Stanford University, Monterey Bay Aquarium launch center to save oceans

Stanford University, Monterey Bay Aquarium launch center to save oceans

Stanford University, Monterey Bay Aquarium launch center to save oceans
mongabay.com
January 9, 2008

Stanford University, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have teamed up to establish the Center for Ocean Solutions, a new collaboration that will bring together international experts in marine science and policy to find innovative ways to protect and restore the world’s oceans.

Funded by a $25 million grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Center for Ocean Solutions will be located near the renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California.

“It is with great pleasure that Stanford joins two world-class institutions, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and MBARI, to establish the Center for Ocean Solutions-a unique forum where marine scholars can develop effective solutions to one of the most critical environmental problems of the 21st century,” Stanford President John Hennessy said. “Stanford is widely recognized for its broad range of marine scholarship in biology, aquaculture, environmental law and many other fields. But the problems we face-from polluted shorelines to collapsing fisheries-are so complex that they will only be solved by engaging in new collaborations that extend beyond the university.”

The new facility will seek to address global marine issues, including climate change, ocean acidification, and overfishing.

“The problem right now is that we take our oceans for granted,” said Leon E. Panetta, co-director of the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at California State University-Monterey Bay and co-chair of the national Joint Ocean Commission Initiative. “The reality is that we have a responsibility as good stewards to ensure that this great resource is protected for the future.”