The NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science provided
geospatial decision support for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary boundary expansion process. This work included engagement with the Boundary Expansion Working Group (BEWG). Through a series of 12 meetings, we led representatives from various stakeholder groups through a biogeographic assessment process. During this we integrated information on both the biology/ecology and human uses for a series of banks in the northern Gulf of Mexico. We integrated biological observations from over 550 survey dives along with information on potential conflicts, such as fishing, shipping, or oil & gas extraction. We applied a geospatial decision support tool called Marxan and then conducted a participatory GIS process. This enabled us to review biological and ecological features along with potential conflicts in a geographic context and to draw lines on the map to create a proposal for expanding the sanctuary boundaries.
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