Texas A&M: Conference To Discuss Impacts, Challenges Of Laguna Madre

The importance and future of the Laguna Madre coastline will be the focus of a binational virtual conference featuring researchers from Texas and Mexico scheduled for Nov. 29-Dec. 3.

The Zoom conference is sponsored by Texas A&M University at Galveston, the Environmental Law Institute’s Ocean Program and Foundation and the Iniciativa Laguna Madre.

The Laguna Madre stretches 400 miles from Corpus Christi, Texas to the Soto la Marina River in Tamaulipas, Mexico. It covers more than 11 million acres and is a critical area of study involving shorelines, fisheries, endangered sea turtles, recreation and various ecosystems and all of these topics will be discussed, according to Diego L. Gil-Agudelo, one of the organizers of the event.

“The conference will provide vital discussions of the Laguna Madre from Texas to the Mexican border,” said Gil-Agudelo, director of research operations at Texas A&M-Galveston. “We will look at areas of concern from both sides of the border. Shared experiences from researchers from Texas and Mexico will be offered as we examine how the Laguna Madre impacts both countries. It will also open up funding areas for research projects that will help us better understand the potential problems and concerns that face the Laguna Madre.”

Challenges affecting the overall health of the Laguna Madre will be addressed, along with conservation of important ecosystems of the area.

Also, discussions concentrating on wildlife of the Laguna Madre, such as fish and shark movements, fisheries, shorebirds, sea turtle habitat and conservation, reef systems and other areas of marine life will be offered. Species protection and restoration of coastal ecosystems will also be addressed.