US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration chief Kathryn Sullivan is in Havana to sign the agreement on Wednesday and continue talks on a host of environmental issues common to the two countries, separated by just 90 miles (140km) of water.
Under the memorandum, scientists with the Florida Keys and the Texas Flower Garden Banks national sanctuaries will partner with counterparts at Cuba’s Guanahacabibes national park and the Banco de San Antonio, located on the island’s westernmost region.
The four sanctuaries share a similar spectrum of fish and coral species, and officials hope the partnership will allow researchers to collaborate on how best to preserve their fragile ecosystems as tourism and oil exploration continue to expand.
“This opens the door to collaborating on many, many fronts so the so-called invisible lines of the Gulf (of Mexico) disappear,” said Daniel Whittle, the US-based Environmental Defense Fund’s senior director for Cuba. “In my mind this is long overdue.”
Washington and Havana announced last December that they would resume diplomatic ties, and formally did so in July.
Environmental cooperation has been one of the most visible areas of progress in the relationship as the United States and Cuba negotiate and discuss a number of issues. They include much thornier matters on which the two countries remain far apart, such as the US embargo and the naval base at Guantánamo Bay, as well as Cuba’s record on rights and democracy.
US secretary of state John Kerry announced in October that the countries were working on a marine-preservation accord. Also that month, Cuba and the EDF unveiled an initiative designed to protect shark populations, record fishing vessel catches and develop a long-term conservation plan. And in April, NOAA and Cuban scientists circled the island on a research cruise to study the larvae of bluefin tuna, a highly threatened and commercially valuable species.
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