Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Note: The data were entered in the language of the country of origin (English, French or Spanish) and there is no translation available yet.Chapter 6. MANAGEMENT
f - Clarify if some species/habitats listed in section III are the subject of more management/recovery/protection measures than others
Habitats
| Marine / costal / terrestrial ecosystems | Management measures | Protection measures | Recovery measures | Comments/description of measures |
| Mangroves | no | no | no | |
| Coral | no | no | no | |
| Sea grass beds | no | no | no | |
| Wetlands | no | no | no | |
| Forests | no | no | no | |
| Others | no | no | no |
Flora
Fauna
| Species from SPAW Annex 2 present in your area | Management measures | Protection measures | Recovery measures | Comments/description of measures |
| Reptiles: Caretta caretta | no | no | no | |
| Reptiles: Eretmochelys imbricata | no | no | no | |
| Birds: Falco peregrinus | no | no | no | |
| Mammals: Mesoplodon europeaus | no | no | no | |
| Mammals: Mesoplodon densirostris | no | no | no | |
| Mammals: Mesoplodon mirus | no | no | no | |
| Mammals: Mesoplodon bidens | no | no | no | |
| Mammals: Stenella attenuata | no | no | no | |
| Mammals: Stenella frontalis | no | no | no | |
| Mammals: Tursiops truncatus | no | no | no |
| Species from SPAW Annex 3 present in your area | Management measures | Protection measures | Recovery measures | Comments/description of measures |
| Hydrozoa: Milleporidae | no | no | no | |
| Anthozoa : Antipatharia | no | no | no | |
| Anthozoa : Gorgonacea | no | no | no | |
| Anthozoa : Scleractinia | no | no | no | |
| Molluscs: Strombus gigas | no | no | no | |
| Crustaceans: Panulirus argus | no | no | no |
g - Describe how the protected area is integrated within the country’s larger planning framework (if applicable)
The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is part of the National System of Marine Protected Areas and the Gulf of Mexico Marine Protected Area Network. It is an example of NOAA’s commitment to ocean planning and the US National Ocean Policy.
h - Zoning, if applicable, and the basic regulations applied to the zones (attach in Annex a copy of the zoning map)
| Name | Basic regulation applied to the zone |
Comments, if necessary
While some biological components have specific regulations, and certain fish species are managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management Act, the sanctuary is managed as an ecosystem. Zoning is not used to manage the sanctuary.
i - Enforcement measures and policies
The sanctuary has published regulations:
http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/document_library/protdocs/fgbnmsregscfr2012.pdf
Enforcement and surveillance is difficult within the FGBNMS due to the distance from shore and inaccessibility of the site. The sanctuary relies greatly on assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA Fisheries and state enforcement agencies for an enforcement presence. Although these agencies have been extremely cooperative, there is very little enforcement activity within the sanctuary at this time.
j - International status and dates of designation (e.g. Biosphere Reserve, Ramsar Site, Significant Bird Area, etc.)
| International status | Date of designation | |
| Biosphere reserve | no | |
| Ramsar site | no | |
| Significant bird area | no | |
| World heritage site (UNESCO) | no | |
| Others: | no |
Comments
k - Site’s contribution to local sustainable development measures or related plans
The sanctuary is part of a regional Coastal National Recreation Area that is working to establish sustainable use and development, promote nature recreation opportunities and protections from storm-surge for the upper Texas Coast.
l - Available management resources for the area
| Ressources | How many/how much | Comments/description | |
| Human ressources | Permanent staff | 13 | Staffing consists of a superintendent, administrator, six research staff, two education and outreach coordinators, a management plan and Advisory Council coordinator, a captain and one crewmember for the sanctuary research vessel and numerous volunteers that periodically assist the sanctuary with special events. |
| Volunteers | |||
| Partners | |||
| Physical ressources | Equipments | - Extensive administration, education and research equipment; - 1 80 ft research vessel RV Manta; - 3 vehicles. | |
| Infrastructures | 1 Sanctuary office | ||
| Financial ressources | Present sources of funding | Annual operating budget is part of the National Marine Sanctuaries allocation within NOAA and authorized by the US Congress. The 2012 allocation for Flower Garden Banks NMS staff and operations was $1.06 million. | |
| Sources expected in the future | |||
| Annual budget (USD) | 1060000 | ||
Conclusion Describe how the management framework outlined above is adequate to achieve the ecological and socio-economic objectives that were established for the site (Guidelines and Criteria Section C/V).
The Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary is managed using an “adaptive” management approach to resource protection, wherein threats are addressed when they are identified and understood. Sanctuary management is a structured, iterative process of decision-making, with the aim of reducing uncertainty over time through system monitoring and management plan updates. Sanctuary management is a learning process rather than a predetermined “solution” to an identified problem. The periodic review of the sanctuary’s management plan, including the development of specific action plans to address priority issues, provide a mechanism to adapt management to address the problems at the Flower Garden Banks.