Recognizing that a connection to our ocean must be fostered with every generation, the 7th Our Ocean Conference Youth Delegation sought to highlight the contributions of young leaders advocating to protect our ocean. The Youth Delegation was made up of participants aged 18-30, with a focus on applicants from the Asia-Pacific region.
Extraordinary underwater naturalists contribute unique fish photos to STRI’s Caribbean and Tropical Eastern Pacific Shorefish Apps
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task force invites groups of marine biologists to propose Important Marine Mammal Areas. The new IMMA along the Ecuadorian coast proposed by STRI’s Hector Guzman and colleagues will lead to a cascade of scientific activities designed to protect not only marine mammals, but their entire habitat.
In September 2017, divers observed a massive “dead zone” rising to envelop Caribbean coral reefs in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Smithsonian post-docs joined together to understand marine hypoxia now and in the past.
At the 2023 Our Ocean Conference in Panama (Mar. 2-3), STRI and partners welcomed John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and representatives of civil society, philanthropy and science sectors to celebrate a regional initiative to protect the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
The 8th Our Ocean Conference concluded with 341 commitments worth nearly $20 billion, including the expansion of Banco Volcán Managed Resources Area in the Panamanian Caribbean that led Panama to protect over 54% of its oceans.
This action will help the country mitigate climate change, protect Panama's deep-sea marine-mountain environments, and safeguard wildlife from human intervention.
A new collaboration between STRI and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry will make a research vessel available to researchers, educators and marine policy makers working in the Tropical Eastern Pacific.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute will celebrate 100 years of tropical forest research at Barro Colorado Island Field Station in Panama with exhibits and events.
Murder mysteries may take decades to resolve, especially if they take place under the sea. The massive deaths of sea urchins in the Caribbean in the 1980’s is one of them. But only after a new killing spree erupted in 2022, could scientists corner the probable killer.
