identified and ranked based on the number of ecologically important attributes across the region and analyzed relative to the distribution of threats and stressors to help managers identify and prioritize areas of concern. The methods and data used for spatial prioritization are described in this report and resultant maps showing ecological priorities and potential stressors are provided. The approach was implemented through a partnership between NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and Puerto Rico's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, or Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, with funding from NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program.

Note to readers with disabilities: Some scientific publications linked from this website may not conform to Section 508 accessibility standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing this electronic content, please contact the lead/corresponding author, Primary Contact, or nccos.webcontent@noaa.gov.

Explore Similar Data/Reports

About NCCOS

NCCOS delivers ecosystem science solutions for stewardship of the nation’s ocean and coastal resources to sustain thriving coastal communities and economies.

Stay Connected

Sign up for our quarterly newsletter or view our archives.

Follow us on Social

Listen to our Podcast

Check our our new podcast "Coastal Conversations"