Addressing Threats to the Health of Coastal and Near-Coastal Ecosystems — The Gulf of Mexico *

The diversity of the Gulf of Mexico, from the hypersaline waters of the Laguna Madre to the mangrove swamps of south Florida, contributes to the variety and productivity of life and human custom that characterize this sea. When a Spanish fleet sailed into the Gulf waters in 1497, the human diversity and culture of the region already paralleled the physical diversity. From the Colusa of Florida’s southwestern coast to the empire of the Aztecs, the depth and complexity of the native civilizations was largely unappreciated by the Europeans. In the 500 years since its discovery by Spain, the Gulf of Mexico has become the Americas’ “Mediterranean” — a wellspring of commerce and transportation as well as an area of strategic military importance (Gore, 1992). The Gulf region has flown under many flags, and that diverse political and cultural heritage is still evident in the architecture, linguistics, and political structure of the area.