| Two years ago, close to 50 local concerned Biscayne Bay lovers and activists, representing environmental NGOs, government entities, private businesses and educational institutions, joined forces and, together, implemented the Inaugural Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit. The purpose of that Summit was to initiate discussions regarding the ongoing challenges Bay was experiencing. This initial effort was a great success, attracted close to 270 attendees and produced a comprehensive report: The 2017 BBMH Summit Proceedings.
Now, after 2 years of meetings and planning sessions, we will come together once more to implement a second summit: The Action Summit. This time, however, we have a greater and more aggressive vision in sight: to initiate efforts towards the creation of long-term, sustainable Biscayne Bay environmental health initiatives with financial and political support needed to restore and maintain the health of the Bay.
The goal of this year’s BBMHS will be to identify, advocate for and recommend best management practices, advance solutions for research & technology, and to form policy recommendations for the Miami-Dade County Biscayne Bay Task Force.
The Summit aims to include representatives from all Miami-Dade County municipalities surrounding Biscayne Bay, including inland communities along canals and Miami River, environmental NGOs, businesses and educational institutions, amongst many others.
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| Biscayne Bay and its adjoining waters are among Miami-Dade’s most outstanding natural resources. Shallow, clear water, seagrass meadows and coastal wetlands provide habitat and nurseries for key fish species and wildlife, buffer our coast against storm erosion, support boating and water-related recreational activities, and provide over $6 billion annual revenue to our local economy.
Most of Biscayne Bay is designated as a State Aquatic Preserve or is part of Biscayne National Park, and is intended to be preserved for future generations as a public, shared natural resource.
However, due to the tremendous population growth Miami-Dade has experienced during the last few decades, the Bay is being impacted by a staggering amount of MARINE DEBRIS. Government agencies, community organizations, and 1000s of community volunteers have, for years, organized cleanups of the Bay’s shoreline to remove marine debris and litter from the Bay’s delicate ecosystem. However, these efforts are not enough.
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| The event will be held on September 20, 2019 at Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus, 3000 N.E. 151st Street, North Miami, Florida 33181
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| The steering committee includes Luiz Rodrigues – Biological Oceanographer, Unban Sustainability Consultant & Biscayne Bay Summit’s Founder & Coordinator; Albert Gomez – Lead Project Coordinator – Innovation Advisor at South Florida Resilience System, Miami Sea Level Rise Committee Board Member; Camila Quaresma – BOD and Chair of Sustainability & Resilience Committee Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce; Dave Doebler – Founder of VolunteerCleanup.org, Chair of the City of Miami Beach Sustainability Committee, Environmental Activist; Emilio Lopez – CEO of SOP Technologies; Irela Bagué – Public Affairs Consultant and President & CEO of Bagué Group; Steve Sauls – Former FIU VP for Governmental Relations & Consultant for FIU Strategic Issues; Dr. Tiffany Troxler – Director of Science, FIU Sea Level Solutions Center
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| For additional information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Luiz Rodrigues at 786.853.1855 or at luiz@ecologicalsol.com. You may also visit the Summit’s landing page at https://soptechint.com/biscayne-bay-marine-health-summit
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