A policy approach to establish an international network of marine protected areas in the Gulf of Mexico region

Existing conditions in the Gulf of Mexico region support an enterprise to establish an international network of marine protected areas for joint consideration by policy decision-makers from the United States, Mexico and Cuba. The analysis presented in this paper explores governance of living marine resources in the Gulf of Mexico and discusses legal frameworks and authorising laws specific to marine protected areas in the United States, Mexico, Cuba and the international arena. Although the three nations have different legal systems and regulatory frameworks, the United States, Mexico and Cuba each have governance objectives to move towards ecosystem-based management, which inherently includes protection of transboundary living marine resources. Federal and international legal mechanisms, including the creation of a tri-national memorandum of understanding and implementation of the Cartagena Convention, are identified as the most logical and efficient next steps towards creating the International Gulf of ...