Center For Marine Conservation Opens New Office In Caribbean

The Ocean Conservancy
Monday, 23 April 2001

Nicholas Drayton hired as Caribbean Ecosystem Manager of Virgin Islands Office

WASHINGTON, DC – The Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) continues to expand its horizons. The opening of its newest office in St. John of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) will further CMC's mission to protect the oceans' living resources and special places. Nicholas Drayton will manage the new office.

Drayton hopes to achieve great things for CMC and the Caribbean environment. "In an age where we are grappling with marine resource management issues and challenges, almost as diverse as the habitats themselves, I am honored to become a part of the CMC team. I'm looking forward particularly to forging both formal and informal partnerships with marine conservation agencies and individuals in the Islands and beyond, who share a common vision of clean, healthy marine waters with abundant and diverse wildlife," he stated.

Previously, Drayton was Director of Conservation Programs for the Nature Conservancy of the Virgin Islands and the Eastern Caribbean. He has also worked for the British Virgin Islands National Parks Trust and Program Coordinator for the Caribbean Conservation Association's Marine Parks and Protected Areas Program, and served in a number of valuable marine conservation roles in the Eastern Caribbean. Drayton holds an undergraduate degree from the University of the West Indies in Biology/Ecology with Sociology and a Masters in Coastal Biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

"We are very pleased that Nick has joined our organization. As a Caribbean native and Virgin Islands resident, he brings a unique perspective and experience to CMC," said Jack Sobel, CMC's Director of Ecosystem Programs.

CMC has long recognized the importance of the tropical marine ecosystems surrounding the USVI and is committed to achieving comprehensive protection for them. Recent CMC initiatives include spearheading a workshop on marine protected areas in conjunction with the Coral Reef Task Force meeting on St. Croix; advocating conservation, including the Red Hind Marine Conservation Area, through the Caribbean Fishery Management Council; and creating a recreational diver program to monitor the condition of the reef ecosystems.

The recent creation of the USVI Coral Reef National Monument and expansion of the existing Buck Island National Monument will be major focuses of the new office. These monuments have great potential to an integrated and effective network of marine protected areas in the USVI and surrounding Caribbean waters, fully protecting unique marine systems, including valuable coral reefs.

CMC's new Virgin Islands office will help to achieve these goals by building broad local and public support for marine conservation, collaborating with all appropriate federal and local institutions to enhance the effectiveness of their authorities to conserve marine resources, applying sound science in support of conservation, and striving for strong and effective implementation.

For more information, or to contact The Ocean Conservancy, see their website at: www.oceanconservancy.org