The world’s waters are threatened by a host of problems. Impacts from human activities like development and overuse are exacerbated by changes in climate and increased competition by different societal interests, putting vulnerable communities and ecosystems at risk. Creating a sustainable balance of water needs for both nature and people is challenging. It will require people that are competing for water resources to work together in new collaborations and partnerships.

This newsletter summarizes outputs from the initial stakeholder workshop to develop the Verde River Watershed Report Card. The objectives of the workshop were to: i) introduce the project and agree on expected outcomes; ii) begin the process of developing a report card; and, iii) define the geographic scope of the report card, indicators, thresholds, data sources, and communication plan.

This technical document summarizes the methodology for the indicator calculations and scoring for coral reef status reports of the Pacific jurisdictions: American Samoa, Hawaiian Archipelago, Pacific Remote Islands, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands.

Effective coral reef conservation cannot be accomplished without an informed and engaged public. The American Samoa coral status report is part of a larger effort to provide communities and decision-makers with information about managing and conserving coral reef ecosystems. The American Samoa status report presents the results of an analysis of indicators that were chosen to reflect key ecosystem processes and values.

Effective coral reef conservation cannot be accomplished without an informed and engaged public. The Guam coral status report is part of a larger effort to provide the public and decision-makers with information about managing and conserving coral reef ecosystems.

Effective coral reef conservation cannot be accomplished without an informed and engaged public. The Hawaiian Islands coral status report is part of a larger effort to provide communities and decision-makers with information about managing and conserving coral reef ecosystems.

Effective coral reef conservation cannot be accomplished without an informed and engaged public. The Northern Mariana Islands coral status report is part of a larger effort to provide the public and decision-makers with information about managing and conserving coral reef ecosystems.

Effective coral reef conservation cannot be accomplished without an informed and engaged public. The Pacific Remote Islands coral status report is part of a larger effort to provide the public and decision-makers with information about managing and conserving coral reef ecosystems.

In the 3rd annual IAN Report Card, IAN staff reflected back on accomplishments from 2017. The self-assessment is based on indicators in three categories: social impacts, ecological outcomes, and partner engagement. Overall, IAN received an overall grade of B- (81%) which is down from an A- (90%) in 2016.

Guanabara Bay, a natural tropical embayment in Southeast Brazil adjacent to Rio de Janeiro, is important to the Brazilian economy as it provides areas for shipping, industry, recreation, and tourism. But commercial and residential urban development in the watershed results in water quality degradation. In Guanabara Bay, strong water quality gradients as a function of inputs and tidal flushing were evident.