Long Live the Florida Keys!

 The Ocean Conservancy is an organization that has many different programs, including combating climate change, creating sustainable fisheries, cleaning the oceans of trash, as well as protecting the Arctic and Florida. I specifically will be focusing on their efforts to protect Florida. Their motto is "We get to decide what the future holds".

Humans have had such an impact on the Florida Keys in recent decades that a majority of the environments here are experiencing a decline. It is important to conserve the area, as it has a big impact on surrounding environments and it provides a large income from ecotourism. 

One of the projects that are in progress currently is their manatee conservation project. In 2017, the manatees decreased their vulnerability from endangered to threatened. This was good news, as it meant that the population was recovering. Although, just because they are no longer endangered does not mean that the fight for conservation can end, as there is still a lot of effeffortorts that are needed to help them contincontinueure to recover. If you would like to participate in helping conserve them, click here to find their take action link where you can learn more about how to protect them as well as write to a Congress to share concerns. 

Another big project of theirs is removing pollution from the ocean. The single single-use plastics, little, and fishing materials get in the waterways and hurt the organisms within the environment. Miami Beach always has a rotating crowd of tourists coming to visit. With the dense crowd at all times, a lot of single-use plastic is used and discarded daily. Some locations in Florida have already banned  single-use plastic. Unfortunately, some people are against this, but They even have a list of restaurants in Miami Beach that have pledged to use sustainable products. 

As for the future of this conservation program, they have big plans. Their first goal is to continue and strengthen the conservation efforts that have already been put in place. Combating harmful algal blooms as well as reducing pollution. Another goal is to maintain resilience for those animals not suffering yet. They plan to do this using sea-level rise technology. Their third goal is to ban smoking on beaches to help prevent the litter that is often left behind from it. 

This non-profit organization deserves to be supported because they are constantly working to improve their efforts to conserve the environment. They provide a lot of opportunities for people to participate despite not being local, such as donating, educating, and writing to the Congress to help make changes.