Keynote Address: White Water to Blue Water Partnership Conference

Thank you Paula (Dobriansky) and Bill (Brennan), and good morning everyone. I’m delighted to be here.

I am very pleased to see such an impressive turn-out. We have with us today representatives from governments, international organizations, academia, domestic and international financial institutions, foundations and donors, Non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

Some of the faces here are familiar. It’s good to see you again. And it’s always good to meet new friends. I speak to you today from a somewhat unique perspective.

After 40 years in the U.S. Navy and several in the private sector, it’s my privilege to head what might be described as the United States’ “ecosystem science agency,” better known to our friends as NOAA. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is an agency with a broad and diverse set of responsibilities -- many of which I have worked on throughout my career.

Over the course of the week, I hope that you will have a chance to meet and engage the NOAA experts here representing a substantial portion of the Agency’s talent and capabilities. However, you don’t have to work with this group long to learn that while each individual office is doing some incredible work, the real power is when they integrate and work together. You see, at NOAA we believe that to thrive in the 21st century, we need to operate much like the environment we observe, forecast and protect -- that is, fully integrated and interrelated from top to bottom.

I will give you a couple examples of NOAA’s integration that will have particular salience to the WW2BW conference. You will hear the themes of ecosystem-based management and earth observations resonating continuously throughout this conference. Obviously, if we want to continue to grow the economy while protecting the environment, there is a need to understand the interrelationships among our planet’s systems.

At NOAA, these are not new priorities for the agency. Instead, they serve as integrating themes, which focus the efforts of the entire agency.

Given the difficult social and economic issues facing the world, the time has come to move beyond considering the separate disciplines or sectors as "stand alone" components of the big picture of life on Earth and shift toward a broader ecosystem-based approach. We need to ask how the parts fit together and function as a whole. Through cooperation -- at a national and regional scale -- we are poised to fully understand and implement ecosystem-based management of our watersheds, marine and coastal resources such that we can manage our coastal and marine resources in a responsible, sustainable manner for generations to come.

The degree to which we will be successful will depend not only on how well NOAA does its job, but on how well we work with our partners -- those of you here today, state and local governments, industry, environmental organizations and the international community to name a few.

Here in the Caribbean, we are putting ecosystem-based management procedures to work. NOAA is working hand-in-hand with partners like the Global Environment Facility, the World Conservation Union, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and many others to improve long-term sustainability of resources in the Gulf.

You all are probably quite familiar with the International Coral Reef Initiative that was created in 1995. It has had countless benefits for this region, only one of which is the launch of the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN) as a partnership that is materially strengthening UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme in the region and supporting real conservation in the water and on the coast. Another was the establishment of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force combining the energies of the Federal agencies with the States and Territories. This has been a remarkable success in the Caribbean and the Pacific islands region -- bringing together technology, applications, and expertise to improve our shared management of these ecosystems.

Globally, scientists have identified 64 Large Marine Ecosystems, relatively large areas of the ocean that are defined according to ecosystem characteristics rather than political boundaries. This week, you have the opportunity to engage in some of the initial stages of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean LME projects. As a result of these efforts, we expect to have better information about what drives these ecosystems and the steps needed to address the challenges facing them.

You will have to excuse me if I get a little excited here, but I am absolutely convinced that a robust global earth observing system, comprised of regional efforts such as that underway in the Wider Caribbean, will improve and help sustain the environment for generations to come, will boost the world economy, will help save lives, and will provide for a better well-being for all parties involved.

I am sure many of you have been following this issue since the U.S. held the first Ministerial Earth Observing Summit last summer in Washington, so let me give you a brief preview of what is to come. Next month, the Ministers will meet in Tokyo with the goal of adopting a Framework for establishing an Earth observing system. After that, we will look toward the beginning of 2005 when we will meet again to embrace a 10-year implementation strategy that lays out the specific actions and investments that will be necessary to support this system.

The speed at which this is moving and the fact that there are now 44 diverse countries on board should not be lost on anyone. Clearly, the world recognizes the importance of getting an earth observing system up and running. This will be an historic accomplishment and the work you all are doing here this week and back home will lay the foundation for its success and you should all be very proud.

Thankfully folks in the Caribbean do not have to wait to begin reaping the rewards from this system. Take for example hurricane warnings. Our investments in technology and data sharing have led to improved forecasting and modeling which are directly responsible for $3 billion in savings in life and property during the typical hurricane season. You can imagine what this could mean worldwide.

