Categorized | Environment

Pacific exchange between France/French Polynesia and U.S.

MEDIA RELEASE

A bi-lateral agreement forged in 2009 between the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the French Marine Protected Areas Agency (Agence des aires marines protégées) has led to increased efforts to further regional cooperation between Pacific Islands.

Delegates from French Polynesia and France are visiting Hawaii during the Pacific Exchange. The first of 10 delegates representing French Polynesia arrived June 12 in Honolulu.

For three weeks the delegates will participate in an interdisciplinary cruise to Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, tour cultural and natural sites, and meet with researchers, cultural practitioners, local, state and federal marine managers and staff from NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Pacific Islands Region.

A Memorandum of Agreement signed in November 2009 between the U.S. and France focuses on the exchange of technical information, scientific data and practical experiences.

Additionally it calls for the development of methods for natural and cultural resource protection in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs); the development, coordination and evaluation of research, monitoring, outreach, education and enforcement programs. Ultimately the Exchange will further the development of sister sanctuary relationships in the Pacific and in the Caribbean

”We are excited to partner with the French Marine Protected Areas Agency (Agence des aires marines protégées),” said Elizabeth Moore of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “Such international agreements help build marine protected area management capacity for the US and France through learning from each other’s experiences and sharing innovative new tools and techniques that can be put to work in the MPAs each program manages.”

Aulani Wilhelm, NOAA’s Superintendent for Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, said staff from the Monument and those representing various agencies and entities in French Polynesia will, “share experiences with efforts to demonstrate the inextricable link between natural and cultural heritage and improve integration of cultural values and knowledge into marine management.”

The exchange also allows for site managers and staff to forge strong professional relationships across sites. A delegation from Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Pacific Islands Region is expected to travel to French Polynesia within the next year.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.

— Find out more:
www.noaa.gov

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