The Sargasso Sea Commission has been recognized by Mission Blue as the Sargasso Sea ecosystem’s “Champion.”
The Sargasso Sea was first named a Mission Blue Hope Spot in 2011. This year, Mission Blue sought to re-launch the Sargasso Sea Hope Spot with new images and updated information.
The commission’s next step will be “to conduct an Ecosystem Diagnostic Analysis utilizing two major grants to inform the development of a long-term conservation strategy,” according to Mission Blue.
According to “Her Deepness,” Mission Blue Founder Dr. Sylvia Earle:
“Thank you, Sargasso Sea Commission, for stepping up and committing to being a champion for the Sargasso Sea, the floating golden rainforest that is so important to so many creatures in the Atlantic Ocean.
“In 2009, I witnessed aboard the Galápagos expedition the efforts to bring people together to safeguard this important part of the ocean — an effort now realized as the Sargasso Sea Commission. It also marked the beginning of what has now become Mission Blue, and the concept of Hope Spots. So, thank you for embracing the Sargasso Sea as a Hope Spot.”
Wilfred Moore, Sargasso Sea Commissioner and a former senator, said:
“Protecting and conserving the Sargasso Sea and the species that live there has never been more important – it represents the critical intersection between the ocean and the economy.”
Fellow Commissioner Rochelle Newbold, a special advisor on climate change and environmental matters to the Bahamian government, added:
“The Sargasso Sea Hope Spot is like the Garden of Eden. It’s a unique, fragile part of the planet’s ocean system, and it is under threat.”
Newbold believes that the upcoming Ecosystem Diagnostic Analysis of the Sargasso Sea will allow for more robust stewardship approaches for this high seas ecosystem than ever before.
For more info, check out the video below or go to mission-blue.org.