But, the real benefit of an earth observing system is not necessarily a specific event in a particular location. Instead, the true power of the system is when we are able to study and monitor how ecological changes and events around the world have an effect on local families and communities back home. As we speak, a team of NOAA researchers aboard the NOAA ship Ron Brown has been gathering data and measurements of Saharan dust particles traveling across the Atlantic from Africa. These aerosol particles are suspected of causing respiratory problems, climactic changes, fungi on coral, and even harmful algal blooms here in the Wider Caribbean region. Data collected will be used as we continue to build the earth observing system and will help us answer questions of “why” and “how” certain actions in one location cause impacts worldwide.

Later today, one of the breakout sessions will be devoted to the establishment of a regional ocean observing system for the Wider Caribbean. What will it take to put such a system into place and thereby achieve regional benefits? You have the people here who can answer that question -- Patricio Bernal, Rick Spinrad, Doug Wilson, Lorna Inniss, Alejandro Gutierrez, and Robin Mahon to name a few. These are the people who are dedicated to the success of IOCARIBE-GOOS. No doubt, it will take a collection of actions, including capacity building and technical assistance, to get the system fully implemented. No one country can do it alone -- it will take the coordinated effort of many. I look forward to hearing what that session recommends, in particular.

I highlight these cross-cutting initiatives one, because they represent a new way to do business at NOAA and two, because they are similar to the basis of the White Water to Blue Water Initiative -- integrated management of watersheds and ecosystems across sectors through partnerships. It’s a way to add value to science.

At an ecosystem level, or even at a national or island-wide level, integration takes place on a much grander scale than that within an agency, of course, and presents many more challenges. But, I assert, based on my experience, that integration is a worthwhile endeavor, and that there are many lessons to share from the experience.

It is important to note that integration is taking place throughout the United States government -- the agencies represented here today, working with partners in local and State governments, with non-governmental organizations and the private sector, recognize that our efforts must be integrated with one another if we are to be successful.

Coastal America is one good example of the partnership paradigm in action in the United States. You will hear more about this at tonight’s reception, but let me offer my congratulations to our friends from Gillette, the Nature Conservancy, the United Nationals Foundation, the RAMSAR Convention Secretariat, and Coastal America who all share the costs as well as the benefits of ensuring healthy wetlands and coasts.

The vision of White Water to Blue Water is healthy, well-managed and productive marine and coastal ecosystems that support secure economies and livelihoods in coastal countries.

We’ve chosen to launch this White Water to Blue Water partnership in the Caribbean because the United States is already strongly engaged in the area by virtue of geography. We share the wider Caribbean and it is quite clear that we can do more in our own backyard.

The underlying assertion is that sustainable development for the Wider Caribbean, and other primarily coastal and island regions, cannot take place without healthy watersheds and marine ecosystems.

You are well aware of the social, economic and environmental challenges we face in the march toward global sustainable development, especially for the region:

• Today, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in coastal areas and depends heavily on oceans and coastal resources for survival. By 2025, 75 percent of the world’s population will live in coastal areas.
• In many developing countries, fish may account for up to 60 percent of the animal protein consumed; yet, some 70 percent of the world’s fish stocks are fully fished, or over-fished.
• Worldwide shipping is expected to triple over the next 20 years.
• Worldwide, about 25 percent of coral reefs have been lost within the past two decades. Almost two-thirds of the reefs in the Wider Caribbean are threatened by human activities.

In this region, these natural systems are the basis for sustainable economic development.

Over-fishing, pollution, degradation of habitats and natural disasters are increasingly undermining the ability of coastal populations to meet basic human needs. The result is missed opportunities for sustainable development and new job creation.

If we are going to achieve sustainable development, at any level, we need several things:

• We need better use of existing and potential resources at both the national and regional levels.
• We need better recognition of the benefits of regional and cross-border cooperation among all groups represented here today.
• We need to improve capacities of coastal states to manage entire coastal-marine ecosystems.
• We need to treat the primary cause of marine pollution – that which occurs upstream in the watersheds, forests, farms and cities. Upland sources deliver pollutants into wetlands, mangrove swamps and coral reefs, the nurseries for most of the commercial species on which human populations depend. Ultimately these pollutants find their way into our oceans.

U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong once noted that science has not yet mastered prophecy. We predict too much for the next year, and yet far too little for the next ten. Working in partnerships, networking, brainstorming, together we can surely exceed our goals and others we may determine during this conference.

Clearly, the responsibility for healthy oceans and coasts rests on all our shoulders, and cannot be carried by government alone. Sustainable development requires cooperation among the full range of upstream and downstream stakeholders.

