In commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Marine Sanctuary, Marine Mammal Protection, and Coastal Zone Management Acts, NOAA Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad today said that the last 50 years “have demonstrated our nation’s ability to work collectively to spur economic opportunity, protect our natural resources and wildlife, and ensure that future generations are able to enjoy their splendor.”
Spinrad added that conservation and restoration efforts today “are undertaken with an increasing sense of urgency in the face of the climate crisis,” and highlighted NOAA’s commitment to “ensuring that the next 50 years of our conservation efforts build on our heritage and address existing and future threats with the best available science and data.”
NOAA also released a 2022-2027 strategy for the National Marine Sanctuary System, with objectives including the protection of sanctuary ecosystems, expansion of the sanctuary system, and increased public support for ocean conservation and the sanctuary system.
Lastly, NOAA released a transformational vision for national marine sanctuaries for the next 20 years, with 2042 goals that include thriving marine sanctuaries and other marine protected areas and a fully resourced sanctuary system. The need for and investments in large-scale restoration and conservation inside marine sanctuaries and other marine protected areas (with a focus on measurable, long-term improvements in habitat and water quality for wildlife and cultural and heritage asset preservation) was identified as a needed change.
