Migratory Species Conservation Project

The Migratory Species Conservation Project

The Nature Conservancy project aims to identify migratory “blueways” in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond in order to preserve migratory marine species and improve the health of large marine ecosystems. Blueways are highly-trafficked migratory pathways used by multiple marine species across large ocean expanses such as the Gulf of Mexico.

The Migratory Species Conservation Project

The Nature Conservancy’s project aims to identify migratory “blueways” in the Gulf of Mexico and beyond in order to preserve migratory marine species and improve the health of large marine ecosystems. Blueways are highly-trafficked migratory pathways used by multiple marine species across large ocean expanses such as the Gulf of Mexico.

The Migratory Species Conservation Project is made possible by collaboration with over 100 researchers and institutions that have provided their species data towards the goal of uncovering migratory blueways. See a full list of our data providers here.

Understanding the blueways

....and full-range migratory activity of fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, and birds—including their stopovers, occurrence hotspots, spatial density, and potential threats— is critical to conservation planning and assessing the health of large marine ecosystems.

The Migratory Species Conservation project utilizes a framework for assessing conservation needs. These needs have been translated into a decision support web mapping tool that allows for visualization and analysis of animal movements and threats. A team of scientists and partnering institutions are working to collect new data and improve this analysis. Read the first report here.

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Migratory Species Conservation Framework

1. Identify

key migratory species hotspots, threats, and corridors, as well as opportunities for conservation of multiple species’ migratory pathways.

2. Enhance

dynamic analyses through data provided by new technology, broader collaboration, and intensive modeling.

3. Design

tools to provide resource managers and interested citizens with relevant information to improve understanding, conservation, and policy on migratory processes.

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PROJECTS

The Conservancy is using this framework to execute several projects within the Gulf of Mexico, which are part of a larger effort to enable planners and government officials across the three countries bordering the Gulf to develop threat reduction and habitat restoration strategies.

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TOOLS

The Migratory Species Decision Support Tool, live animal trackers, and the Coastal Resilience Decision Support Tool are valuable for marine conservation planning, resource management, and species preservation. Online tools allow citizens, scientists, and managers to observe species data and combine multiple types of information—such as jurisdictions, pathways, and threats—in ways that enhance resource management.

Learn More About Our TOOLS

PROJECTS

The Conservancy is using this framework to execute several projects within the Gulf of Mexico that are part of a larger effort to enable planners and government officials across the three countries bordering the Gulf—the United States, Mexico, and Cuba—to develop threat reduction and habitat restoration strategies.

Learn More About Our PRojects

TOOLS

The Blueways Conservation Decision Support Tool, live animal trackers, and the Coastal Resilience Decision Support Tool are valuable for marine conservation planning, resource management, and species preservation. Online tools allow citizens, scientists, and managers to observe species data and combine multiple types of information—such as jurisdictions, pathways, and threats—in ways that enhance resource management.

Learn More About Our TOOLS