Over the next several days, this Conference will be addressing four major overlapping themes -- Integrated Watershed Management, Marine Ecosystem-based Management, Sustainable Tourism, and Environmentally Sound Marine Transportation.

It will also focus on several cross-cutting topics, including education and training, climate change and natural hazards, and marine science.

Clear skies, crystal beaches and clean waters speak to the health and safety of our citizens and countries. They also speak to our economic well-being. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) reports that in 2002, Caribbean destinations received a total of 35.2 million visitors, worth an estimated $18.8 billion.

The natural environment of the Caribbean - its marine environment, coasts, and living marine resources - attracts these visitors and keeps them coming back; so, we are wise to keep an eye on the environment. And we have a range of approaches -- integrated tourism planning, the environmental management of facilities, and the education of tourists just to name a few -- that can be used where needed to further sustainability.

It goes without saying that we have a lot on our plate – far more than could ever be accomplished in one week. As we move forward we will naturally start focusing on results, but I would like to caution that this Conference is not about developing a White Paper, a negotiated text or a “Miami Declaration.”   It is designed to create new partnerships and expand existing projects at the implementation level.

The Conference is designed to facilitate the kind of interaction that creates energy and promotes cooperative problem solving. As participants, we are asking you to come up with good ideas, reach out to the other participants here, and seek ways to make your idea come to life.

We, as a group, through the White Water to Blue Water Steering Committee, have been promoting this type of interaction in preparation for this Conference. We will continue to do so after the Conference as well -- largely through the establishment of a website on which to record these partnership ideas.

Speaking of partnerships, I am pleased to announce that even as this conference begins, we can record an early accomplishment.

Later today, NOAA and the United Nations Environment Program are signing a memorandum of understanding. We’ve agreed to work together on programs to restore and protect the marine environment in the Wider Caribbean region. We hope this agreement is the beginning of a cascade of partnerships and collaborative ventures that will flow from the meetings at this conference.

I am also pleased to announce that President Bush’s fiscal year 2005 budget proposal for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration includes $1.2 million for the broader White Water to Blue Water partnership initiative that includes a number of commitments to regional projects.

I have asked Bill Brennan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Affairs to take the results of this Conference, identify the most promising opportunities for NOAA to engage in them, and prepare a package of activities that we can support with this initiative.

I am an eternal optimist, therefore I know that we will be successful in the budget process, and that NOAA will be well positioned to implement this package in support of White Water to Blue Water.

I hope that you will all keep track of the announcements that you will be ready to make by the end of the week.

I expect that one of the accomplishments will be the success of the Country Teams. Paula mentioned how important these teams have been to the preparation for this Conference, and I believe that they will also be important in carrying home the lessons learned, and for changing the way we work together on a day-to-day basis.

The composition of these teams varies from country to country, but as a general matter, they represent a cooperative effort of governments, civil society, and academia.

I applaud this effort to work across sector lines and I urge you to use the time set aside each night to meet and share ideas within the Country Teams.

On Friday, you will take stock of what you’ve done this week. I mean that literally. Each day, designated participants will keep track of new partnerships and promising efforts that are formed as a result of this meeting and this initiative, and report back to the Conference on Friday.

The measure of our success will be the strengthening and creation of joint actions formed through this partnership process.

Only through the success of existing partnerships and the launch of new collaborative projects are we going to move forward and make our White Water to Blue Water goals a reality.

Your assignment for the week, then, is to pursue your own objectives, and in doing so, find others here who you can work with to achieve them.

Through these partnerships, this Conference and the White Water to Blue Water initiative will serve three strategic aims:

1. It will improve the quality of life and economic prosperity of those who live, work and benefit from these vibrant coastal areas.
2. It will preserve a vital natural heritage for our children and grandchildren.
3. And, it will establish a prototype for facilitating partnerships to improve and protect marine and coastal ecosystems here and in other parts of the world

Now, those are some accomplishments we can all hang our hats on and be very proud.

I wish you all success in the remainder of the week and will anxiously await reports on how the week went.

I was in Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development and was honored to have been the U.S. representative chosen to announce the White Water to Blue Water initiative at the Oceans Gala.

Having been involved with the initiative since its formative stage, and having now seen what has gone into this meeting, and the collection of partnerships and good ideas that stand ready to be launched, I am confident that the effort has been worth it. The dedication and commitment you have made, individually and as a group, will carry the Initiative to success. Having been present at the launch, I can commend you all on the progress you’ve achieved.

Thank you again for your efforts to contribute to our shared goal and the important work of environmental stewardship in the Wider Caribbean Region.

I look forward to building on our successes here and working with you all as we extend White Water to Blue Water to other regions.