Since 2006, NCEI staff have participated in a broad partnership to identify and address regional issues in the Gulf of Mexico such as increasing data access, enhancing coastal communities, and restoring habitats.
As a founding member, NOAA participates in the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a partnership between Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, as well as federal agencies, academic organizations, businesses, and other non-governmental organizations. The Alliance’s mission is to enhance the environmental and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico through increased regional collaboration. The Alliance allows partners to collaborate in ways that a single entity cannot.
Gulf Alliance Priorities Mirror NOAA's Priorities
NOAA continues to be a committed partner alongside eleven other federal agencies that constitute a working group. The Alliance’s priorities align with NOAA’s mission, goals, and objectives. NCEI staff collaborate on initiatives to make progress on prioritized objectives from the Governors' Action Plan IV, which was endorsed in 2021 by the governors of all five Gulf States. NCEI and other NOAA staff serve on all Gulf of Mexico Alliance Priority Issue Teams:
- Coastal Community Resilience
- Data & Monitoring
- Habitat Resources
- Education & Engagement
- Water Resources
- Wildlife & Fisheries
- Integrated Planning Cross-Team
- Human Benefits of Nature Cross-Team
- Marine Debris Cross-Team
These multi-state, cross-disciplinary teams develop specific actions to address priority issues, maximizing the impact of funding. The priority issue teams and cross teams meet throughout the year, both virtually and in person. Additionally, the entire membership of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance gathers once a year at an All Hands to review progress and plan projects that implement Governors’ Action priorities.
