The Tenth Congress on Marine Sciences (MARCUBA) was held at the Havana Convention Center November 16 – 20, 2015. The main goal of the conference was the integration of marine scientists, institutions and countries in their endeavours to face environmental issues through actions and projects leading to an efficient management.
Around 300 Cuban specialists and over a hundred from 12 countries attended the event. More than 100 visitors from the United States were present at the conference. Officials from important institutions like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Park Service were among the group.
The great amount of participants from the United States speaks of the growing efforts to deal with environmental and management issues of shared ecosystems and biodiversity. American and Cuban scientists presented a joint work regarding shark conservation. Organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Cuban institutions had been working on the creation of national plan for the protection of sharks and rays. Water quality and fisheries have been among the topics addressed by scientist doing such an important research.
Dr. Fabian Pina, director of the Coastal Ecosystems Research Center (CIEC) and of Cuba’s top shark experts, led the team of researchers from the said institution who attended the event. They presented a wide variety of topics related to marine sciences, including the impact of climate change and communities.
Researchers from the CIEC, who have been working in the Gardens of the Queen for over two decades, presented their results on critical issues for the conservation and management of the area: ichthyology, coral reefs and Environmental Economics.
MARCUBA 2015 was successfully closed November 20, but the important results of the event opened a new era of cooperation which main beneficiaries are the ocean and the coastal ecosystems. Important agreements were signed, especially the one that commits The United States and Cuba to scientific collaboration to protect marine protected areas in both countries.
Daniel Whittle, Director of EDF Cuban Program said referring to the aforementioned agreement: “This a major achievement for both the United States and Cuba and a huge win for the Ocean….. Ocean waters and living resources do not recognize political borders… We are allbenefitingfromworkingtogether”.