Blue crabs are one of the best-known and most celebrated symbols of the Chesapeake. Their populations in the Bay have hovered near historic lows for much of the last decade, but have recently begun to show signs of improvement. This newsletter reviews the current status of the blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay as well as the management systems in place to monitor and protect this iconic species.

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Human cultures are defined by the biological and physical environments in which they live. This newsletter examines—through case studies in Belize, Brazil, Fiji and Panama—the marine managed areas developed for the sustainable use of these environments and resources.

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Encouraging local marine resource users to adopt sustainable practices that conserve biodiversity and habitat is the challenge faced by all marine managed areas worldwide. Using three different approaches to motivating behavior changes, 27 case studies were selected for review. This newsletter focuses on the design and success of those approaches as they were employed in three locations: Morro Bay, California; Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico; and Kubulau, Fiji.

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This report represents the climate change vulnerability assessment project conducted by Conservation International in the Verde Island Passage in 2009. It reviews the multiple impacts that threaten the marine biodiversity of this area, while focusing in particular on climate change effects.

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This newsletter summarizes the report by the same name that represents the climate change vulnerability assessment project conducted by Conservation International in the Verde Island Passage in 2009. It reviews the multiple impacts that threaten the natural resources of this area, while focusing on climate change effects in particular.

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Establishment of marine managed areas (MMAs) is a long-term investment in secure and sustainable ecosystems—secure for the people that depend on them for sustenance and livelihoods, sustainable in terms of the long-term persistence of habitats and species present.

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One approach to the development of better coastal and marine policy and management is the concept of marine managed areas (MMAs). A MMA is an area of ocean, or a combination of land and ocean, where all human activities are managed toward common goals. MMAs are a form of ecosystem-based management, where all elements—biophysical, human, and institutional—of a particular system are considered together. This document describes what MMAs are, why they are important, and where they are implemented.

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Although much research has been done on the ecological benefits and challenges of marine resource management, comparatively little insight has been gained into the benefits and challenges of the human well-being aspects. This document addresses this gap by building on existing knowledge and synthesizing over 20 social science studies conducted over the past five years in 19 countries, involving over 35 scientists, and drawing on experiences in 52 marine managed areas (MMAs) worldwide.

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This two-page flyer, created in collaboration with the National Park Service's National Park of American Samoa, will be distributed by the park to Samoan community and church groups and schools, as well as to park visitors, to promote good stewardship and sustainable use of the unique and fragile natural resources found in these remote South Pacific islands.

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Nitrogen pollution has been a primary cause of a degraded Chesapeake Bay ecosystem for over a century. Since the Clean Water Act of 1972, Bay monitoring programs have measured the amount of nitrogen coming from human activities and on land (urban, suburban, rural, and industrial) and from natural cycling in the water column. This information is used to evaluate management actions for nutrient reduction.

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