November 4, 2013

MESP Joins International Coral Reef Initiative

Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, November 4, 2013

CONTACT: Erin McKenzie       
(919) 613-3652                          
erin.mckenzie@duke.edu    

The Marine Ecosystem Services Partnership (MESP), an initiative of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, became a member of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) this month.

The ICRI is an informal partnership of nations and organizations focused on preserving coral reefs and related ecosystems around the world. The MESP joins more than 60 other members, which include The Nature Conservancy, WWF International, the World Resources Institute and the World Bank.

"ICRI leads the world in promoting collaboration on coral reef science and conservation,” said Linwood Pendleton, director of the MESP and the Nicholas Institute’s Ocean and Coastal Policy Program. “ICRI also was the founding funder of the MESP. We are delighted to join the ICRI as a full partner and look forward to working together to promote smart marine management in the world's coral reef systems."

Membership, Pendleton said, allows the MESP to broaden a partnership that began with the ICRI’s Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Valuation. The committee had long acknowledged the need for a central forum in which ICRI members could share economic valuation information about marine ecosystems. In 2010, the ICRI funded a proposal by Duke University to create the MESP, which offers a library of more than 800 coastal and marine valuation studies as well as a thriving community of practice where economists, managers, and policy makers can go to learn more about valuation data.

As a formal member of the ICRI, the MESP plans to continue extending the reach of this information, creating a better understanding of ecosystem services.

For more information about the MESP, visit http://marineecosystemservices.org.

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