Gulf of Mexico Program
Large Aquatic Ecosystem (LAE)
COUNCIL OF LARGE
AQUATIC
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Program
The Gulf of Mexico Program was initiated in 1988 by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a non-regulatory program.
Founded on the threefold principles of partnership, science-based
information, and citizen involvement to apply an adaptive management
approach to large coastal freshwater and marine ecosystems. The
mission of the Program is to facilitate collaborative actions to protect,
maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of Mexico
in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the Region.
The Program provides a broad geographic focus on the major
environmental issues in the Gulf, and from its inception, was envisioned
as a multiagency partnership endeavor based on the simple premise
that no one agency or institution alone has the technical skills, financial
resources, or legislative authority needed to resolve the environmental
or natural resource problems confronting an ecological system the size of the Gulf. The Program's
success comes from its ability to engage many people across the Gulf region for leadership and to
implement projects that move in an environmentally and economically sound direction.
The Governors of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas formalized the Gulf of Mexico
Alliance in 2004. Thirteen federal agencies committed to supporting the Alliance and formed a
Federal Workgroup with EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and the Department of the Interior serving as co-leads. The Alliance released the
Governors' Action Plan I in 2006 which was intended to be a dynamic starting point to set the stage
for a long-term regional partnership. The Action Plan sets out projects to deliver significant on-the-
ground results. Capitalizing on the momentum of the first Plan, a second Action Plan, released in
2009, addresses some of the more pressing issues affecting the Gulf region.
Challenges
The Gulf of Mexico is a vast and productive body of water of tremendous ecological, economic
and social value. There are four major challenges to healthy and resilient communities in the
Gulf region: (1) Sustaining the Gulf Economy; (2) Improving the Gulf Ecology; (3) Mitigating
Impacts of Climate Change, and (4) Mitigating Harmful Effects of Coastal Water Quality.
Priorities
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance identified issues that are regionally significant and can be
effectively addressed through increased collaboration at the local, state, and federal
levels. These priorities represent an initial focus for action through the Alliance and
align with the Gulf of Mexico Program priority issues:
• Water Quality for healthy beaches and shellfish beds.
• Habitat conservation and restoration.
• Ecosystems integration and assessment.
• Nutrient reduction and nutrient impacts.
• Coastal community resiliency.
• Environmental education.
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Accomplishments
The Gulf of Mexico Program reflects upon 20 years of collaboration
and environmental accomplishments to the benefit of the Gulf
communities. With the cooperation of its partners, the program
successfully implements water quality and ecological recovery
programs. The Program's cooperative approach includes:
• Delisting approximately 131 rivers and streams from EPA's list
of polluted waterways.
• Supporting the Gulf States with 543 projects some of the most
difficult environmental issues confronting coastal waters and in
implementing a wide variety of demonstration projects and
studies that offer solutions to those problems.
• Protecting over 29,344 acres of coastal marine habitat.
• Designating all 6 Coastal Education Learning Centers, one in
each Gulf state and in Veracruz, Mexico.
• Assisting the Gulf Alliance to fulfill 100 percent of the
2006 Governors' Action Plan.
• Commemorating the people and agencies working together to
protect the Gulfs ecosystems through 188 Gulf Guardian Awards.
• Supporting international efforts by implementing integrated
binational (U.S. and Mexico) early-warning detection systems
for coastal community management of harmful algal blooms.
Supporting the goals and actions identified in the GulfHypoxia
Action Plan.
Future Direction
The Gulf of Mexico Region is experiencing the power of collaboration
and partnerships. The results of the first Governors' Action Plan
exceeded initial expectations, identifying specific actions needed to
improve the health of the coastal areas and to improve the quality
of life for the Gulfs citizens. Significant accomplishments have been
achieved and lasting partnerships were established; however, the
Gulf coast ecosystems are still at risk with challenges for years to
come. To build on the success of the partnerships, the Governors'
Action Plan II released in June 2009, is a far-reaching, five-year
regional blueprint for 2009-2014 to increase the health of the
ecology and economy of the Gulf and address the most pressing
issues affecting the Gulf Region. The Gulf of Mexico Program will
continue to enhance and expand effective working partnerships to
identify and resolve environmental issues in the Gulf ecosystem.
We will continue creating a Gulf that flourishes in all its natural
richness and variety, while embracing the needs and desires of
its people.
The Gulf of
Mexico Program
was designated a
member of the US
Environmental
Protection Agency's
Large Aquatic Ecosystem Council
(LAE) in 2008. The Gulf of Mexico
Program joins nine other
geographic-based efforts that focus
on protecting and restoring the
health of critical aquatic ecosystems.
The LAE Council seeks to merge
geographic-based efforts with
national water programs to advance
the health of the nation's large
aquatic ecosystems and strengthen
national water programs.
LAE Program Web Sites
Chesapeake Bay Program
www.chesapeakebay.net
Columbia River Basin
www.epa.gov/region10/columbia
Great Lakes
www.epa.gov/glnpo
Gulf of Mexico Program
www.epa.gov/gmpo
Lake Champlain Basin Program
www.lcbp.org
Long Island Sound Study
www.longislandsoundstudy.net
Pacific Islands Office
www.epa.gov/region09/islands
Puget Sound - Georgia Basin
(Under Construction)
San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary
www.epa.gov/region9/water/watershed/
sfbay-delta.html
South Florida Geographic Initiative
www.epa.gov/Region4/water/southflorida
Office of Wetlands, Oceans,
and Watersheds
www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/
partnerships/large_aquatic.html
EPA842F10003C
April 2010
irfic Aquntic Ecosystems
The Gulf of Mexico Program Facts
Watershed Size: ~2 million square miles
Waterbody Size: Gulf Region covers ~600,000 square miles
Population: 44.2 million people in 1995 and may increase to an estimated 61.4 million in 2025
EPA Regions: 4 and 6
Director: Bryon Griffith
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