Sea Grant International – Final Report to the US Department of State

In April 2002 Dr. Matthew Wilburn King, working with NOAA Research’s Office of International Activities (IA), submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Initiative (OESI) to assess the feasibility of adapting the Sea Grant model of linked applied research, extension and education to Latin America and the Wider Caribbean region. The overall goal was to determine whether or not university-based programs with these three features could serve as an appropriate institutional mechanism to address critical marine and coastal resource issues in a developing country context. The initiative was catalyzed as a result of expressions of interest from government and university officials in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Ecuador to develop long-term Sea Grant-like programs. The University of Central America (UCA), Nicaragua; University of Zamorano, Honduras; the University of El Salvador; and the Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Ecuador have all worked in cooperation with IA, the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP), the University of Rhode Island Sea Grant, and the Coastal Resources Center (CRC) to complete the goals of the OESI grant.

This document is the final report to the U. S. Department of State in fulfillment of the reporting requirements outlined in the Interagency Acquisition Agreement (IAA #S-OES- 03-IAA-001). The report includes a series of documents and updates that resulted from hundreds of interviews, roundtable discussions, literature reviews, and small focus groups. The report also provides information related to our partnership development activities and capacity building exercises that included study tours and information exchanges.

Download OESI Final Report Sept 24