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 Coastal
and Ocean Regional Roundtables (CORRT) will be conducted to initiate
a process to focus on local land use and coastal water quality issues
as they relate to recent changes in marine policy established by
the California Ocean Protection Act (COPA), and
specific goals of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative.
This effort will provide the initial platform on which to establish
a strategic nexus between land-based resource programs and conservation
organizations, and marine conservation programs and organizations.
These relationships currently do not exist and are not likely to
develop without a distinct mechanism to create an innovative dialogue
on the interrelationships of land-use policy decisions and impacts
to water quality and the newly defined goals of COPA and the MLPA.
The Regional Roundtables have been modeled on California’s
statewide annual Oceans Forum and will help to bring new
perspectives and identify gaps in current local and county-level
programs where innovative solutions will be needed in order to fully
implement California’s MLPA and specific elements of California’s
Ocean Protection Council’s Five-Year Strategic
Plan. These issues concern improving and protecting water quality
in coastal confluence streams, reducing nonpoint source pollution,
and restoring and protecting coastal wildlife habitat. Roundtables
will harness existing expertise from both marine and land-based conservation
groups to generate a new perspective on ocean protection that is
strategic, collaborative, and regionally specific. This process will
maximize the effectiveness of existing efforts, identify new and
emerging tools and resources for conserving and enhancing coastal
and marine resources, and serve as an example for other coastal counties
seeking regional coordination of ocean protection.
For more information please contact Dr.
Monica Hunter.
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